San Diego recommendations

[Sundodger 66]

I'm looking for some San Diego recs.   Must see destinations, food, must visit craft breweries, cool hikes, etc.   I already have the zoo, U.S.S. Midway, and a Padres game on the agenda.  I'm also thinking of doing the Cowles Mountain hike.   

 

 

 

[Gen. Applewhite 226]

Ironside and Crack Shack

[Mr.Hovis 70]

The Seafood Market & Sushi Bar on Harbor Dr. was a good lunch spot. Place was damn crowded so a wait should be expected. As mentioned above Little Italy has great options, can't remember the names but ate at two family run Italian places that were both good. Went on a whale watching cruise on a famous old sailboat, JADA. It has quite a history, couple of brothers own it now( this was a few years ago) and do daily tours. Was actually a pretty good time, they have snacks, beer and wine. Had a whale & calf surface right next to us which was awesome. It's really easy to find stuff to do places to eat, you'll have a blast.

[6th Street 6,357]

If you're in Pacific Beach hit up PB Shore Club and The Local for beers and views. Oscar's for fish tacos 

For breweries, Ballast Brewery is nice, but my favorite was Green Flash as they had some incredible brews and a nice patio.  

In the Gaslamp we always end up partying at Barleymash for some reason, but no complaints. 

[El Diablo 4,232]

The bars of National City.

[Beau Vine 54,013]

10 hours ago, thestud said:

Miguels Cocina on Coronado Island is your one must. 

It was very good, not a must, but we stayed in that hotel that surrounds it and absolutely loved it (and the whole Coronado Island area).  Favorite bar on Coronado Island was Leroy's.

 

We went last spring break, and of all the advice I got from shaggy, this was the best: https://www.luchalibretacoshop.com/

Just phenomenal tacos.  It's right across the highway from the car rental center.

[Homercles 10,205]

Stone, Ballast Point and especially Alpine breweries were fun

[CooterBrown 17,940]

Half Door Brewing a block north of the baseball stadium is great.

I've only had top notch beers from Modern Times Brewery.  Never been to their brewery though.

 

 

[JohnnyShotgun 34]

Lucha Libre is a great taco spot (that was me from Shaggy), right across the street is Karina's and they make awesome burritos and tacos as well. Next door to them is Shakespeares Pub and their fish and chips are pretty great. Ocean Beach is my favorite right now in San Diego. It's just a cool, relaxing vibe and has great food and drink spots. Hodads for burgers, South Beach Bar and Grille for great fish and seafood tacos, lots of fun people watching. Oscar's is good tacos, but the location next to the stadium doesn't sell beer. Monkey Paw Brewery and 10 Barrel are a block from each other and cool breweries although they couldn't be more different. I love La Puerta for tacos and tequila drinks. San Diego is awesome, have a great time!

[pepper brooks 579]

The grand Del Mar is the most incredible hotel ive ever stayed in by a good measure. The Addison restaurant there is just stupid Good if you like fine dining. Hotel bar is a great hang out as well  

 

The brockton villa for breakfast overlooking the ocean is a must.  You can watch these dipshits swimming miles out into the ocean where great whites are hanging out. 

Edited May 9, 2018 by pepper brooks

[Sundodger 66]

Thanks for all the tips.  I had a great trip.  The zoo is incredible and Petco Park is a must see for baseball fans.  Of stuff not mentioned above I enjoyed Mission Brewery a few blocks from Petco Park just past the tailgate parking lot.   There are lot of craft beer options between Little Italy and Petco Park and I visited 6 of them.  AleSmith produced the best beers I had during my trip.  There is a huge cluster of breweries north of Miramar and they are one of them.  

[Larry T. Spider 1,746]

I got really fucked up wandering around the gas lamp district and found a downstairs Irish dive bar. I got more fucked up. I wouldn’t go there.

[Longboard Horn 40,167]

I'll be heading to San Diego soon for business. Have any of yall tasted any of their local brews? If so, which ones would you recommend? Asking because every time I venture to a new city business or personal related I always like to try the local beers.

[texhorn 351]

I'll be heading to San Diego soon for business. Have any of yall tasted any of their local brews? If so, which ones would you recommend? Asking because every time I venture to a new city business or personal related I always like to try the local beers.

You serious, Clark?


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[4th&Five 41,461]

There’s only a few to choose from so it shouldn’t be too overwhelming. 

[Butch Had Not 2,940]

Regents pizzeria in la jolla. Might take over an hour to make your pizza but they have a great beer selection.

[4UT 22]

The Taco Stand in La Jolla for fish tacos

Pizza Port for beers and pizza

Breweries:

Modern Times

Mikkeller

Stone
 

[Bud Davis 13]

Alesmith .394 Pale Ale.  All I got.

[4th and 5 4,914]

Decided on a whim to take the family. I know nothing about San Diego. Where should we stay?

[CooterBrown 17,940]

Rent a condo in Pacific Beach.  Plenty of shit there and it's close to everything.  

[Beau Vine 54,013]

3 hours ago, 4th and 5 said:

Decided on a whim to take the family. I know nothing about San Diego. Where should we stay?

