American Sampler Sando

Smallgoods

This artisan La Jolla deli, voted “Best Sandwiches” in town by our readers, makes a killer version of an Italian sub with all US-produced inputs. It’s got mortadella from San Francisco, Golden Nugget ham, finocchiona salami, sheep milk Alpine cheese, local Big Bill on the Hill’s mustard, mayo, baby arugula from Fred’s Urban farm, and Breadbar seeded loaf slices. It’s perfect. —JB

Chawanmushi

Omakase by Ambrely

Savory Japanese egg custard, known as chawanmushi, isn’t often served outside traditional Japanese restaurants in the US. Chef Ambrely Ouimette‘s spin on the classic dish showcases her experience behind the sushi bar, using eggs, celery tsukudani, and maitake mushrooms. One blissful bite transported me straight back to a ryokan in Kyoto. —BD

Turon Crème Brülée Latte

Mostra Coffee

One could argue that coffee culture is jumping the shark wearing a DayGlo tutu. Blame Instagram. If a drink doesn’t look like it’s headed to the Met Gala, it’s getting booted from the menu. The camera caffeinates first, after all. Enter this crunchy sugar-crusted, jackfruit-syruped, housemade-banana-milked Lady Gaga of a beverage in Bankers Hill (among other locations). It knows its angles, secretly loves paparazzi, and tastes like it went to private school. —MH

Chicken Fried Rice

Cross Street Chicken And Beer

A restaurant that shares a parking lot with a Ralphs might not inspire culinary confidence, but Del Mar plays by its own real estate rules. The Korean fried chicken at Cross Street (also in Convoy) is crispy and comforting. Get it on sandos, in salads, or alongside fluffy fried rice with a perfectly runny egg. Plus, an easy grocery run after. Win-win. —MH

Fig Leaf Old Fashioned

Roma Norte

The menu at this Seaport Village hotspot is encyclopedic, but ask the bartenders to bring you their favorite and you may get this ceramic teacup full of intrigue. You’ll need to leave the small talk at home-with butter-washed bourbon, fig leaf cordial, and cacao bitters, this slow sipper is made for deep conversation. Make sure you’ve done your reading. —MH

Local Sheepshead “Zarandeado”

Vistal Bar + Restaurant

Great things rarely come from restaurants that require staff name tags, but the seafood program at this fine-dining-establishment-meets-airport-lounge in the Intercontinental lobby is doing flavorful things with a top-notch locally caught fish program. Pretty cool considering the US imports upwards of 80 percent of its seafood. This dish is Tommy Gomes-supplied local sheepshead (whitefish, bouncy on the palate), baked Nayarit-style, then sauced (but not drowned atop poblano polenta. Memorably good, no name tag required. —MH

Panang

World Curry

I’ve always been tickled by World Curry‘s concept: curries from cuisines all over the planet-including the cozy Thai panang-available in one laidback restaurant. (Side note: Someone should do the same thing with different cultures’ fried chicken.) Though the longtime PB institution closes its doors in December, there’s still time for spicy excursions. —AR

Piña Colada Slushie

Bay Hill Tavern

With gloomy skies outside and my friends locked in to a football game on one of several TVs in Bay Park’s Bay Hill Tavern, summer couldn’t feel further away… until a vacation vessel of sweet slush lands on the table. It’s not a poolside cabana, but it’s close, and, since it’s sweetened only with pineapple juice, the cocktail won’t trigger Vegas-esque sugar headaches. Touchdown? —AR

Pad Thai

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen

Would I recommend taking your partner’s parents to dinner by simply plucking a restaurant name off a map? No. But it worked out, and now you don’t have to repeat my folly. Sab Lai is an underrated (see: not crowded) joint serving satisfying noodles and stir-fries in the Gaslamp. A friendly spot for pre-gaming a bar hop, fueling up for Petco concerts, or wooing the in-laws. —AR

Beef Carpaccio

The Amalfi Llama

Opened in March, Amalfi Llama at Westfield UTC is all about Patagonian live-fire cooking techniques mixed with Italian ingredients. It’s one of the few places in San Diego using this method to cook meat, adding that delicious charred flavor to the dishes. While all of the cuts are worth a try, don’t skip the beef carpaccio as an app. It’s incredibly thin slices make you feel like you’re eating clouds, and what’s not to love about that? —NM

No-Loko

J & Tony’s Discount Cured Meats and Negroni Warehouse

I recognize that the zero-proof version of an espresso martini is simply a latte. But the No-Loko at this East Village haunt endlessly streaming The Sopranos is complex enough to earn its spot on the cocktail menu. Café de olla syrup, coffee concentrate, cold brew, grated cinnamon. Don’t fuhgeddaboudit. —AR

