San Diego Best/Worst Neighborhoods for Restaurants

[stevewag23]

What are peoples opinions?

These are some of mine:

Best:

Hillcrest (obvious choice)

North Park (quickly becoming the best neighborhood in San Diego in my opinion)

Little Italy (Food not spectacular, but all things considered, walking, history, Mona Lisa, etc a great spot)

Mission Hills

Worst:

Gaslamp (all in all overpriced and mediocre, although some decent options)

UTC (Horrible and lacking soul and culture, we should move this place to Orange County)

Pacific Beach (a culinary black hole)

Del Mar/ Carmel Valley (Does the whole place shut down at 8:30pm?)

Seaport Village (Blown potential)

I am interested to hear others opinions.

Thanks.

[missthemis]

To have a competition amongst neighborhoods is merely a competion among the people who live there. Since 75% of restaurants fail in the first year and all good restaurateurs know their base clientele comes from within 5 miles...The food should generally reflect the neighborhood its in. And as gentrification pushes east from downtown, the next "new" food hotspot is gonna have cheap rent and a burgeoning "it" scene. That is until the new neighborhood comes to town. What's next Barrio Logan? In a nutshell, I appreciate neighborhoods with a longstanding reputation of getting people from outside the area to make the drive, wether or not it has a few new "hotspots" So, I'll take la jolla over most places and kearny mesa over posh North park

[juantanamera]

Let me get this straight, you prefer La Jolla over most places, but North Park is too 'posh' for you?

[missthemis]

i was being sarcastic, referring to the hipsters status and cult personality of north park...way too cool for school

[DiningDiva]

You guys are all pikers.

I can name you one neighborhood area where there is truly NOTHING decent to speak of...namely the Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, San Carlos area.

If you're really interested in finding bleaking dining venture East of the 805. Good options dwindle rapidly. Name me 5 places with good to great foo/dining in the East County that aren't hole-in-the-wall types of places and I'll buy you dinner.

[phee]

I was all ready to take that challenge, DD, until you said "aren't hole-in-the-wall types of places." My 5 East County places are all in strip malls!

[DiningDiva]

LOL -- when I saw you had responded to this thread my first thought was that I was going to owe you dinner. I can come up with 2 maybe 3 good to decent places in the East County, but the options for fine dining are practically non-existent and the options for the casual, bistro type of dining that's taking root along 30th St. are slim to none as well.

Cheaps Eatz and hole-in-the-wall the East County can do

[phee]

For the record, they would be Antica Trattoria, La Trattoria, Oishii, Pho Superbowl, and Michael's. Provided we're in agreement that they all don't qualify as 'great', and strip mall locations can't always be classified as 'hole-in-the-wall' (e.g. Antica Trattoria), you can still buy me dinner. ;-)

[DiningDiva]

Well, you got 4 of the ones I'd have classified as being worth the dining bucks :-), and in just about the same I'd rank them too. Haven't been to Pho Superbowl yet (tho' I've driven by numerous times).

Let's have dinner at Antica Trattoria, I haven't been there in a while.

[sdaints]

I live in Hillcrest and there are plenty of good places around but I think one of the better areas for unique and good food is in City Heights. There are tons of great ethnic places. You just have to look for them and do some exploring.

In Hillcrest, I like Tractor Room, Better Half, Amarin Thai, Kous Kous, Bite and Chilangos, just to name a few. I agree that a lot of people associate Hillcrest with great restaurants, even though there are plenty of good ones spread throughout the city.

[DougOLis]

Add Riviera Supper Club & Turqoise Room to the list.

I'd consider Pho Superbowl to be cheap eats though. Tamarind Thai isn't bad; not quite as good as Sab-E-Lee but quite a bit better than other Thai places I've been to around San Diego.

Has anyone been to GIO in downtown La Mesa yet? It looked slightly more modern when driving by but I have no idea what type of food they have or if it's any good.

[JRSD]

I went to Gio and had a nice dinner there. We shared a few of the small plates and were not blown away by anything, but did not dislike anything either. We keep meaning to give it another chance.

[DiningDiva]

As JRSD says, Gio is good but not particularly outstanding. I was there for breakfast and enjoyed it. The place has lots of potential.

[JRSD]

sorry, duplicate post

[d2u]

Sorry this is off topic, but Phee, did you ever have any luck getting the recipe for Garlic Chile Chicken? We are craving it like mad! Thanks! Dawn

[OCAnn]

"UTC (Horrible and lacking soul and culture, we should move this place to Orange County)"

Hmmm...I was raised in SD and don't need to defend OC, but I have to say that OC's first impression appears to lack "soul and culture", but for CHs worth their salt and who know how to sniff out a great chowish place, it's rich with ethnic enclaves--like Little Saigon, the many Korean spots that line Garden Grove & Buena Park, and Gaza Strip in Anaheim. Though OC is further away from the border, not many Mexican restaurants will serve the California burrito ubiquitous in San Diego. We border Artesia with its many, many Indian restaurants and a half dozen great Japanese izakayas throughout the county.