Coronado Island

[Butch Had Not 2,940]

3 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

Rent a condo in Pacific Beach.  Plenty of shit there and it's close to everything.  

 Just be sure there is actual parking.  Street parking kind of sucks. 

[Butch Had Not 2,940]

32 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

Coronado Island

 It's cool except constant noise of jets landing nearby. That gets old fast. 

[CooterBrown 17,940]

 

Combo plate at Homestyle Hawaiian on Midway. The plate had to weigh 2 lbs. it had 2 Katsu thighs and 2 teriyaki thighs.

 

On a side note, my Lyft driver said he played for the Oilers one season and a few for the NJ Generals. Thought it was BS but it checked out. Lynn Madsen, DE out of Washington.

 

 

[BigVegasHorn26 630]

Any locals or recent visitors been to Cocina Urbana or Juniper and Ivy?  Thoughts?  Looking at booking them for an upcoming trip.  

Also, recommendations for sushi in town? 

[TheFlyingBoat 906]

1 hour ago, BigVegasHorn26 said:

Any locals or recent visitors been to Cocina Urbana or Juniper and Ivy?  Thoughts?  Looking at booking them for an upcoming trip.  

Also, recommendations for sushi in town? 

Juniper and Ivy is a must go. Cocina Urbana is great. Sushi Ota is your place for sushi. Get the uni there for sure. Also highly recommend J Wata Temaki Bar. Just opened up and it's incredible. Top tier hand rolls. 

Edited August 6, 2018 by TheFlyingBoat

[52-80 19,104]

i liked going to Point Loma - it overlooks SD Naval Supply base and we saw all sorts of helicopters and jet fighters flying around, warships or whatever big ass navy boats floating around

[Damor 1,233]

Bump

Looking at going in June for 4-5 days midweek, taking the boys (11 and 14).  I've never been to SD, but thinking zoo, NAS, Midway, and a Padres game would be up their alley.  And beer for me.

I was thinking about an Airbnb or hotel in the Gaslamp district or Coronado, but not having been there, am I on the right track?  Anywhere else I should look?

[4th&Five 41,461]

Don't stay in Gaslamp with an 11 and 14 yo.  Plenty of other areas of dt that would be better.  Coronado is sweet as well. Pacific Beach, Mission Valley or Old Town would all be good.

[Damor 1,233]

Thanks -- please pardon the ignorance (I just started thinking about this trip a couple hours ago), I was looking at Gaslamp for what looked like walking proximity to Petco and the Midway.  I'm presuming Gaslamp is oriented to more adult tastes, but do you recommend against it for reasons of kid disinterest or bad parenting (like when my wife forced the older one to  pose for pictures in front of all the titty bars on Bourbon Street)?  Are there other downtown areas or landmarks you'd recommend looking around?  I'll look in those other areas you recommended as well, thanks!

[HornPhD 1,364]

We usually stay downtown at The Westin (off Broadway). It has an outdoor pool (with food and beverage service), is walking distance to the USS Midway and Little Italy, and is a block away from a brewpub. Also, it's on the metro line so you can get to a Padres game without walking much. Zoo is an Uber ride away if you don't have a rental. If you go to the zoo, go early. Same with Midway (and make sure you do the guided island tour).

Edited April 5, 2019 by HornPhD

[4th&Five 41,461]

There’s just not a lot to do there other than bars and it get’s pretty sketchy in some areas. My kids have seen Bourbon and 6th street during the day but I wouldn’t take them at night. Same thing.

We stayed in Little Italy last time we were there and walked everywhere downtown and everything else was a pretty short uber. 

Wife is from SD so 95% of the time we’ve stayed with her family but LI was a really good home base last time. 

[Jive Turkey 12,570]

Intercontinental downtown is brand new and nice.  it's on the Embarcadero.  across the street from the USS Midway and the marina area.

Liberty Station is a cool area not far from downtown.  just north of the airport, which is basically downtown.  Stone World Bistro is incredible and kid friendly.

https://www.stonebrewing.com/visit/bistros/liberty-station

Edited April 5, 2019 by Jive Turkey

[Mitch Cumsteen 18,524]

Was just there w/ wife + 2 kids. Rented a condo that overlooked Mission Bay. Walking distance to restaurants/bars, can walk up and down the strand, go to the beach, whatever.  I love staying down there plus I like the air bnb option because we end up cooking breakfast each morning and you have more privacy. The place we stayed at had parking, which is a must for down there.

[Underdog 28,459]

Forgot the beach with the Amusement rides, might be an option with the kids also.  Petco’s a real nice park, beautiful city. 

[Gil Bang 25,901]

I wouldn't recommend Coronado for anything more than a day trip.  Where the gaslamp is too sketchy for kids, Coronado is too boring. 

As for entertainment, Whale Watching is always fun for kids.  It's a nice 4-5 hour boat ride, and even if you don't see whales, you are almost guaranteed to get into huge pods of dolphin.  

You can go from several locations in San Diego Bay,  and can also leave from Oceanside.

Of course,  Balboa Park is awesome.  Zoo is located there, along with a shitload of museums.   And a generally cool vibe. 

