Local Wally's Guide to San Diego
The original locals guide to San Diego...since 1996
Local's Know Where to go for Great Food at Everyday Prices!
Ask a local where he's going to eat tonight and most likely the answer will be a place you've never heard of. The big name restaurants are fine for when friends come into town, but when we just want good food it's the smaller neighborhood places that usually get our attention.
From upscale comfort foods that rival some of the best restaurants in town to a surfer dude casual bar with some great fish tacos, these places all have one thing in common - tons of locals just hanging out in San Diego and enjoying the food and local vibe. And San Diegans know good eats, so no worries that local food means compromise.
Not every meal has to be ocean view fancy to be on your San Diego restaurant bucket list. Get away from the tourists and dine with the locals!
3823 30th Street, San Diego, CA 92104 / 619 295-6464
Urban Solace was once so far off my restaurant radar that my twenty-something foodie daughter nearly had to drag me kicking and screaming to the very untrendy North Park neighborhood to see what all everyone was talking about. Having just dined the week before at George's California Modern, arguably one of San Diego's best restaurants, I wasn't sure what to expect from this intimate, trendy eatery. But once the food arrived I was wondering if Urban Solace wasn't somehow related to George's, a long lost relative from the other side of town. Braised beef cheeks with smoked tomato jam? "Duckaroni" mac-n-cheese with blue cheese with duck confit? Who does this? Urban Solace took my favorite comfort foods and mixed them up like a Rubik's Cube, then reassembled them on my plate in ways never before imagined. This is no knock off "seen that before" restaurant, this is creative and original cooking that's nearly as exciting as what's being done at George's. Yes, it's that good.
THE LOWDOWN: A small neighborhood eatery serving up affordable gourmet food, cozy and comfortable, it's the best example of the exciting new food scene in San Diego.
LOCATION: North Park, an older neighborhood on the rebound - don't worry, it's safe.
LOCAL TIP: Get the mussels with smoked tomato butter to start and ask for extra bread to sop up the juices! And someone please order the Duckaroni, even if just a side order to sample.
WALLY SAYS: Urban Solace proves you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get innovative cooking that rivals the best chefs in town.
Multiple locations, best one at 3263 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014 / 858 481-1166
This settles it. Who has the BEST FISH TACO in San Diego? Locals have fought over this for years and Food TV got it wrong (they went to fast food joint Wahoo's), but the award must go to The Brigantine Restaurant's bar where $2.50 gets you one of the essential good eats in all of San Diego. What's a fish taco? Take a softly fried corn tortilla, toss in a generous piece of crispy tempura fried cod, top it with white sauce, cabbage, cheese and squeeze a squirt of California Hot Sauce on top and this is Southern California in a tortilla! Oddly, not available on the dinner menu in the actual restaurant but that's OK, the bar is family friendly and there's plenty of other options on the menu to make a meal here. Great oysters, fresh potato chips (not on the menu, just ask), great salads and daily soups and excellent tempura battered shrimp tacos to mix things up a bit. For those looking for a healthier taco (whaaat?) you can get grilled fish as well, also delicious.
THE LOWDOWN: Local seafood restaurant has great food but the main attraction for locals has been the bar where they serve San Diego's best fish tacos.
LOCATION: Multiple, Del Mar, La Mesa, Coronado, and San Diego near Shelter Island. Best location is Del Mar near the beach and race track.
LOCAL TIP: Down the street from the Del Mar location is Dog Beach, a nice place to take a stroll and see the dogs playing in the surf.
WALLY SAYS: San Diego darn near invented the fish taco (well, Rubio's stole it from Baja but that's another story) and you cannot leave without trying a fish taco - and no one does it better than The Brigantine's bar. OK, yes, South Beach Bar and Grill (reviewed below) is also a strong contender, but I still go back to The Brig again and again when I want a fish taco.