Creamy Chicken Ramen

Tajima Ramen

Cooler weather means one thing: ramen season. Tajima on Adams Avenue is no-frills in the right ways. A solid joint to drop in for a quick hit of soup like vou’d stop for a quick beer (they have both). Sit at the bar and watch the kitchen cranking out an impressive number of to-go tubs while sipping on creamy chicken broth that isn’t just rich, it’s wealthy. Come on, thermostat, drop. —MH

Mini Burritos

John’s Market

Sequestered in the cuts of Solana Beach, John’s serves up some of the most soul-nourishing, family-recipe Mexican this side of Tecate. The mini burritos ($2.75) with housemade refried beans taste like a morning in some small coastal town 3,000 miles south. Machaca, chorizo, you can’t miss. Simple, made with amor. A true Mexican market with handwritten prices, hidden in a residential neighborhood. Oro. —MH

Kraken Roll

Ototo Sushi Co.

On the south end of Liberty Station, where the parking is plentiful and the patios are quiet, Ototo (also in Clairemont) anchors an oft-forgotten corner of Point Loma, next to an old landlocked Navy training ship. Bringing work or a book along for happy hour when the sun is out? Very SD. The Kraken is a can’t-go-wrong choice: yellowtail, cucumber, and avocado topped with more tuna, crispy onions, and garlic soy. —MH

The post 15 of the Best Food & Drinks to Try This November appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Cowboy Star Restaurant and Butcher Shop

Is Cowboy Star the best steakhouse in San Diego? It depends on who you ask, but a large portion of the local population are very likely to vote yes. Yes, the steaks are world-class, but so are the appetizers (especially the woodfired mussels and steak tartare), salads (if you aren’t ordering a wedge, are you even at a steakhouse?), and desserts (it’s a toss up between the banana pudding and chocolate chip bread pudding. Or just get both).

When it comes to the steak itself, go for any of the dry-aged options. You’ll quickly taste the difference. Want to try your hand at replicating the experience at home? Their butcher shop is open every day with plenty of prime meat, sides, and desserts ready for takeaway. 

640 Tenth Avenue, East Village

Rare Society

I’ve heard Rare Society called the best value for the best steak in town, and I’m inclined to agree. It’s far from inexpensive, but rest assured you get what you pay for, and the proof lies in the first bite. As part of chef Brad Wise’s Trust Restaurant Group—along with Fort Oak, Cardellino, and The Wise Ox—Rare Society is one of those places that consistently lives up to the hype and sets the standard for other similar concepts around town. I strongly recommend coming in for dinner with a group—the shareable steak boards are a great way to sample a few different cuts of meat to find your new favorite. 

4130 Park Blvd., University Heights | 330 South Cedros Avenue, Solana Beach

Born & Raised

If your goal is both to eat a great meal and take plenty of pictures of it, then Born & Raised is for you. Like all CH Projects’ restaurants, the Art Deco-inspired ambiance hovers somewhere between merely ostentatious and absurdly over-the-top opulent. Their myriad of tableside service options add to the inescapable theatricality of the experience, but the dim lighting does make it difficult to document said flourishes without assistance.

But rather than bringing a (very annoying) ring light for the perfect pic, just focus on the food. Get the bread, potato puree, mac & cheese, Caesar salad, and steak of your choice. (Or the roasted chicken—it’s surprisingly great.) Skip the dry-dirty hashbrowns. Save room for gold leafed, seven-layer carrot cake. Consider yourself #influenced.

1909 India Street, Little Italy

The Remy

Blink and you’ll miss the exit to The Remy, which is (nearly) hidden in a quiet corner of Mission Valley just east of Old Town. But the building is no stranger to steaks—The Remy opened in the former Hunter Steakhouse space in 2023 after a huge renovation. The result? Lots of antler chandeliers and an impressive stone fireplace flanked by a taxidermied mountain goat.

The menu may sport a hip font, but the plates remain classic as ever, with plenty of chops to choose from and a good variety for happy hour and lunch as well. If you do go for lunch, get the prime rib sandwich. Or whatever you want. I’m not your mom. Just a gal who loves prime rib.

2445 Hotel Circle Place, Mission Valley

Huntress

Steak, whiskey, and music are the three cornerstones of Huntress, and they mesh with each other in perfect harmony. The space is posh, but not sterile, and the unique menu pulls in lots of Asian influence, like XO glazed prawns, glazed pork belly, and koji halibut. It’s easy to customize your meal (and stick to a budget) with plenty of optional add-ons like bone marrow butter, lobster tails, and typical steakhouse sides like whipped potato puree. If you’re looking to pair drinks with food, try the whiskey flights. 

376 Fifth Avenue, Downtown

Eddie V’s Prime Seafood

Both San Diego locations of Eddie V’s are temples to the church of surf n’ turf. Their La Jolla location has been open since 2011 and Seaport Village since 2014, but the concept has been around since 2000 when the first one opened in Texas.