I love this website for being helpful to those seeking great food; I'm hoping the disparaging remark about OC was done half in jest, half in a moment of gross hyperbole.

[sdpanda80]

How about Kensington/Normal Heights? We may be small but we have a few notable places:
Bleu Boheme
Kensington Grill
Blind Lady Ale House (for very casual pizza and beer)

[Caroline]

Agreed - Kensington / Normal Heights has a wide variety of solid restaurant choices, whether along Adams Avenue (Bleu Boheme, Kensington Grill, Ponce's, Blind Lady Alehouse, Cantina Mayahuel, Farm House Cafe) or south along 30th Street (Jayne's Gastropub, et al.). Super Cocina is also a stone's throw.

From Kensington or Normal Heights, one can reach all of these within a five minute drive, or a nice walk. I can't think of many neighborhoods with such proximity to good restaurant options.

[mikec]

There's a new Thai restaurant that opened in the same block as Ye Olde Sod (took over the bad BBQ place location), Pinto Thai Cuisine, IIRC. If their signage is any indication, it might be good.

El Zarape is opening a sit-down restaurant at 32nd and Adams (taking over the old Prince and Pauper bookstore).

There's a new seafood taco truck somewhat related to Mariscos German at 35th and University, in the convenience store parking lot.

[oerdin]

For Vietnamese Mira Mesa does pretty well with a lot of different choices all right on the Mira Mesa Blvd.

[daimyo]

I'd have to say that I never venture into Poway. I live in the nearby and never seem to head toward Poway's direction. Other than occasional stop for a happy hour fish taco at the Brigantine (no need to commence with the pro and anti Brig fish taco debate), I rarely eat within Poway's city limits. Any req's there would be appreciated if you have any. I seem to recall a Kabob Shop that got some good reviews. I thought I remembered where it was, but couldn't find it on a recent drive by.

[susan3733]

The kabob place in Poway was called Pamir Kabob and, unfortunately, they moved to Temecula. It was an excellent and unique restaurant.

We live in Del Mar and are always complaining that we can't find any "go to" places that we crave for dinner on a frequent basis. We've basically just stopped going out to places in our immediate vicinity and instead head 15 mins north to Kaito or a few other places in Encinitas or 20 mins down to Kearney Mesa/Convoy St area, No. Park or, more recently, a little further to Linda Vista to go to Sab-e-Lee for Thai.

I have to disagree with the other poster about some of the Del Mar restaurants mentioned as being good...we think Pamplemousse is waaaaay overrated (we call it pompous-mousse), we find Red Tracton's kind of cool in that old-school steakhouse way but we wish their bland food was worth the price they charge, and the only other two worth considering are Market and Kitchen 1540...both are pricey, special occasion places (Market more than 1540) and yet we still would much rather spend our money at Kaito and find it way more interesting and delicious.

Obviously, those choices are a reflection of our particular taste...just my two cents.

[daantaat]

hmm, we end up doing the same thing--heading south to Convoy or north into Encinitas. The Carmel Valley/Del Mar area seems like it's either a lot of chains, a la UTC style or high end, multi-course, special occasion places.

The last time we were at Pamplemousse, the cooking style felt "old" in a "need to get new inspiration" on cooking way.

[KirkK]

Interesting...... I didn't know Seaport village was a "neighborhood".
Why would you compare UTC to Orange County, with Garden Grove and it's Korean Community and Westminster - "Little Saigon"?

I guess if Seaport Village qualifies...than I'd add Hotel Circle. And perhaps Mission Valley should be moved to UTC????

[stevewag23]

"I didn't know Seaport village was a "neighborhood".

Well it is a "village" or it wouldn't be called "Seaport village"

Either way, it sucks. And is blown potential.

[littlestevie]

Remember Seaport came in Downtown very early on in the areas redevelopment. I am thinking it was even before Horton Plaza and the convention center. It was built for tourists, there really wasn't anything else downtown for the tourists to do. The Gaslamp was still bumsky land.That being said I guess you really should not expect fine dining.

[foodiechick]

To add to what you said, it really is not even a "village". It is a marketing term to enhance the perception of a commercial complex of single and multi-unit shops and eateries. There are no dwellings or homes that is fundamental to the term "village". A village is a community.

[stevewag23]

I think you got that I was joking.

Either way, Seaport Village is a horrible "commercial complex of single and multi-unit shops and eateries".

[RB Hound]

If you think of Seaport Village of being San Diego's attempt at Coney Island, it might make it easier for you to accept.