3628 5th Ave, San Diego, CA 92103 / 619 298-4646
Before Rachael Ray, before Martha Stewart, before Dr. Phil, before "Man Versus Food", and before Vegas, Hash House A Go Go was San Diego's local secret. When other restaurants were into way too much presentation and not enough eating, Hash House a Go Go went the opposite direction and not only supersized the plates but the portions as well. Giant portions of farm fresh goodness, taking Grandma's recipes but mixing them up for today's palates. How about Sage Fried Chicken with a hardwood smoked bacon waffle tower, hot maple caramel & fried leeks or the BBBLT sandwich with bacon, bacon, more bacon, lettuce and tomato? Each plate big enough to split but I doubt you'll have the self control not to order up your own. Open breakfast, lunch and dinner and long lines are the norm.
THE LOWDOWN: Old favorites cooked in a twisted new way, this is serious cooking in a fun and casual setting.
LOCATION: Hillcrest, north of Balboa Park and close to downtown
LOCAL TIP: Andy's sage fried chicken with maple reduction, bacon mashed potatoes, biscuit and two eggs for breakfast is the bomb.
WALLY SAYS: Looks like Grandma's been cooking with magic mushrooms again!
3750 Sports Arena Blvd, San Diego, CA 92110 / 619 226-6333
You think San Diego can't do BBQ? Well think again because Phil's BBQ is the local's favorite doing it up San Diego style. Sauced up and rearing to go, Phil's fans line up early to get their teeth into the grilled chicken, baby back pork ribs or a slab of giant beef ribs. What? No giant smokers? No, believe it or not Phil gets his ribs nice and tender cooking them over a mesquite grill. Purists will argue that this isn't really BBQ but no one can argue with the end result - fall off the bone tender ribs, perfectly seasoned with a tangy sauce. Of course there's a pulled pork sandwich, a big portion of deliciousness, hand cut fries (no crummy prefab frozen's here) and colossal onion rings. Now I realize that BBQ fans are pretty opinionated and regional styles vary, but sooner or later you're going to want something else besides seafood and tacos on your vacation. When that day comes you're going to want to head over to Phil's and taste for yourself what all these long lines are about. And who knows, you just might find yourself calling this the Best BBQ in San Diego, a title Phil's has earned year after year.
THE LOWDOWN: Arguably the best BBQ place in San Diego, Phil's has a long list of local fans who are willing to wait in long lines to get a bite.
LOCATION: Sports Arena area, close to the airport
LOCAL TIP: Lines are so long that Phil's installed a live cam on his website (click the link at the top) so you can see how many people are waiting. But locals know to call ahead and order "to go", letting you zip in and grab your grub without the wait, then heading out to Mission Bay for a BBQ picnic.
WALLY SAYS: I'm pretty passionate about BBQ and have been to the best in Kansas City and Phil's ranks right up there with some of the best ribs I've eaten.
2805 Emerson St, San Diego, CA 9210 / 619 223-1109
The scene is chaotic. Hoards of people all pushing their way towards the counter, it looks like you've walked into the DMV on a busy day. Don't try to be polite and wait for someone to make eye contact with you, this is serious seafood and the people who eat are the ones who find their way to the front and respond quickly when asked "who's next?" All this fuss over fish? Well not just any fish, this is Point Loma Seafood where you'll find the freshest catches of the day. You can buy fresh (grill it at the beach?) but the long lines are for the prepared items, from breaded seafood platters to fresh crab sandwiches. The fried fish sandwich is the bomb, clam chowder excellent, and they only sell wild caught salt-water shrimp, the best. Tables in back but on a sunny day you'll most likely find me sitting outside on the marina and watching the boats. Rachael Ray (she gets around!) likes it and so do the locals, so get in line and push your way to some of the freshest seafood in town.
THE LOWDOWN: Packed to the gills with hoards of people pushing to get to the front of the counter to order, fresh fish and seafood, great smoked fish, this is seafood heaven!
LOCATION: Point Loma, by Shelter Island, minutes from the airport
LOCAL TIP: Bring cash - no credit or debit cards taken and no guarantee the ATM machine actually works.
WALLY SAYS: Hey you , I was here first!
627 Pearl Street, La Jolla , CA 92037 / 858 456-2526
You know this place has to be good from the second you see the line of people in front waiting to get in and the row of people on the sidewalk leaning against the building as they eat their fresh catch sandwiches. Taking a page right out of the Point Loma Seafood playbook, El Pescador offers the freshest fish sandwiches, plates and salads at a reasonable cost.