In the 10+ years they’ve operated in San Diego, Eddie V’s has proven itself to be a reliable, if not old-school steakhouse destination with the requisite offerings—great steak, fresh seafood, and good service. Their happy hour menus are quite robust as well, with good deals on sandwiches, appetizers, cocktails, and more. For dinner, stick to wine. The sommeliers will deftly steer you in the right direction.

789 W Harbor Drive, Seaport Village | 1270 Prospect Street, La Jolla

Cafe La Maze

As the one of the oldest restaurants in San Diego, part of Cafe La Maze’s appeal is nostalgia. But that’s not the only reason it’s stayed open since 1941. Restaurants come and go, but community gathering spaces that facilitate friends, fellowship, and food remain. Cafe La Maze is one of these places. It’s the type of place locals go for birthdays, anniversaries, funerals, or just dinner. It’s familiar. It’s comfortable. It has prime rib. What’s not to adore?

1441 Highland Avenue, National City

Steak 48

When Steak 48 opened in Del Mar last year, food critic Troy Johnson wrote, “steakhouse glamour is revived and remixed.” It’s as true today as it was then. Steak 48 is definitely glamorous—it’s still Del Mar, after all—but not quite “do I have to wear Louboutins to fit in here” level. It’s more like “I’ll have another glass of Champagne” and “how much butter did I just ingest?” (It’s probably a lot.)

The menu is as sprawling as the interior, with options for seemingly every inclination. Of course there is plenty of steak, but there are also quite a few salads, sides, seafood options, yes, a lot of Scotch. It can all feel a bit overwhelming, but just close your eyes and focus on the meat. Everything will be all right. 

12995 El Camino Real, Del Mar

The post 8 of the Best Steakhouses in San Diego appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

I also believed that was the extent of açaí bowls. Though some places are more generous with the PB than others, they mostly tasted the same to me. But upon conducting a further investigation, I’m happy to report that many of us were dead wrong.

San Diego’s açaí bowls span the spectrum of savory to sweet, simple to complex, and walkable to so-big-you’ll-need-two-hands. There are many unique options worth trying—starting with these 13.

Northside Shack

Açaí Sorbet

Northside Shack serves up a true classic as part of its build-your-own-bowl menu: a sweetened, dairy-free açaí sorbet, to which you can add all the usual suspects, including strawberries, pineapple, gluten-free granola, and coconut shreds. Prepare for a long battle with your to-go lid, because when it comes to toppings, Northside Shack does not skimp. 

1255 Rosecrans Street, Point Loma | 3773 30th Street, Unit H, North Park

The Cliffs Cafe

Monkey Business

When Mayra Contreras took over The Cliffs Cafe in 2017, she wanted to do something different with her açai bowls—so instead of blending frozen berries with milk like most places, she experimented with apple juice. The Monkey Business bowl was born. She says the juice gives the açai base (and its blueberry, banana, and peanut butter accompaniments) a fresher flavor.

1830 Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, Ocean Beach

Señor Mango’s

Açaí Bowl

If you’ve read our deep dive on local tortas, you know I have a lot of love for Señor Mango’s. That affection extends to the shop’s açaí bowls. As a nod to the name, top yours with mango slices. They add a burst of tropical brightness that will make you wonder why you ever thought banana was enough.

4607 30th Street, University Heights | 3042 North Park Way, North Park

Nekter Juice Bar

Chocolate Bowl

Curiosity (and my sweet tooth) got the best of me when I perused Nekter’s menu. The national franchise recently began blending açaí with banana, strawberry, housemade cashew milk, almond butter, agave nectar, and cocoa powder for a bowl that tastes more like a milkshake than a smoothie. But don’t let the cacao nibs and chocolate drizzle keep you from thinking this isn’t a decent post-gym meal—thanks to the addition of vanilla protein powder, it offers a whopping 23 grams of protein.

Various locations

Val’s Coffee Corner

Açaí Bowl

We all have our neighborhood go-tos, and as a proud OBecian, Val’s is mine. I’ve had the açaí sorbet bowl there more times than I care to publicly admit on the internet, and it always hits the spot. It’s topped with the typical fare: banana slices, strawberries, blueberries, honey, chia seeds, and granola. What sets it apart for me, though, is the layer of toasted coconut. You can add PB if you’d like, but the nutty crunch of the coconut flakes makes the additional charge unnecessary.

1869 Cable Street, Ocean Beach

Açaí Carioca

Build Your Own

Most smoothie bowls have the same setup: a fruit base smothered in various yummy bits and bobs. Açaí Carioca, however, assembles its build-your-own bowls in multiple layers that include condensed milk; açaí berries blended with honey, protein powder, or vegan agave; dry whole milk; and your selected toppings. The tiered structure of the bowls (which are really more like cups) makes each bite richer, as do unique extras like Nutella and peanut butter crumbs.

