A listing of the very best eating places in Previous City San Diego seems to be quite a bit totally different now than once I first began going there to eat (dare I say) a couple of many years in the past.
Positive, some are touristy, however that’s a part of their appeal. Individuals weave Mexican meals and maybe a fishbowl-sized margarita into their itinerary after sightseeing all through this historic neighborhood, often known as the birthplace of California.
These days, you may go to Previous City San Diego only for the meals. To provide you an concept, one of many Previous City San Diego eating places we like has a Michelin Star. You’ll additionally uncover nice spots for sushi, pasta, seafood, vegetarian and even Venezuelan fare.
Have you ever ever dripped your individual bone marrow over a birria taco? I like to recommend you come to Previous City to strive it. The fresh-off-the-grill tortillas with recent honey butter that yow will discover in a couple of spots (together with primary under) are additionally private favorites.
1. Café Coyote
I really feel like a standard Mexican restaurant must high the checklist. Individuals search out Mexican meals in Previous City San Diego. Café Coyote has been voted Finest Mexican by the California Restaurant Affiliation for twenty years.
It’s family-friendly and simple to search out. As with another Previous City San Diego Mexican eating places, you’ll wish to strive the scrumptious handmade tortillas ready each day by pleasant tortilla makers — you and the children can watch as they’re made.
The festive environment has strolling mariachis, effervescent water fountains, and pleasant workers. The colourful papel picado banners (cut-out paper sheets, a Mexican people artwork basic) adorning the out of doors patio eating space add to the jubilant temper and match the informal Previous City vibe.
Café Coyote is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Home favorites embody rolled tacos, albondigas soup, fajita veggie bowl, chimichanga, margarita shrimp tacos, chipotle camarones, and buñuelos for dessert.
2. Sushi Tadokoro
In case you’ve had a busy day of purchasing and sightseeing and wish to wind down away from the exercise of the extra touristy Previous City San Diego eating places, Sushi Tadokoro is a terrific selection.
Positioned simply south of the historic district, this one-Michelin-star venue prepares conventional Japanese-style sushi in an intimate setting that places you face-to-face together with your sushi cooks.
This mini sushi counter gives a rotating choice of fish and limitless creations to maintain patrons pleased. Recent substances embody California coast sea urchin, British Columbia oysters, and Hokkaido scallops.
A number of the numerous sushi prospects right here embody grilled Chilean sea bass, saba salmon toro, omakase sashimi, and nigiri aji. Give the San Diego roll a strive—it comes with recent salsa and a lemon slice—and assist your self to some house-made gyoza, too. Sushi Tadokoro is THE place for seafood lovers and true sushi connoisseurs.
3. Previous City City Market
- 2548 Congress St, San Diego, CA 92110
- (619) 995-5510
- oturbanmarket.com
- Closed Sundays
In case you’re a foodie who likes to strive a little bit of this and a little bit of that, you’ll love Previous City City Market. It’s a . This vibrant meals corridor is a group of a number of counter-order eateries serving award-winning culinary creations, simply exterior the state historic park.
Tuetano Taqueria serves birria tacos with spicy sauce and bone marrow — the final word consolation meals — and a number of other different objects, together with fish tacos and tortas. At Ruth’s No. 5, you may load up on specialty model salsas, akin to roasted salsa verde and spicy piña, and handmade tortilla chips, all vegan, gluten-free, and kosher (many are additionally halal and you may as well discover them at a number of native farmer’s markets).
Elote serves tasty corn-centric creations—Mexican-style corn on the cob road meals—plus refreshing agua fresca. Mar Rustico gives plates and bowls with sea-inspired recipes. Attempt their fish tacos, shrimp ceviche, or the tremendous decadent smoked marlin burrito (the letter is a specialty).
You may sip wine from sustainable, family-owned wineries at The Wine Store. Test again sometimes as new eateries are set to open on this eclectic corridor (and a few have already rotated out).
The Finest Locations to Keep
High Previous City San Diego Lodges
Historic, price range, and pleasant lodges and motels to contemplate to your trip.
4. Tahona Bar
- 2414 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110
- (619) 255-2090
- tahonabar.com
- Open for dinner/pleased hour solely and closed Mondays
Tahona Bar is an Previous City San Diego Mexican restaurant centered round a curated assortment of over 120 kinds of mezcal. The Baja California and Oaxaca-focused menu is excellent and a bit extra upscale Mexican than you’ll discover in different close by eating places.