[nileg]

Actually, *Belmont Park* was San Diego's attempt at Coney Island...and then it was demolished and turned into another Seaport Village...and now it appears they are trying to turn it back into an amusement park.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

[Josh]

Where else can you go to get a miniature "Steve" California license plate?

[stevewag23]

Anaheim?

[nileg]

Well, there's always Seaport Village, where your miniature license plate will probably have a thick coating of dust that can be carbon dated back to 1980.

Seaport Village...when will someone raze that place and put something interesting and useful there? It is truly a waste of space.

[missthemis]

Everybody needs to remember that seaport village is not and was not ever intended to be for natives. It is a cash cow for the city and for those restaurants, believe it or not. All the restaurants are owned as a group and I know that the harbor House has had the same GM since the 80's...the reason why? because that trap hasn't been in the red for 30 years.

[nosh]

I disagree with you about Del Mar: Within a stone's throw from the Via de la Valle exit from the 5, you have perhaps the best restaurant for food in San Diego County, Market. You have Pamplemousse. You have Red Tracton's, which I prefer to the steakhouse chains. You have the new Kitchen 1540 at the L'Auberge and Blanca. And in the vicinity, you have wonderful casual Mexican at Juanita's, Karina's, Bety's, L'Especiale del Norte, and even Roberto's. And we haven't even mentioned V & G and some of the breakfast places.

[Fake Name]

For Mission Hills, you have to include the India Street strip, and some will argue that boundary. Without that strip, MH is not so good.

[stevewag23]

Yeah, for purposes of this I did include the India street strip, which some people (not many) call "Middletown".

[cstr]

This is hard to answer, any 'hood can have some small excellent places and real dogs. IMO, older 'hoods usually have small ethinc family run places that offer some great home cooking primilarily due to lower rents. I enjoy the hunt and am not intimidated by the condition of the 'hood.

[beth1]

Is there really a neighborhood in San Diego that doesn't have something good to eat? Granted, you may have to search or try something out of your ordinary. I have lived places that had apparently NOTHING decent to eat. Everything was fried, fried, or deep fried. But, after we lived there for a while, we managed to find some good hole-in-the-wall places. At least here we don't have to drive 30 miles to get it.

[RB Hound]

The problem with the aforementioned UTC is that it really is not a neighborhood, and as such really does not have a hole in the wall. Even what you would call a "hole in the wall" ends up being sterile.

However, I do have to come back and correct myself (and somewhat dispute stevewag). Many of the restaurants in the Renaissance Town Square complex (Barola, Wired, Edo Sushi) have gotten pretty decent reviews overall. I've found that most of the people that blast UTC don't even know about that complex, or if reminded of it dismiss it with a wave (sort of like certain posters here do when they've not tried a dozens places recommended in a thread about pizza or burgers, yet state with authority that no place in San Diego is any good).

[Josh]

Wired is pretty good.

[stevewag23]

I know about that "complex" and was not impressed at all.

The fact that it is a "complex" makes me write it off from the start.

Call me old-school.

[Josh]

Wired has some good stuff. Writing them off because they're in a complex while simultaneously enjoying all the strip mall-located places on Convoy seems hypocritical.

[RB Hound]

Maybe Stevewag prefers gritty, rundown 1960s era strip malls to the swishy 1990s era strip malls - "Old school". :)

Seriously Steve, if you tried any of those places and had a so-so or bad experience, I'd appreciate seeing you expand. Or did you limit your experience to Rubio's and/or Quizno's?

[stevewag23]

The Chinese writiing on the strip malls on Convoy make it seem more legit.

I can fake myself out and imagine I am in a "real Chinatown".

[daantaat]

overall, Edo Sushi does a good job. I just got spoiled by Kaito.... :-)

[stevewag23]

"Is there really a neighborhood in San Diego that doesn't have something good to eat?"

Yeah, tons.

UTC, Carlsbad etc.

[mliew]

UTC certainly has plenty of forgettable places to eat but there are definitely a few diamonds in the rough. International Market and Grill does very good takeout middle eastern/persian cuisine for a great price. Probably my favorite place to eat in UTC. Nozomi is also good (although a lot of their dishes are either really good or really bad) and on par with the Convoy location. St. Germain's deli is a great place to pick up a sandwich for lunch. Chicago on a bun is also pretty good although the prices are kind of high for what they serve.

[The Old Man]

"Is there really a neighborhood in San Diego that doesn't have something good to eat?"

Yes, many. Not really a great restaurant town.

[stevewag23]

'At least here we don't have to drive 30 miles to get it."

Compared to where?

Zanesville, OH?

