Last Updated on September 8, 2025 by Lauren Belzer Sanford
One of the best ways to soak up any city is to eat your way through it, right? If you’ve never been to San Diego, it should definitely be on your list to visit. San Diego’s culinary scene is incredible, and has really been booming in recent years.
From delicious Mexican eateries to tasty Italian restaurants, the San Diego food will not disappoint even the pickiest of eaters. Here are some restaurants that Max and I have added to our list of favorites since living in San Diego:
Puesto at the Headquarters
Puesto isn’t necessarily a small “hole in the wall” type of eatery, but it sure is tasty (and only located in certain cities throughout California)! Our personal favorite is Puesto at the Headquarters, situated in the lovely little Seaport area. We love this spot because it’s a great place to get appetizers and margaritas, or come down for a full dinner.
For those that just want a margarita or some tacos, they have happy hour Monday and Wednesday-Friday, and they also have Taco Tuesday with some great deals on snacks and drinks! I definitely recommend making reservations regardless of what time of day you’re planning on heading to Puesto, especially at this location. It’s been quite packed every time we go.
If you can’t make it down to San Diego and want to try Puesto, it’s worth checking out their Locations page to see if they have a Puesto near you!
What to Order:
Puesto changes their menu often and they might differ slightly by location (they also have some menu items that are seasonal), so keep that in mind. Some of our favorites are Potato Taquitos, Filet Mignon Taco and Mango-Limón Agua Fresca. You also can’t go wrong with the Puesto Perfect Guacamole… it has parmesan in it!
Nolita Hall
Situated just on the outskirts of the main strip of Little Italy, Nolita Hall is the perfect place to grab a drink with friends, have brunch with the girls, or take your beau for a date night. It’s a very well-designed space that makes you never want to leave.
Behind their massive bar area, they have a rotating letter sign. The top rotates with quotes, and because Nolita Hall is right below the landing path for the San Diego Int’l Airport, the bottom part rotates with the next incoming flight’s details. I was watching it the entire time we were at the bar! We really enjoyed the Avocado Bruschetta complete with tasty beets and the Lara’s Jam cocktail!
Ironside Fish & Oyster
Ironside easily became one of my favorite spots in San Diego before we even moved down. The first time we visited was when we were bar hopping our way through Little Italy and Broadway Pier on 4th of July in 2019. Every single cocktail that I had on their menu (and I think I had like 3 or 4) was DELICIOUS – even just a traditional Aperol Spritz. Since then, we’ve been back for lunch, and their fresh seafood is just as good as their cocktails.
I highly recommend the Oysters Rockefeller and the Peach & Burrata Salad!
Rustic Root
If you like rooftop bars and brunch, Rustic Root is for you. It’s pretty much. in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter and a great place to grab drinks either during the day – but I personally like the ambience at night.
I find that I tend to stick with the classics – sparkling rosé – when I visit Rustic Root, but I’ve also had a delicious gin and sparkling wine cocktail that I would highly recommend called The Elder Empress. It reminds me a lot of a French 75!
Craft & Commerce
All I can say is – definitely make a reservation if you want to go to Craft & Commerce on a weekend. It will be packed. It’s definitely a fun and spunky spot, though, so I don’t recommend skipping out on it. Their cocktails are great and so are their brussels sprouts and burger… drool. You just have to taste it for yourself, trust me!
Achilles Coffee Roasters
Achilles is by far my favorite coffee shop in San Diego. They have a few Achilles Coffee Roasters locations and I’ve been to the Park 12 location and They Rey location. I’ve been to the Achilles at They Rey significantly more than Park 12, and that is solely because it was right next to my work building and I would go multiple times per week. They have great tea concoctions and pour over coffees, but my all-time favorite is their London Fog. It’s so good! If you want food, too, I cannot recommend the Hillcrest breakfast sandwich enough – I change out the scrambled eggs for a fried egg!