The zoo is open late at night in the summer.  It's really cool at night.    

[Gil Bang 25,901]

On 8/6/2018 at 3:16 AM, 52-80 said:

i liked going to Point Loma - it overlooks SD Naval Supply base and we saw all sorts of helicopters and jet fighters flying around, warships or whatever big ass navy boats floating around

Coast guard base is directly across from the Airport.  There was a time where the fixed-wing aircraft would taxi right across Harbor Dr. to get to the runway.

[MalibuSheriff 1,088]

Only thing I’ll add is definitely plan a good beach day, rent some boogie boards, etc..  My kids can spend 1/2 day at beach and never get bored with riding waves, catching mole crabs, or just walking up and down the beach picking up shells and cool rocks.  Our favorite beaches are Del Mar, Fletcher Cove at Solana Beach, or any of the Encinitas beaches.

Great restaurants all up and down the 101 in that stretch of coast.

[Gil Bang 25,901]

As far as restaurants go there, Jake’s is my personal favorite.

[DaysOff 7,854]

Coasterra. Spendy, but you can sit at the bar and order from the bar menu.

[Gil Bang 25,901]

Yeah...that's why I like Jake's.  Awesome view, pretty high milf talent, and it won't break the bank, but Coasterra is super nice.  Not great for kids though. 

[Gil Bang 25,901]

13 minutes ago, thestud said:

We were only there for 48 hours but at the recommendations of some local friends we went to Miguel’s Cocina on Coronado and really liked it. Good brunch and tasty drinks

It's good, but it's a chain with several San Diego locations, and is a sister to another San Diego chain, the Brigantine.   BTW, Brigantine Del Mar is really cool and has an amazing view of the Del Mar racetrack. 

 

[Gil Bang 25,901]

On 5/8/2018 at 6:49 PM, Sundodger said:

I'm looking for some San Diego recs.   Must see destinations, food, must visit craft breweries, cool hikes, etc.   I already have the zoo, U.S.S. Midway, and a Padres game on the agenda.  I'm also thinking of doing the Cowles Mountain hike.   

 

 

 

Hey OP, since you said "Craft Breweries", I highly recommend a day trip (or overnight) in North County.  Stone in Escondido is the anchor up here, but there are dozens in Vista and Oceanside, including Mother Earth, Prohibition, Belching Beaver, etc. 

[Damor 1,233]

Many thanks for all the tips.  My wife has too much grad school stuff going on, so it'll be me and the boys.  I got a good deal at the Westin, which looks like a great location.  Padres tickets acquired.  Multiple restaurants and breweries saved on my map, unfortunately way too many for only 3 full days.

We'll definitely do the Midway, but if they wanted to get to see more of the modern naval stuff, has anyone done any of the harbor cruises?  I'm generally skeptical of that kind of stuff, but since there are no public tours at the military installations, I was considering that.

Also, I figured we'd get some good seafood while we're out there (I have Ironside on the short list), but my boys have also recently decided they are sushi fans -- can anyone recommend a good place in the downtown area? 

[utee05 9]

Nice bump on this. We just booked our flights for May 17-21. Main things we want to do are the beach and zoo. Haven’t really planned much as to where to stay and what breweries I want to visit. We will have our 2 girls who are both 5 and 1.5yrs. They like parks and doing stuff outside.

[Gil Bang 25,901]

Well, the zoo IS a park of sorts.  And Balboa Park (where the zoo is located) is pretty awesome. 

[Gil Bang 25,901]

On 4/9/2019 at 12:21 PM, Damor said:

Many thanks for all the tips.  My wife has too much grad school stuff going on, so it'll be me and the boys.  I got a good deal at the Westin, which looks like a great location.  Padres tickets acquired.  Multiple restaurants and breweries saved on my map, unfortunately way too many for only 3 full days.

We'll definitely do the Midway, but if they wanted to get to see more of the modern naval stuff, has anyone done any of the harbor cruises?  I'm generally skeptical of that kind of stuff, but since there are no public tours at the military installations, I was considering that.

Also, I figured we'd get some good seafood while we're out there (I have Ironside on the short list), but my boys have also recently decided they are sushi fans -- can anyone recommend a good place in the downtown area? 

Nobu.  Or Azuki.  I've never been to Full Moon but I know people that like it. 

Edited April 10, 2019 by Gil Bang

[utee05 9]

Well, the zoo IS a park of sorts.  And Balboa Park (where the zoo is located) is pretty awesome. 

Good point there. Now to find an area to stay at. May get a car for a day to drive to other places in the area. Figured we would try to stay near an area where we can walk to get food, drink and coffee to avoid having to lug around car seats.

[Gil Bang 25,901]

Good point there. Now to find an area to stay at. May get a car for a day to drive to other places in the area. Figured we would try to stay near an area where we can walk to get food, drink and coffee to avoid having to lug around car seats.

Kids that young, Legoland is good. Maybe even consider staying in Carlsbad? Cute downtown with bars and restaurants, “Hops Highway” adjacent for breweries, and great beach.

[South Austin 52,166]

Make sure you discover the landing where the Germans discovered San Diego in 1904.