3772 Voltaire Street, Point Loma | 743 Emerald Street, Pacific Beach

Blue Bowl

The Lazy Blue

If you’re over upcharges, you’ll love Blue Bowl‘s fixed-price menu that lets you go nuts on the long list of add-ins (which, fittingly, includes a lot of nuts). You can customize the açaí base with everything from maple quinoa to lime zest to mulberries, but if the amount of choices is too overwhelming, dip your toe into the topping madness with The Lazy Blue. This fan-favorite bowl comes with açaí, pitaya, blue chia pudding, pumpkin flax granola, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, almond butter, almonds, toasted coconut, goji berries, cacao, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, and date honey—all for just one flat price.

9625 Scholars Drive North, Suite 0120, La Jolla

Juice Kaboose

Rise and Shine

Coffee and açai bowls go together like brunch and bottomless mimosas. Juice Kaboose‘s Rise and Shine bowl pays homage to that caffeinated partnership with a shot of espresso whirred into an açai pulp base. Bananas, dark cacao, and soy milk also make appearances in this jacked-up treat, which comes crowned with fruit and gluten-free hemp granola for one delicious kickstart to your day.

7556 Fay Avenue, La Jolla | 1826 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach

Juice Wave

Açai Bowl

There is, perhaps, no better place to enjoy an açai bowl than the Mission Beach Boardwalk. While there are likely dozens of places to grab one along the promenade, Juice Wave has my vote. The açai sorbet is garnished with strawberries, bananas, house-made granola, hemp hearts, and honey sourced from a local farm. What’s more San Diego than that?

3733 Mission Boulevard, Mission Beach

Rum Jungle Cafe

Watermelon Bowl

The purplish hues and honey-drizzled fruits make any açai bowl worth photographing. But if you really want to wow your Instagram followers, order a Watermelon Bowl from Rum Jungle Cafe. This long-time PB spot serves its açai scoops in half a watermelon shell. It’s huge and ridiculous and makes the traditional bowl seem pedestrian, especially when you get a hint of watermelon mixed in with the granola, coconut, and other seasonal toppings. Consider your daily serving of fruit complete.

4150 Mission Boulevard, Unit 153, Pacific Beach

The Mad Beet

Beyoncai

The Mad Beet gets extra points for its açai puns. While I don’t think Queen Bee has tried her namesake bowl yet, she should. Like the superstar, this combination of açai, granola, honey, peanut butter, strawberry, and banana is a crowd-pleaser. The other music-inspired bowls, like the Twopac Shakur, The Granolling Stones, and the Acaiwol Nation, are also just as fun to order as they are to eat.

933 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach

Meràki Cafe

Açai Gida

There are some wild açai bowls out there. But no place tests the limits of what you can top this typically sweet treat with quite like Meráki Cafe. Outside of the Classic Açai, owner Remzi Kaval says the most popular bowl is the Açai Gida. It’s got familiar flavors like blueberries, strawberries, and sliced almonds, but it also includes goat cheese crumbles. I was skeptical at first—especially when Kaval told me to get it with a balsamic drizzle—but the mix of sweet, creamy, and tangy is surprisingly addictive.

1735 Adams Avenue, University Heights

Katy’s Cafe

Açai Bowl

The single açai bowl on the menu at Katy’s Cafe is unlike any other I’ve seen—starting with the fact that the base isn’t açai. It’s plain yogurt. Instead, this reverse riff is smothered with açai, granola, and fresh fruit. Mix it all together for a creamier texture that’s much richer in probiotics than your average smoothie bowl.

700 Seacoast Drive, Suite 106, Imperial Beach

The post 13 of the Best Açaí Bowls in San Diego appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

The Rose Wine Bar 

South Park

Walking into the Rose Wine Bar is not unlike walking into one of those epic renovated garages with colorful fairy lights lining exposed wood ceiling beams, a wall of mismatched board games, and hundreds of wine bottles. The Rose has a sunset-esque list of red, white, pink, amber, and bubbly natural wines served by the glass or bottle. If you feel a bit peckish, the woman-owned bar also offers a brunch, lunch, snack, and dinner menu with fresh fruit and veggie-forward dishes. It’s really the ideal date spot or girl’s night out joint. 

E’Chale

Encinitas

Move over, margaritas—wine is a great pairing with Mexican cuisine. Thankfully, you can find both at Echale Wine Bar and Restaurant in Encinitas. A taco pop-up shop turned elevated restaurant, Echale offers bites like gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), duck carnitas, and Tajin fries. But you can’t leave without diving headfirst in Echale’s extensive natural wine list, which shines a spotlight on the lesser-known wine regions of Guanajuato and Valle de Guadalupe in Mexico. Try some of their skin-contact wines (AKA orange wine), made with white grapes soaked in their skins, creating a funky, earthy middle-ground between white and red.

