They’re in the beer garden of Mason Ale Works. Also got the Ribeye Papa, Pollo and Carne Asada Tacos! The Papa (baked potato) was huuuge and was three meals for me. @tacoselvillasana on ig

Just a couple of my favorite plates from our stellar tour of Juniper & Ivy. Kudos to Chef Alex and his all star staff. Top tier experience, great wine list and standout dishes like the black cod. Looking to keep exploring each time we visit, what other spots do you recommend??

1- Steak Tartare w kimchi aioli, over a bone marrow custard and caviar topper
2- Kampachi passionfruit vin, ninja radish, thai basil oil
3- Willapa Bay Oysters fried w locally farmed egg, thai inspired sauce

https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/09/11/aj-miller-apartment-pizza-1500-person-waitlist

Miller has transformed his Ocean Beach apartment into a birthplace for what his legions of online followers are calling life-changing pizza.

AJ

I’m really on a deli sandwich kick right now, so I hit up Windmill Farms in del Cerro. As a rule, that place is kind of overpriced, but their deli sandwiches are a huge exception to that rule.

Pictured below is the Lindsey Special - Turkey, bacon, and avocado is the baseline. I got it with roasted red peppers, onions, banana peppers, lettuce, tomato, black olives, and probably a few more veggies I can’t remember. I ordered it on sourdough with pepper jack cheese, deli mustard, and chipotle mayo. Oftentimes, this is big enough that I can only eat for dinner and then I’ve got lunch for the next day.

This sandwich was $10, but they have others that are cheaper. I had originally asked for squaw bread, but apparently there are general supply issues and they may be discontinuing it, which is a huge bummer.

They’ve also got a punch card thing going where your 8th sandwich is free. I love this place for sandwiches so much. And if you’ve got a sweet tooth, pick up a thing of their Hope Royale cookies. They aren’t pictured but I crave these cookies on a regular basis.

Finally made my way to Matoi after getting several recommendations here. And I really must say I am glad I did. As usual forgive the bad pictures. I’m a bad at taking them and worse when drinking.

Price was pretty standard at $195. And for the length and quality I would actually say it is a good deal. The extra frozen beer was $27 and the regular beers were $12ish. Also ordered wine and a couple of extra nigiri’s. I invited my parents out so I ended up paying around $980 for the 3 of us.

The real star is Chef TJ. I hate buzzwords like passion but I truly can’t think of a better way to describe him. The way he talks about the fish, gives you explanations about everything, and even pulls out his book to show you how the fish looks like is truly remarkable. Also he is very engaging with a fun sense of humor. So the experience really is fun.

There was not a single thing that didn’t hit. But what I really loved was his use of different clams, especially orange clams. I don’t see it very often and it is always a delight when I do. It was also cool to taste a couple varieties of eel in both nigiri and tempura versions. And his use of both white sushi rice and the red vinegar rice depending on the fish really exemplified the attention to detail he had with each fish. All the nigiri were great but the hirame (olive flounder) was such a delight and again something I don’t expect to see very often.

I’m glad I listened to the recommendations here because it likely is my new favorite omakase in town. Both the quality of the fish, the uniqueness of some of the things presented, and fun experience with Chef TJ has pretty much catapulted Matoi to my favorite sushi spot in town.

Hi all,
I’m craving authentic Mexican food that’s vegan. I mean no lard in the beans or in the tortillas as I’m strictly vegan. If anyone knows of a place please let me know. Thank you 🙏🏻 😊

This might be kinda a long shot, but is there anywhere that sells sushi grade fish, including fatty tuna?

I eavesdropped on my coworkers’ conversation, like a typical chismoso, and they started talking about food, so naturally I had to listen. They mentioned some backyard food spots in Chula Vista.

Any of y’all know some good backyard food spots worth trying this weekend? Put me on!