The fish at this place is so fresh if you peek in the back you're likely to see someone fileting a giant fish just dropped off at the backdoor. Incredibly, this La Jolla eatery prices their food at a very reasonable rate - $6.50 for a bay shrimp sandwich, $9.95 for crab - making this one of the best seafood deals in town. Find a fish you like on the menu, decide if you want it in a sandwich, on a plate, or in a salad, and you're set to go. Fish tacos, of course, this is the perfect stop on your way to the beach.
THE LOWDOWN: Super tiny restaurant and fish market, chaotic ordering, super fresh fish at yesterday's prices.
LOCATION: La Jolla
LOCAL TIP: If you see a table, grab it. Otherwise, get the food "to go" and park near the ocean for an inpromptu picnic.
WALLY SAYS: Rivals long time favorite Point Loma Seafood, worth seeking out if you're in the area.
3786 In graham St, San Diego, CA 92109 / 858 273-9140
THE LOWDOWN: 21 and over pub that's been serving up great burgers to locals in the know - choose from 1/3 or 1/2 pound ers, cheese or no cheese, that's it! Can Rocky topple Hodad's off the Best Burger Award?
LOCATION: Pacific Beach
LOCAL TIP: Cash only - and did I say 21 and up?
WALLY SAYS: Stop in at a real local's bar if you want to get a bite of one of the best burgers in town. Simple, yes, but not your basic burger by a mile!
3RD CORNER WINE SHOP AND BISTRO
897 S. Coast Highway, Encinitas, CA 760 942-2104 plus second location in Ocean Beach..
THE LOWDOWN: Part wine shop, part wine bar, serving up affordable "gourmet" bistro food like Duck Confit, Mussels with Frites or the delicious Black Truffle Risotto. Browse the wine shop and pick up a bottle for dinner for only $5 corkage fee - a steal when other restaurants double or triple the retail price of a bottle. Hip and trendy place, cozy and unpretentious.
LOCATION: Encinitas in North San Diego is the best location, original location in Ocean Beach.
LOCAL TIP: If you think you might want more than one glass, get a bottle as you can take what you don't drink back to the hotel (though that has never happened with me for some reason).
WALLY SAYS: What a concept! Get a great bottle and delicious food to pair for a very reasonable price for both. People who Yelp about the corkage fee haven't paid $100 for a $40 bottle of Cakebread at other restaurants lately.
5059 Newport Avenue, San Diego, CA 92107 / 619 226-4577
THE LOWDOWN: Don't be fooled by their website that makes this place look upscale - this is a dive bar and an Ocean Beach dive bar at that, but they serve up some terrific fish tacos, both fried and grilled. Grungy crowd, surfers, punk kids and tourists all flock to this place for affordable fresh seafood.
LOCATION: Ocean Beach, the neighborhood that still loves the 60's.
LOCAL TIP: $2.50 mahi tacos and a dozen oysters for a buck apiece at Happy Hour makes this place worth seeking out.
WALLY SAYS: South Beach Bar and Grill offers up an amazing selection of fish tacos with some locals claiming these are the best in town, better than The Brig. It's very close but they do win for the expanded menu and seafood options.
1609 India St, San Diego, CA 92101 / 619 238-9880
THE LOWDOWN: Little Italy is loaded with Italian restaurants (go figure). If you want something a bit more upscale than a gooey pizza then head to Boun Appetito for rustic and authentic Italian served in a nice bistro setting.
LOCATION: Little Italy, close to the airport.
LOCAL TIP: Servings are big enough to split though they sometimes charge a split fee, which is my pet peeve if you've ordered wine and appetizers.
WALLY SAYS: An offshoot of popular Tratorria i Trulli in Encinitas, they also own Sogno di Vino in Little Italy.
1404 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014 / 858 755-1660
THE LOWDOWN: Old school steakhouse that looks like it never left the 70's, a local hangout, prime rib their specialty. Not fancy, not trendy, but cozy with a local feel.
LOCATION: Del Mar, along the main drag, no ocean view
LOCAL TIP: Call ahead and they'll put you on the "list", cutting your wait time significantly
WALLY SAYS: An offshoot of popular Tratorria i Trulli in Encinitas, they also own Sogno di Vino in Little Italy
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