Wet Stone Wine Bar & Café 

Bankers Hill

Wet Stone is your classic wine bar nestled in Bankers Hill, just west of Balboa Park. But once you’re inside, you get a first-class ticket to anywhere you want in the world. Italy? That’s a given. Portugal? They’ve got wine from there too. Austria…Chile? Yup, they’ve got it all. And the food is just as well-traveled. In a single happy hour (which runs Tuesday through Sunday), you can have Argentinian choripan sandwiches, Israeli couscous salad, a Spanish morcilla pintxo and Italian tomato bruschetta. With all the options available, it might be a bit intimidating to pick just one thing. Allow us to help: get their famous house sangria.

Zest Wine Bistro

Lemon Grove

Zest is the perfect name for this wine bar because it truly emits the same vibes as citrus zest: bright, fresh, bold, and bursting with flavor. With a lengthy wine list and full Italian dinner menu, Zest is the perfect spot in Lemon Grove to kick back on a Friday night or celebrate a special occasion. The bistro also offers “zesty hour” from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday with $5 wine glasses, $5 beers, and $5 truffles fries. Enjoy your treasures out on their large, modern-style patio.

Vinya: Vino + Vinyasa 

Clairemont

They say the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and it rings true for so many combos. Peanut butter and jelly, Simon & Garfunkel, and now, yoga and wine. Vinya in Clairemont unites yogis and wine lovers by offering classes alongside their bar offering wines by the glass, draft beer, and food to enjoy post-downward dog. They also offer fun event nights, including paint-n-sips, trivia Tuesdays, or live music. As a small business owned by local couple Patrick and Victoria Border, Vinya is a comfortable place for the community to come together in mind, body, and spirits.

Napatini 

Carlsbad

Everyone knows the best part of fro-yo shops is when you get to choose your favorite flavor from the wall and dispense the creamy cold goodness yourself. At Napatini, you get the same DIY experience, just with a different type of treat. Opened in December 2022, Napatini has since become a neighborhood favorite in Carlsbad, offering a wall of 48 varietals that you can dispense yourself and enjoy with food options such as burrata-fig flatbreads, ceviche, or mushroom ratatouille. If you’re the type to be told what to pick instead, opt for Naptini’s curated wine flights, giving you a Spark Notes version of the tasty white and reds available.

Clos Wine Shop

University Heights

Clos Wine Shop is a warm, inviting oasis nestled within the University Heights neighborhood, with hundreds of unique wines from across the globe to choose from (AKA the perfect place to pick up a last-minute gift). Visitors can also enjoy selected reds, whites, and rose by the glass out on the cozy shaded patio, complete with hanging lights and curly grapevines. Whether you pick a light sparkling wine or the richest red, every wine at Clos Wine Shop is individually chosen and tasted before entering the shop, ensuring not only its deliciousness but that the wine is sustainably made, or low-intervention (free of unnecessary additives, chemicals, commercial yeast, or the use of new oak barrels). If you need a snack to pair with your vino, Clos also carries a variety of tinned fish, mussels, and octopus which pair perfectly with a dry white. Be on the lookout for their new pantry shop opening downstairs in their wine shop within the next couple weeks.

Oddish Wine 

Morena

Everything about Oddish screams fun and funky from its vibrant wine labels to unique bottle options (ever tried pineapple amaro before?). The winery was founded by local entrepreneurial couple Billy and Suzanna Beltz, who also run Lost Cause Meadery, one of the highest awarded meaderies in the world. After earning dozens of medals and essentially becoming the mead king and queen of the West, The Beltz’s ventured into the wine world with Oddish in 2023. Oddish primarily offers low-intervention wines made from San Diego County grapes, but if you’re wine-d out, you can also try their cider, cherry vermouth, pineapple amaro, or prickly pear and apple co-ferment. You can find Oddish in The Garten, a lively beer-garden-style space right off Morena Blvd that also offers beer, pizza, sandwiches, live music, and an overall damn good time.

LJ Crafted Wines

Bird Rock

What if we told you having a post-beach glass of wine can actually be your way to save the environment? At LJ Crafted Wines, you can support a low-waste, small-batch winery by enjoying your favorite chardonnay or cab straight out of the barrel, preventing the need for single-use wine bottles that inevitably end up in the landfill. The wine bar uses a patented technology called the Wine Steward, which replaces wine in the barrel with inert gas, keeping the wine fresh and oxygen-free. The wine then can be enjoyed by the glass in the tasting room or taken home in reusable wine “growlers.” Stop by the tasting room in Bird Rock, just off La Jolla Blvd, only a couple blocks from the ocean.

