Sam the Cooking Guy wows the crowd again at the San Diego Wine and Food Festival
What a weekend! Every November San Diego hosts a GIANT wine and food festival that culminates with THE GRAND TASTING where there are seemingly endless booths of gourmet food, prestige wines and tons of good vibes all included in your admission price. The event is held on the large grassy peninsula behind Seaport Village, officially called the Embarcadero Marina Park North. For roughly the cost of dinner for two at a nice steakhouse you get three hours of unlimited bites and sips at one of San Diego’s most scenic spots. With views of the Coronado Bridge, sailboats in the bay, and an ocean of vibrant people to watch, it really is one of the best weekends you’ll ever have.
The Grand Tasting takes place on Saturday and for those who can’t get enough there’s THE GRAND FIESTA on Sunday, also known as the TACO TKO where you get to sample 20+ tacos and vote for the best taco in San Diego. This event is much more low key, which is fine after the busy main event on Saturday. Lots of Baja wines, lots of tequila, live music, if The Grand Tasting is like a night in Vegas the Grand Fiesta is like a really great BBQ with good friends in your backyard.
I’ve been to the Grand Tasting many, many times, over 10 times, maybe more, and I need to be honest here - the 2022 event was the Covid bounce back and it was good but left a lot of people wondering if it was still worth it. The folks behind the event were paying attention and in 2023 the event was spectacular, perhaps the best one ever with every booth knocking it out with their A game.
Is the San Diego Wine and Food Fest Worth It?????
SO IS THE SAN DIEGO WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL WORTH IT?? Yes, yes, yes!
The event returned to it’s wine tasting roots and was set up in regions with Napa and Sonoma, Paso Robles, Temecula and Baja well represented. That was a great way to sample each region and there were plenty of great wines to taste. If you haven’t been before here’s how this works - when you enter you are given a wine glass and your job is to go taste as many wines as you like. Pours are generous and lines manageable and if you get something you don’t love you just dump it and move on. Beer and spirits were there as well but I did like that they really upped their focus back on wines.
How was the food??? I know, a lot of food festivals offer bites that makes Costco samples look generous but there was so much food that I found myself sharing bites with my wife and then… gasp… even turning down food. Look, I’m the guy normally standing in line for half of a breaded chicken nugget that’s shaped like a dinosaur but I was so stuffed I was turning down BBQ brisket and fried chicken sandwiches made by Crack Shack and sushi and, well, you get it. So much food! So good, so good!
For those who want to splurge there’s a VIP tent with even more food. I was lucky enough to gain entry (that PRESS pass really came in handy) and damn there were oysters and caviar and escargot roasted over the BBQ, a live band to keep things lively, and it’s sure nice to be a VIP if only for a few minutes to shoot photos. OK, I did sneak a few bites but I do this for you guys out there and take my responsibility to shoot photos and report back to my readers seriously.
wait… there’s more! THE GRAND FIESTA ON SUNDAY
Held at Liberty Station in a grassy park, The Grand Fiesta is much more low key but packs a lot of punch and yes, value. The concept is similar - loads of booths to stroll featuring food and beverages - but this time every booth has a taco and the beverages range from beer to Baja wines to tequila. These are not ordinary tacos either - No Wallybertos - but rather rather gourmet tacos with each booth trying to out-taco the next. With carne cooking over open fire, lobsters and octopus on the grill, ceviche and creative fusion of Japanese and Baja - if you love tacos, you’re going to be happy. And the tacos are either full size or fully stuffed street tacos and all you can eat, of course. Get a taco and vote for your favorites, wash it down with some awesome Baja wines or tequila, just relax because this event is low key and just a lot of fun. Lines are short and the music is great, it’s a nice way to cap off a great weekend. If you’ve never been to a food festival and want to see what it’s all about do this one next year - I love it. And if you always go to The Grand Tasting and never have tried The Grande Fiesta then you know what I’m going to say - do it! Look, Local Wally is all about telling you the honest truth and I really, really like this event.
There are other competing Wine and Food Festivals now in San Diego but the San Diego Wine + Food Festival, also known as the San Diego Bayfest, is the OG and still the best. You just can’t argue with the setting on the bay and the local San Diego vibe and with the return to their high standard for food and wine it’s my top pick for Event of the Year!
The 2024 san diego wine and food festival is coming in november
There’s no date announced as of this writing but the San Diego Wine and Food Fest is typically the weekend or two before Thanksgiving. Go to the official San Diego Bayfest site to get more info on date and tickets. In fact, I suggest you go to you calendar right now and put a reminder to check their site around September of 2024 as by then all the info will be up. You must trust me - this is the wine and food festival you’re looking for. See you next year!