[amyzan]

Steve, you've clearly never lived outside a large metropolitan area, or you wouldn't ask beth1 for clarification. There are about millions of people who live in places like Beth mentions, and I'm one of them. There isn't a decent restaurant in the small town outside Kansas City where I live. I don't have to drive quite thirty miles, but if I want to eat out, it's going to be at least forty minutes round trip. It's a pain. She has a point about the convenience of decent restaurant food in much of the San Diego metro area. I'm actually sort of glad to hear you're this jaded, but man, don't take decent restaurants for granted.

[Josh]

Hillcrest has a lot of overrated places, IMO. There are a lot of mediocre spots, and only a handful that rise above that. North Park has a few bright spots, but for my money the best in terms of consistently good places to eat is Convoy St. in Kearny Mesa.

[stevewag23]

Great point.

Agreed.

[stevuchan]

"UTC (Horrible and lacking soul and culture, we should move this place to Orange County)"

Should have gave you props, the wife refers to the area as "Nobel Hell".

[ginael]

Hilcrest is overrated. Please name restaurants in this part of town that are particularly stellar. Indigo Grill and Kemo Sabe are probably the best Hilcrest has to offer, and really, these two restaurants aren't particularly special.

What area can compete with North Park? Take a look at the options on 30th St.
Granted, places like Jaynes Gastropub and Cantina Mayahuel aren't technically No Park, this street has the best lineup in SD.

[stevewag23]

"Hilcrest is overrated. Please name restaurants in this part of town that are particularly stellar"

Check out Better Half.

"Indigo Grill and Kemo Sabe are probably the best Hilcrest has to offer"

Both horrible Cohen Group abominations.

Indigo Grill is not in Hillcrest. It is in little italy.

And Should be thrown in the ocean and fed to the sharks.

[ginael]

Haven't tried Better Half. Forgot about that, actually.

It occcured to me after I wrote my comment that Indigo is not in Hilcrest. Apologies.

I still stand by my assertion that Hilcrest is overrated.

[stevewag23]

Check out Yakitori Yakyudori

[Green_Turtle]

For Asian restaurants, best are: Kearny Mesa & Linda Vista

[RB Hound]

"UTC (Horrible and lacking soul and culture, we should move this place to Orange County)"

Take it easy on UTC - it's the logical answer to the question "what do you get when you mix college students, bankers, and a major shopping mall?" And really, you do not want to move UTC, because if you did in its vacuum you'd have 10 Costa Verde Villages pop up.

With that being said, there are a few people that would go out of their way to get to Donovan's Steakhouse or Japengo. Otherwise, destination dining it is not.

[deckape]

"UTC (Horrible and lacking soul and culture, we should move this place to Orange County)"

Perfect!!!

[crt]

As a resident of Orange County I think it's obvious you haven't traveled around Orange County much. There are plenty of areas in Orange County with 'soul' and 'culture'. Granted just not parts of southern Orange County. Santa Ana and Anaheim with their large Hispanic populations offers up a lot of great authentic Mexican food restaurants. While Garden Grove and Westminister with their large Asain population offers up a lot of great authentic Vietnamese restaurants. Fullerton diverse with it's Hispanic community and 'higher education campuses' offers the best of both of Mexican cuisine and trendy upscale fine dining restuarants. Beach communities are usually an eclectic mix of great breakfast and brunch spots with a wide mix of different culturally diverse foods. Back to Anaheim where there are a great many Mediteranean/Middle Eastern/Greek establishments to wow your tastebuds. You can relate UTC to places like South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island and such but don't lump all of Orange County into that 'scene' because it's far from a fair comparison.

[stevuchan]

"Pacific Beach (a culinary black hole)" - Come on Steve, although it does not compare to some of the best, there is good food to be had. There are many to mention but if you just include Latin Chef, Sushi Ota, and Costa Brava/Pata Negra, it should remove the "black hole" stigma. I would however agree with "Fine Dining Black Hole". BTW I have had some really decent food at The Turquoise lately.

I think the best/worst depends on food catageory, Ethnic would go to CM/LV and City Heights, it also appears that good food is poping up in the south bay.

[stevewag23]

Your right. That was a little harsh. (PB just asks for it sometimes though, doesn't it?)

Your right, Sushi Ota is epic. Although for some reason I don't think of it when "PB" comes to mind. I always think of it by itself.

And Costa Brava and Latin Chef are solid.

Fishery is solid too.

[foodiechick]

Wow, had not idea the extent of the menu at Turquoise until I read your post. What is good there? What is the crowd like?

[stevuchan]

Duck Confit is is usually pretty solid, as is the lamb, have had a bunch of tapas off the menu, nothing mind blowing but a good neighborhood option. Crowd is mellow until about 9 or 10. Weekends live music.

[stevewag23]

Service is horrible at Turquoise Lounge.

They also add 17.5% to every check ...fyi.

Crowd is "sophisticated" Pacific Beach.

So basically very unsophisticated.

But a step up from Garnet (as if there could be a step down?)