Pali Wine Co.

Little Italy

Pali Wine Co. is a family-owned winery originally created by the Perr family two decades ago in Santa Barbara County. Since then, the winery has grown exponentially, now offering three locations across SoCal, including Little Italy in San Diego. Since Pali Wine is grown primarily in the Santa Rita Hills, it specializes solely in the grape varietals exclusive to the area: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. But even with just those two, there are plenty of options to sip on while listening to the tasting room’s live jazz, comedy shows, or trivia on the rooftop patio. 

Vino Carta

Little Italy

Whether you’re walking through the Little Italy streets post-farmer’s market or pre-pasta indulgence, it’s worth a 30-minute detour to stop at Vino Carta. Started by Bottlecraft owner Brian Jensen, the wine shop highlights natural wines and small production labels. Sippers and swirlers can choose from 400 wines from all over the world, ranging from $16 to $1,600 (and everything in between). Once you’ve picked your bottle (or let Vino Carta’s knowledgeable staff pick one for you) enjoy it out on the patio with some small bites and good company.

Village Vino

Kensington 

If you’ve ever avoided wine bars because the wine world seems like an exclusive, “no newbies allowed” club, you’re not the only one. Luckily, places like Village Vino exist where you can relax and have quality wine without the pressure to wear kitten heels or know what the hell “legs” are in a wine glass. Pop in for a glass after work or visit Village Vino for one of their monthly walkaround wine tasting, where you can try 12-15 wines and purchase at discounted prices. 

The post 12 of the Best Wine Bars in San Diego appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Abuelita’s Waffles

Casa Gabriela

A little more than a year in, chef Gabriela Lopez’s large-patioed spot in La Mesa is a hit. The art is rife with her family history, and so is the menu. Don’t miss the crispy carnitas. But the moaner is her grandmother’s waffles with chocolate, macerated berries, mascarpone cream, and maple syrup. Your will
has no power in the presence of her Mexican chocolate. —TJ

Banana Bread Cold Brew

Holsem Coffee

As someone who essentially has coffee on an IV drip, I feel it’s my obligation to share my latest cure-all from North Park’s Holesem Coffee. This banana bread cold brew might be my new guardian angel. I get the skepticism-banana flavoring can get a little weird. This is more reminiscent of the cinnamon-y, homemade banana bread that you only really devour on holidays, but with the caffeine necessary to fuel you toward your next day off. —ID

Mac & Cheese

Parkhouse Eatery

A loaded macaroni and cheese is many things (that’s sort of the point), but “elegant” is rarely one of them. Parkhouse’s take is a stacked mac for pinky-up types in University Heights. No bacon in sight, just grilled scallops; asparagus; creamy, surprisingly mild gorgonzola and mascarpone; and a crispy Parmesan frill perched atop it all like a fascinator on a Derby-goer. —AR

Blackbeard’s Delight

Miss B’s Coconut Club

I’ll follow a tiki drink anywhere… even PB. Plunked a block from the beach, Ms. B‘s serves excellent people-watching, brunch and bar bites, and cocktails in giant, flamingo-shaped vessels. Don’t be daunted by the proliferation of Red Bull-based bevs on the menu. The Blackbeard’s Delight (two gins; pom, grapefruit, and lemon juices; ginger; angostura bitters) is true tiki: balanced, fun, deceptively boozy. —AR

Polipo Alla Griglia

Roman Wolves

Always one to order the octopus, I went for it again at this newish concept in Little Italy (it opened in February). Resting on a bed of hummus, topped with sautéed chickpeas, and seasoned with fresh herbs, the seafood was perfectly cooked. Try the dirty martini, too, which comes in its own miniature shaker and has enough bite to put hair on your chest. —NM

Crispy Cacio E Pepe Gnocchi

Basta

Restaurant dishes fall into two decision-making categories: health or hedonism. At Sam the Cooking Guy‘s new Italian spot in Little Italy, the gnocchi are the latter. Bone-coatingly delicious and, if over-indulged in, a sure way to clog and perish. Instead of traditional potato, the team uses pâte à choux (cream puff pastry, fluffier than purebred puppies), deep-fries it, dusts it with pecorino, and serves it with cacio e pepe aioli. Glow elsewhere, wellness influencer—I need this. —TJ

Chicken Shawerma Pizza

Alladin Cafe

Sometimes, the best pizza isn’t really a pizza at all. This pie from Claremont’s Aladdin Cafe comes topped with roasted roma tomatoes, stringy cheese, red onions and herbed tomato sauce, all compressed beneath a mountain of seasoned chicken. It’s like the chef dropped a shawarma wrap onto a bed of mozzarella and naan and rolled with it. Well-worth the wait and strip-mall parking woes. —CN

