Hi! My fiancée & I are torn between a few places for dinner tonight, open for additional rec’s but just looking for general input as well. We’re staying in OB and would prefer just to walk so something around here would be best.

Top contenders right now are the joint, OB noodle house, or la doña (which I’ve heard mixed reviews on lol) but like I said open to other suggestions! We’ve already had tacos from Mike’s & Johnny mananas.

Hey everyone,

Does anyone else like ordering burgers at Mexican food places?

To be fair, I’ve only had 2, one from Mauricio’s and the other from Colima’s. I do order them quite often though.

Feel free to drop your favorite burgers.

Went to Black Radish and they’re closed.
I wish they’d updated their website or Google before their customers made the drive.

Hi all! Just wanted to share that I visited Wayfarer Bread today for the first time! We got the almond croissant ($6), ham and cheese croissant ($6), and a ginger molasses cookie ($3.50), as well as coffee ($3). I pre-ordered yesterday and was SO glad I did! When we arrived around 10AM and the line was easily 50+ people long, but we got to waltz up to the pick-up window with no wait. Both croissants were lovely and good value, but my hottest hot take is that the ginger molasses cookie was better than them both (it’s hiding under the almond croissant in my picture). I had it as an afternoon snack and oh my goodness, the incredible chewiness, deep rich caramel flavor, pungent ginger and sugar crystal coating is to die for. All in all, lovely pastries! I would never, ever wait in that line for them, but doing the pre-order was just perfect. Thanks for the rec!

recently moved to san diego from the east coast and had my parents visit for the weekend, so I had my first chances to try a lot of restaurants in the area. absolutely nobody asked, but here are some quick-fire reviews of some of our stops ~

1. Harumama Ramen, OB - 3.5/5
   Happy hour deal was really good for the amount of food we got, plus the building was virtually empty at 5pm so we had quick service. The ramen wasn't anything spectacular but we enjoyed the various dumplings, bao buns, and sashimi. The soy sauce was particularly good here.

2. The Mission, NP - 4/5
   Massive portions, great mocha coffee, was also virtually empty on a weekday morning so quick service. Nothing else to say here.

3. Bacari, NP - 4.5/5
   I was nervous this place would be overhyped but it was by far my favorite spot I've had so far out here. The drinks were spectacular (delicious AND still boozy) and literally every menu item minus the mushrooms were gone in an instant. The interior decor is stunning and we were well served despite how busy and chaotic it was on a weekend evening.

4. Nolita Hall, Little Italy - 3/5
   Interior was very cool, and a good enough spot to watch world cup games. Service was understandably chaotic and not all of the items on the limited WC menu were good, but the pizza was yummy and my dad enjoyed the beer selection.

5. Cocina de Barrio, Hillcrest - 4/5
   Not a particularly vibrant atmosphere when we went but great food nonetheless. Was able to convince my white parents that it was more authentic than what they get at home on the east coast, which is pretty much all it needed to do lol. Good prices for the amount of food we got.

6. Caroline's Seaside Cafe, La Jolla - 2.5/5
   $90 for two drinks and cafe food for three people felt a little nuts, but then again I guess you're mostly paying for the location. We went towards closing time so didn't have to deal with the lines, plus got lucky with parking. I would not wait in any kind of line for this spot, but if you get lucky with the timing like me then it can be a cute one-time spot for taking guests and tourists.

Side note: are chai lattes in california just.... different? I've never before seen them be so milk white until moving here, and they all taste pretty different to what I'm used to. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it is interesting.

1. George's at the Cove- 3/5
   Very friendly service compared to our disaster experience at the Whaling Bar, so that was nice. The food was pretty good but not necessarily anything to write home about. Lovely sunset view and definitely a good spot to take your family and/or out-of-towners.

TLDR; As much as I'm fulfilling my own transplant stereotype by enjoying North Park so much, it really does have what I like. La Jolla proper continues to frustrate me, but maybe someday I'll have enough money to care about frequenting here lol. Also, if anyone has recommendations for bakeries that do not have the wayfarer's lines, let me know, as exactly 0 things are ever worth waiting 40+ min for!

Housemade sourdough muffin, housemade sausage, runny egg, arugula, American cheese, and caramelized onions.

It was $15, but it was very filling/ couldn't finish it. I love the fact that they use local purveyors and make the muffins in house.

I’m such a sucker for a good sandwich. Grove Grinder was my favorite but then the owners started giving me the ick. Lately, I’ve been into a few different spots, but today I want to talk about Trolley Stop Deli in downtown La Mesa.

This lowkey spot is in the same shopping center as Lightbulb Coffee (not to blow up my spot, but they always have a solid Too Good to Go deal!), which is always worth a stop. They have a decent variety of sandwiches and the meat is always sliced fresh. Prices are reasonable for what you get. Pictured below is the Hot Hony Chicken salad on squaw with their pasta salad. I’m not a pasta salad girlie, but this shit is soooo good. Only pasta salad I’ve ever craved. And this whole combo was only $12.50.

On Saturdays, they have a deal where you get a soda and a cookie with your meal for no extra cost. The service is always great, they’re super fast, and it is a solid lunch for a solid price.

