The Best Foods & Restaurants in San Diego

While you’re in San Diego joining us for our CME conference from April 9-12, you’re bound to want to go out and experience some great cuisine. Don’t just settle for a chain restaurant! Check out this list of some great, must-try restaurants in San Diego!

Quaint and cozy dining at Cafe Chloe

Café Chloe manages to convey an upscale, European feel without being trendy. Its cozy interior makes for a perfect intimate setting, and their brunch is unstoppable. Apple crepes with cinnamon hazelnut sauce? French ham and gruyere with eggs and mornay sauce? Mussels, Spanish chorizo and French fries? We’ll take one of each, please!

Who doesn’t love a delicious meal that doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket? At Bread & Cie you can find a selection of delicious deli items with the freshest ingredients and unique pairings. In search of a quaint café for some breakfast? Try their amazing nectarine mascarpone French toast panini for just $8.50! For lunch, they carry all the deli sandwich staples plus some unique offerings like French tuna salad with walnuts, capers, basil and egg slices or curried chicken salad. The perfect, fresh, delicate pick-me-up before a day of CME seminars!

Juniper & Ivy may be a little bit on the pricier side, but the things the chefs are doing with their food here are eye-popping. Want to expand your food horizons? Get a Baja yellowtail tostada in shark sauce. Ever had smoked butter? At Juniper & Ivy, you can top your made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuit with it. Plain old butter just won’t do after you’ve had a taste of this. You can even get a taste of razor clams with white Swiss chard and raspberries. It’s a palate overload!

The grilled macaroni & cheese sandwich at Craft & Commerce

Who doesn’t love a little bit of comfort food? Macaroni and cheese is a favorite of many, but at Craft & Commerce, they’re blending it with grilled cheese sandwiches to create something simply mouthwatering. If cheese isn’t your thing, the restaurant is serving up their unique take of a variety of offerings like barbecue pork banh mi, a chicken sandwich with kale slaw and smoked salmon sandwiches. They also have plenty of delicious and refreshing cocktails on their dinner menu (you’ve got to try the Manzana Fizz with apple, cinnamon, and mescal).

It’s been a late night out on the town and dinner didn’t suffice. Hop on over to Brian’s 24 for some breakfast food staples like Belgian waffles, breakfast sandwiches, eggs benedict, chicken and waffles and more. Want to get a little creative with it? Try their Cordon Bleu-style chicken strips, bacon waffle or PB&J cream cheese club. The last one may sound strange, but it’s amazing. Locals voted Brian’s 24 as one of the best spots for a diverse and vast late night menu, so you know it has the San Diego stamp of approval!

Ironside Fish & Oyster Bar's beautiful interior

You have to have a little bit of seafood being that close to the ocean, right? Head over to Ironside Fish & Oyster to get your fix. Their raw oyster bar features six different types of oysters! They have fresh daily catches that are changing all the time, and their rock fish ceviche is one of the best in town. You can even get a chilled Maine lobster! To top it all off, the restaurant features charming 1920s décor in an old metal supply building right near the waterside.

We can’t leave food trucks out of the conversation. MIHO Gastrotruck is regularly rated as one of the best food trucks in San Diego by native San Diegans. The farm-to-street menu changes regularly and features delectable hors d’oeuvres, entrees, desserts, salads and more. Want an idea of some of the foods they offer? How about a grilled peach burger made with grass-fed beef or a mixed bean salad? They hop around San Diego regularly, so follow their social media feeds to find them!

You’ve had a wonderful night out on the town and you’re looking for a nightcap. Consider Jsix and their amazing desserts. Ginger molasses cake served with pumpkin gelato, brandy, caramel and pumpkin seeds is standard here. So are chocolate peanut butter tarts and mascarpone semifreddo with orange segments and poached pears. We’re starting to drool!

For a unique atmosphere, you have to try The Patio. The restaurant is laid out with a blend of indoor and outdoor seating. The ceiling has huge open sky lights to let natural light pour in, making you feel like you’re enjoying the comforts of a quaint indoor restaurant with the beautiful weather included. A fireplace is even included for those chillier nights. They have distinctive breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner menus with fresh takes on old classics like ceviche, flatbread pizzas with beer and bleu cheese, pork shanks, shrimp & grits and more.

It’ll be impossible to try all the foods and restaurants San Diego has to offer, but hopefully you can find some spare time between all of your networking and seminars to grab a bite to eat at one of these amazing establishments. What are your favorite eateries in San Diego? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!