Thai Tea Crepe Cake

Cake De Partie

A time crunch kept me from ordering this Convoy bakery‘s famed soufflé pancakes (you can’t rush the fluff, which takes 25 minutes or more to prepare), but, sometimes, being forced to branch out is a blessing. After all, it led me to the crepe cake, a dreamy stack of paper-thin pancakes layered with light-handed swipes of whipped cream. A Thai tea glaze goes over it all. Magical. —AR

Salatim Platter

Leila

Get the Salatim Platter at the brand-new Leila in North Park, CH Projects‘ latest fever dream come to life. A tribute to owner Arsalun Tafazoli’s childhood spent eating in Iran and other countries throughout the Middle East, the restaurant offers this dip platter dripping with hummus, muhammara, cucumber yogurt, green tahini, shallot yogurt, pickles, grilled olives, and dukkah, plus naan, roasted garlic fry bread, and pita. —JB

Yakiniku Cali Burrito

Bincho Taco

This burrito from Japanese fusion spot Bincho has me chasing their pop-up around the city. On Sundays at Mixed Grounds in Sherman Heights, try this creative take on a breakfast burrito featuring Yakiniku beef, avocado, roasted peppers, scrambled eggs, and hashbrowns, which come alive with tangy, housemade hot sauces. The pop-up stops by Thorn Brewing on Tuesdays and Whistlestop on Fridays. Looks like my plans for the week are all set. —CN

Espresso Old Fashioned

Freddy’s Chophouse

I’ve mostly aged out of the Gaslamp, but recently I checked out the new Freddy’s Chophouse on 4th Avenue. It has all the best downtown vibes: a moody interior, neon signs, leather booths, unique cocktails, and, of course, a disco ball. The espresso old fashioned is exactly what it sounds like, with a hint of caffeinated bliss as its endnote. It’s subtle, but nowadays, I’ll take anything in my drinks that keeps me awake past 9 p.m. —NM

Sushi Kaidan

Chef Jun

In an unsuspecting strip-mall in Bay Park lies criminally underrated sushi. At Chef Jun, order the Kaidan sushi platter for an hour-long seafood jaunt down a 12-inch staircase. My partner and I hopscotched from step to step, indulging in fresh cuts of bluefin, yellowtail, salmon, and tuna. At the base sit sashimi, prawns, and uni. No, unfortunately, you cannot take the adorable miniature stairs home. —CN

Spaceman’s Sour

The Space Pad

If you’re looking for a fun diversion from the hustle and bustle of Oceanside’s downtown scene, duck into The Space Pad, Kilowatt Brewing’s galactic-themed speakeasy. The “Rillisporian” side of the cocktail menu, named for the bar’s own race of made-up aliens, offers zany riffs on tiki classics. Try the Spaceman’s Sour, with notes of passionfruit and sangria, complete with towering smoke bubble that pops gently into a spooky cosmic mist. —SL

Strawberry Roll Cake

Кіосі X Home Ec

Few things are powerful enough to transform a mindless Saturday Instagram scroll into a purposeful outing, but one photo of this cream roll cake-stuffed with Chino Farm strawberries, passionfruit curd, and mochi-was enough to send me running to local mochi purveyor Kimochi and cute Little Italy home goods shop Home Ec‘s collaborative, last-minute pop-up. It’s San Diego summer in one tidy roll. —JB

The post 15 of the Best Food & Drinks to Try This September appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Tocino Fried Rice

ARLO

If you order scrambled eggs at brunch, you have accidentally breakfasted. Go have a long but kind talk with yourself, and try again. Brunch is for foods not normally associated with pre-work routines—like the fried rice at Arlo’s new DJ brunch in Mission Valley, crowned with the Filipino specialty tocino (sweet, garlicky, peppery pork) and a fried egg. Addictive, vague late-night dinner vibes. —TJ

Casa De Olla

Casa De Otay

When your hipster prima tells you that the best café de olla is at a cute new all-natural coffee shop and not at your favorite menuderia, you can’t help but gasp a little. Casa De Otay in Otay Ranch’s Millennia housing development pairs housemade syrups with boiled-down piloncillo to make a top-notch version of this coffee classic from your mom’s kitchen. —AD

Dole Whip

Homestyle Hawaiian

Get the Disnevland Tiki Room experience without the never-ending lines and talking parrots at this Hawaiian spot in Claremont Mesa. This tropical treat is a little bit of sunshine to beat back the marine layer, topped with soft-serve ice cream. Pair it with a plate of lava chicken or spam musubi, and you’ll forget why you even wanted to visit Disney in the first place. —CN

Croissant Aux Amandes

Il Giardino Di Lilli

Back when we were all trying out DIY solutions for Covid, we should’ve tried croissants. A good one can cure a lot of things. With sweet croissants, au amandes (almond) are the apex. Where most go wrong, though, is shorting on the addictive frangipane (almond cream). Lilli’s in La Jolla has a payload. —TJ