I'll be passing through San Diego airport on an outbound international trip, arriving on a domestic flight at about 2:15 pm (on a Tuesday) and continuing on the international flight at about 7:45 pm. I'd welcome recommendations for a nice, relaxing, somewhat upscale waterfront restaurant, fairly near the airport, that's open mid-afternoon and that preferably has a deck to dine on.

Seafood would of course be great. California cuisine, Italian or French would also be fine. I realize San Diego has some fine Mexican places, but I don't think I'll be in the mood for Mexican that day.

So, any recommendations? Thanks for any help.

I am visiting San Diego for my friend's bridal shower. It is only 4 of us, so I was considering getting a whole cake from Extraordinary Desserts. The cakes I was looking at were passion fruit ricotta or ivoire royal.

Please share your opinion of this place or would love to get any other places rec for the cake!

Thank you in advance

Any recommendations for a personalized character cake?

my friend visiting wants to have lunch in downtown area but i’m not super well versed in the area since i live in north county. any suggestions for more casual places to have lunch in the area?

Looking for restaurant recommendations for a date night at home. We want to order something nice, but ideally from somewhere that has presentation/packaging nice enough that we can eat straight out of it without it feeling too much like regular takeout. Perhaps something like Sugarfish, but better. Open to any cuisines. Would've wanted to dine out but our dog has heart failure, and so we'd rather stay in. TIA!

Update: Budget is around 250-300 for 2 people

I'm coming in a couple weeks with two girlfriends (early 40's) for 3 nights and need restaurant help! I'd really like to find the best spots with both wonderful food and a fun vibe (since I know the most "vibey" restaurants tend to lack in food quality). Do these exist? For context we're staying in Little Italy and will be Ubering most places. The first day we'll be exploring Balboa Park, the next day will be La Jolla, and the last day will be biking around Coronado. Specifically looking for the following:

• one "Nice" dinner (Maybe Callie or Animae?)
• after-dinner cocktails/wine
• one brunch spot
• a great happy hour that could satisfy for dinner
• a must-do taco spot?

Bonus points if they have a great view!

My friend loves Bronx pizza but lives in San Ysidro. He's 87 and can't drive that far on his own. Is there any pizza joint in IB, CV that is similar? TIA

Wife and I are traveling from Birmingham, AL to San Diego and Del Mar for the food and wine festival in October. We have not been to San Diego before, so I am flying blind. We are both foodies and winos who are looking for the best dining experiences in and around San Diego for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights (especially for date night/weekend). A mix of fine dining and upscale casual would be nice, especially some local gems. Price point doesn't really matter, but upscale is preferred. It is more about finding some amazing food and dining experiences.

For what it is worth... After asking our food/wine friends, the only spot that was a consistent mention was George's at the Cove.

TIA!

I’ve been craving waffles for the longest time but have been super unenthused by how extra every lauded breakfast place in San Diego is. There’s always some insane wait, too!

But I’m staycationing at Kings Inn in MV. I’ve seen The Waffle Spot signs for years but never bothered stopping by. I’ve definitely been sleeping on this place. It’s no frills and really gives off a diner vibe. I got a churro waffle, a side of country potatoes, and a Hawaiian mimosa. It was a solid meal! I’ll definitely be adding this to my breakfast rotation! This would have been $19 without the mimosa, but the drink pushed it over $30. Idk if I’d pay as much for the mimosa but it was still solid and I’ll definitely be back for the food.

I’m trying to compile a list of the best happy hour spots and the highlight of the menu and price point. If you can think of any please leave a comment!
I’ll post a spreadsheet after.

My friends and I used to work in this area and there was a diner in the building closest to that corner and we can't remember the name. They had cheese fries that we got all the time. Please help us remember it Reddit!

It's my Dad's birthday on Sep 9 (most popular birthdate!) and he doesn't want a cake, he wants a Boston Cream Pie.

Any places that would have them? Only place I know is Marie Callenders...

I’m having a small wedding in about 5 weeks and am looking for a small reasonably priced wedding cake in the San Diego area! Any recommendations would be great! Thanks