Attempt the corn croquetas, tempura squash blossom, carnitas bao bun, ahi tostada, or tempura nori tortilla taco. Take a look at their menu for different fusion creations, and save room for dessert—just like the chocolate plantain served over ice cream.
Joyful hour (at present Wednesday—Friday) is a superb time to strive what Tahona Bar is greatest recognized for: its mezcal. Order a mezcal flight together with your meal, or take part in a mezcal tasting (reservations are required for the tasting).
We’d place it increased on this checklist, however it’s solely open from pleased hour onward, and most of the people go to the historic neighborhood through the day.
5. Harney Sushi
Harney Sushi serves a wide array of sushi, sashimi, and different Japanese delicacies favorites, together with tempura and miso soup. Providing conventional and inventive fusion flavors, this place is good for date nights, or anytime you’re within the temper for wonderful sushi. It’s a favourite of locals.
The menu is in depth. Along with serving fashionable specialties—orange crush, lightning roll, Maui wowie, Bruce Lee, mellow yellow nigiri, moon dance, dragon roll, tuna maki, and extra—Harney Sushi gives cooked entrees, akin to katsu rooster, Mongolian beef stir fry, and even a bento field for the children.
Add a standard soup or salad—strive one among their specialty miso soups or the Chuka seaweed salad—or an appetizer, akin to oysters, basic tempura, or specialty edamame.
Some vegetarian and vegan choices are listed on the menu, together with avocado maki, mushroom roll, vegetarian roll, vegan rainbow, and others. The beverage choice contains alcoholic choices, together with beers, sake, wines, and cocktails, and non-alcoholic sodas, teas, and juices (strive the lychee juice).
6. Casa de Reyes
What makes Casa de Reyes among the best Previous City San Diego eating places is the festive backyard setting you’ll get pleasure from whereas eating right here. It’s only a good place to get pleasure from conventional Mexican favorites exterior in good climate. It’s a simple cease whereas strolling across the Previous City State Historic Park.
Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free choices are marked on the menu for comfort. Vegan decisions embody gentle corn tacos and veggie enchiladas with plant-based cheese. Gluten-free objects embody shrimp ceviche, enchiladas, tacos, and rooster mole poblano. On the drinks menu, you’ll discover many alternative specialty margaritas, which you will get for the desk by the pitcher. Horchata can also be on the menu.
You’ll discover all of your favorites at Casa de Reyes: rooster rolled tacos, quesadillas, steak and shrimp burritos, chile rellenos, fajitas, and extra. On the weekend, you may order breakfast objects till midday. Attempt the machaca burrito with scrambled egg or the egg, potato, and cheese — a preferred breakfast burrito (or all-day burrito in my household).
7. Previous City Tequila Manufacturing facility
Loads of first-timers come for the view—which is spectacular—however it’s the meals and heat hospitality that retains them coming again. (Okay, and the views.)
Perched excessive above the historic district, overlooking rooftops, metropolis lights, and a panoramic view stretching from Mission Valley to the airport, Previous City Tequila Manufacturing facility is a superb place to carry out-of-town friends. It’s additionally a implausible selection for celebrations — or simply as a result of.
Regardless of the prime location, the restaurant is just not pretentious. It serves scrumptious Mexican fare in a colourful setting, together with indoor seating in ample eating rooms and wonderful out of doors patio areas. You may sit in a comfy, secluded nook or at a desk with views that make you say, wow! The lighting and décor add to the nice ambiance.
Menu objects embody Mexican fiesta ensalada, carne asada Tampiqueña, rooster or beef tamale, enchiladas del mar, blackened Hawaiian mahi mahi, Baja fish tacos, and deep-fried ice cream sundae.
8. Previous City Mexican Café
Serving Mexican fare since 1977, Previous City Mexican Café is as genuine because it will get. Handmade tortillas are ready each day and are considered a few of the greatest on the town.
You may watch them being created from scratch. Daily, groups of tortilla women put together over 3,000 corn and 5,600 flour tortillas the standard approach.
However it’s not simply concerning the tortillas. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Previous City Mexican Café serves numerous favorites, together with carnitas, road tacos, spicy tequila ribs, and shrimp tacos. Vegetarian burritos, tostadas, and fajitas are additionally on the menu.