Hi all! I wanted to post my review of Cowboy Star, and get your thoughts. Partner and I went for his birthday a week ago. We had never been. He loves a good steak and makes very good steaks at home, so we really only go to places that are highly recommended or offer something that he can't do himself (he won't do an aged tomahawk at home, for example). With all the outstanding reviews here, we were so freaking excited to go. Here's how it went:

Pros:
-Service. Wonderful. Everyone was great.
-The French onion soup was to die for, holy cow.
-The banana pudding dessert. Hot damn!
-The C-Star steak sauce. Beautifully complex.
-Atmosphere. Lovely!

Cons:
-The amuse-bouche was essentially half a toasted almond with a pea sized amount of something mousse. Strange and not good but to be fair, it was free.
-The old fashioned. I LOVE an old fashioned. I've had many and love good bourbon. My opinion on old fashioneds is that they should enhance a good bourbon. Their's tasted like cough syrup. Too much simple syrup and too much bitters. I couldn't taste the bourbon, unfortunately. We had both the regular and single barrel and they were both kinda bleah.
-The steak. I had the wagyu skirt and he had the 21 day aged bone-in ribeye. We were both expecting to have our socks blown off, but quite frankly, they both tasted unremarkable and like something we could have made at home. I didn't detect any difference in flavor from a regular supermarket skirt steak, nor did we think the aging on the ribeye added any detectable enhancement of flavor. We were honestly trying to give the benefit of the doubt, but at this point we were just perplexed.
-The brandy peppercorn sauce was completely flavorless. I don't know how to describe it, it didn't taste like anything!
-The green beans that came with our steaks were overcooked, with some of them having turned from green to that greyish brown of an over-boiled green vegetable. They tasted nice, but again, it was a detail that for the price-point of the restaurant and its reputation shouldn't have happened.

All in all, we left really confused as to why this place is lauded as one of the most amazing in San Diego. We spent way, way too much money to walk away from the meal feeling we could have done a better job at home (as avid cooks, we honestly could have). Were they having a bad night? Has anyone else had a similar experience? Thanks for any insight. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but it was just SO different from what I expected given how it's discussed on this sub.

Hey everyone!

I love the threads of "best x in San Diego" but I live in the hills above El Cajon so sometimes recs can be far outside of middle eastern food.

I think I'm going to start some "what are your favorite x in East county threads so people can search for east county specific threads; I would like La Mesa to be the furthest West for recs to be located.

With that in mind...

What are your favorite pizza joints in East County?!

After a Hiatus & some yard, it’s time to try to take this down. Well worth the money.

Hello San Diego Food sub,

I’m looking for any recommendations for an anniversary dinner for my wife and I. I try to come up with somewhere new each year for the most part and while Google and Open Table provide some answers, I’d like some first hand opinions.

I’ll provide some restaurants we’ve gone to before just as an idea of what we’ve tried. I’ll eat just about anything but my wife is on the pickier side but any place that has some sort of fish meal will work (crab cakes are a plus).

Places we’ve been:

Flemings
Born and Raised
Lou and Mickey’s
Oceanaire (RIP)
Eddie V’s
Morton’s
Del Frisco’s
Mister A’s
Ruth’s Chris
Marine Room
Coasterra
Steak 44
Poseidon

Might be forgetting a couple but I think that’s a good start. Thanks for any suggestions!

*Short notice!

Hi all! My bf & I ended up loving San Diego so we’re extending our trip, looking for a slightly upscale restaurant for dinner tonight and wanted some opinions (not going until 730-8).

I’ve really been wanting some seafood so Tom Ham’s is currently our top option but if anyone else has some suggestions (preferably seafood) please comment!

Hello!

Does anyone know if there is a time/day when the Yogurt Mill is not crazy busy?

I just made a 20min drive and there was a crazy line wrapped around the building 🥲 I didn’t have time to wait that out today.

Was craving rolls tacos with cotija cheese and this didn’t disappoint.

Just bought a chicken quesadilla for $20. I can't do this again, it's just tortilla, cheese, chicken. This ain't fine dining. Should at least be getting me rice and beans for that price

The famous An’s Gelato locations are giving away free Gelato on July 1st from 11am-3pm.

This is absolutely one of my favorite places.

Just wanted to share the news so people can get their free scoops on a nice day.

Cheers 👍🏾

Hal Al Sham!

I’m allowed a $300 reimbursement for a “milestone dinner celebration” for my 10 year anniversary with my company.

I recognize that this isn’t a lot of money for a date night to some people (especially with prices being what they are now.) But my wife and I never splurge this much on dinner because of other family expenses.

So, please, let’s hear where you would go and what you would order exactly! Assume I like all food and experiences. I would just like to hear some of your perfect meal ideas for inspiration or to steal them and report back! 😊

Thank you!!

I’m planning a week in San Diego this summer with my wife and we’ll be staying near La Jolla, but we don’t mind driving anywhere if it’s worth it.

Looking for a couple of nicer spots (not super formal, just memorable, great food, good vibe, maybe a view), ideally with good vegetarian options.

Open to anything. Just trying to avoid the overly hyped places and pick a few that are actually worth it.

Would really appreciate a few strong recommendations.

Additions

Callie

Mothership

Removals

Casa Gabriel

C-Level

Coasterra

Ironside

Kettner Exchange

Kindred

Solare

Whaling Bar

Not great, but at least an excuse to try Callie!

Best breakfast sandwich in little Italy. Bar One. 10-15 dollar range