This is likely one of the greatest eating places in Previous City San Diego as a result of you may have brunch right here on daily basis of the week till midday. That is the place to go if you happen to’re craving a breakfast torta, chorizo con huevos, or breakfast tacos.
9. Barra Barra Saloon
Most of the greatest eating places in Previous City San Diego supply good patio seating day and evening, however it’s possible you’ll wish to sit inside indoors at Barra Barra. It’s a interval saloon from the mid-1800s, a timeframe that noticed Mexican and American traditions mix, situated inside Fiesta de Reyes on the north finish of the historic district.
The lined patio eating space contains hearth pits and neat hanging lighting fixtures, which is sweet, too. Go for the margaritas and tequila choice. Order from numerous specialties, together with queso fundido, vegetarian empanadas, Indian flatbread tacos, and Barra Barra seafood paella.
Quite a lot of the menu objects will be modified to make them vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free, so verify together with your server beforehand for solutions. Children 10 and below eat free (one youngster per paying grownup), making this restaurant a terrific selection for households.
The Finest Locations to Browse
The place to go Buying in Previous City
We put collectively an inventory of the place to search out enjoyable presents and souvenirs when you discover this historic neighborhood.
10. Casa Guadalajara
Casa Guadalajara is among the many greatest eating places in Previous City San Diego due to the mix of festive decor and meals.
Whether or not you dine inside or exterior on the patio, you’ll have a pleasant sensory expertise. The colours are vivid and cheery but stress-free, with beautiful tile work, intricate wooden carvings, stained glass options, New Mexico colour combos, and Puebla-style furnishings.
The enclosed Backyard Room patio is charming, with its hanging ferns and delightful Mexican mosaic tables. The courtyard gives an equally beautiful setting, full with a 200-year-old shade tree.
The recipes pay tribute to the regional villages of Mexico. Attempt the camaroncitos fritos, rooster tortilla soup, tostada de Jalisco, shrimp fajitas, steak ranchero, mango chipotle rooster, tostada vegetariana, or Guadalajara omelet. Vegetarian dishes are marked VG.
11. Jack & Giulio’s
- 2391 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110
- (619) 294-2074
- jackandgiulios.com
- Closed Monday and Tuesday
In case you’re hungry for excellent Italian meals, head to Jack & Giulio’s, one of many district’s eating places that doesn’t concentrate on Mexican fare. This Italian restaurant gives every part from antipasto classico to rooster marsala.
With indoor and out of doors seating, this restaurant takes delight in delivering nice service. The vibe is pleasant, and the meals is implausible. Previously a preferred restaurant in Pacific Seashore, this renamed and relocated eatery has been round in some incarnation since 1961.
At its present location, the family-owned and operated restaurant has been acknowledged as serving artisanal Italian cooking by pleasant workers in a welcoming environment.
Different menu objects embody Brutus salad, tortelloni verdi, lasagne della casa, angel hair mediterraneo, scampi al pesto, spaghetti al burro, and rooster piccata. An intensive wine checklist is out there, together with different signature drinks (you will get a house-special margarita). Hand-rolled pasta is made recent each day onsite.
12. Congress Café
Rounding out this checklist of greatest eating places in Previous City San Diego is Congress Café, a Venezuelan restaurant behind The Whaley Home Museum providing Latin American fusion creations.
Open for breakfast and lunch, the café makes a speciality of conventional Venezuelan cooking, sandwiches, salads, and farmers’ breakfasts.
You may dine in or take your meal to go. Choices embody Venezuelan starters—mini empanadas, tequeños (cheese sticks), fried plantains, and cachapas (corn pancakes). Most important plates include scrambled eggs, arepa, grilled tomatoes and onions, avocado, latin cream, and your selection of shredded beef, black beans, or seasoned fish.
Attempt a grilled arepa—an artisanal dish good for brunch, product of corn flour and stuffed together with your selection of substances, together with ham, chorizo, avocado, or salmon. The Platanera arepa has Venezuelan cheese and fried plantains, whereas La Vegana has black beans, avocado, and fried plantains.
Specialty drinks embody Mexican spiced mocha and chai tea latte, amongst different decisions, or get pleasure from a refreshing pure juice created from mango, pineapple, or ardour fruit.
What are your favourite Previous City San Diego eating places?