Cinnamon Bacon Pancakes

Stratford at the Harbor

The earliest historical reference to pancakes dates back to Greece in the 5th century BC, but p-cakes probably began with our neolithic relatives, who ground plants, added water, and cooked the flattened batter on coals. If I could give those hairy cousins one pancake to show them how far we’ve developed as a species, this flapjack from this Oceanside gem might be the one. —MH

Reserva

Los Cuernos Wine

Some days, I just want one glass of wine—not an entire bottle that I’ll never finish. But single-pour wines are rarely ever tasty. I recently stumbled across Los Cuernos, a local canned winemaker whose four offerings (a chardonnay, a bubbly rose, a red blend, and another mix of reds dubbed “Reserva”) are actually good. The latter—made with petite sirah, cabernet sauvignon, and alicante bouchet—is my current go-to after work. No bottles required. —NM

Cioppino Liguria

Osteria Cotto E Mangiato

Though it’s been open only eight months, Osteria Cotto e Mangiato in Cortez Hill feels like an old-school Italian establishment from the moment you walk in. Everyone seems to speak Italian, including owner and Sicilian Andrea Provino, adding to its allure. Try the coppino: shrimp, clams, mussels, and a tomato sauce served over pasta. There’s also a tableside cheese wheel pasta that you should probably order as a shared app. —NM

Bagels

Desperado Bagels

The bagel deities have smiled on OB. At this Sunday morning popup, it’s all or nothing (plain or everything flavors). The bagels are made and sold with love out of a small bungalow kitchen on Niagara Avenue. Hand-rolled, cold-proofed for 36 hours, boiled, then baked on cedar boards, Desperado’s breakfast treats are fat, fluffy, crispy, chewy works of dough art. Pro tip: BYOCC (cream cheese) and eat your goodies still warm while sitting on the curb. —MH

Tuscan Chicken Panini

Sunny Side Kitchen

If you don’t love this Escondido icon, hold a funeral for your heart. Kathy and Bob Carpenter made cookies; people liked ’em (the lemon ones are gold). They opened this tiny, friendly-as-hell panini shop a decade ago. Get the Tuscan chicken panini: rosemary-citrus roasted chicken, shredded (a lost art, so you don’t have to gnaw through a whole bird); sun-dried tomatoes; fresh spinach; roasted tomato aioli; and three cheeses (havarti, muenster, parm) on pressed and browned sourdough. —TJ

Thompson Heritage Chicken Liver Pate

Cellar Hand

There are moments in life when one’s opinion on a certain food is changed forever—the first time you eat a perfectly ripe tomato off the vine, bite into an apricot moments after it’s plucked from the branch, or are presented with pâté topped with… Jell-O shots made from orange wine? It makes no sense in the brain, but perfect sense in the mouth. Get thee to Hillcrest. —BD

Ube Cheesecake

Muse Cheesecake

Burnt Basque cheesecakes—creamy, thick, OMG good. Local bakers Muse Cheesecakes make this Spanish treat in seven flavors, several of which are gluten-free. The ube is just-the-right-amount-of-sweet, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. Currently orders can only be made via the company’s Instagram page, with delivery upon request. Next up: the almond white chocolate cheesecake. —NM

Grilled Octopus

Top Of The Market

l’ve been revisiting iconic rooms and finding the best tables. The city’s “wow” perches. At Top of the Market, it’s the northwest corner, where you’re eating over the San Diego Bay, staring at the incredibly massive belly of the USS Midway. Order this octopus, rubbed with ras al hanout and laid in a bed of housemade hummus and cilantro pistou. (Locals’ tip: Do it on a Tuesday, when they offer 30 different bottles of wine for $30.) —TJ

Kampachi Crudo

Animalón

Thad the pleasure of tasting chef Oscar Torres’ new menu at Valle de Guadalupe’s Animalón, and what a delight it was seeing truly seasonal ingredients, like strawberries, used creatively. Sure, there were strawberry desserts and cocktails, which is to be expected, but a kampachi crudo drenched in strawberry aguachile? With green strawberries for astringency, a blue corn tostada, and salsa macha to boot? It’s a tastebud-popping revelation that validates the restaurant’s recent award of its first Michelin star. —JB

Mushroom Flan

Ciccia Osteria

Eat this and thank and/or apologize to chosen gods. This is sin incarnate. Six people can eat this petite thing because it’s so rich, two bites is enough. Chef-owner Mario Cassineri soaks porcini mushrooms in milk for 24 hours to make a mornay sauce, then gives them a pecorino-butter crust, bakes ’em to order, and lays them in a gorgonzola cheese fonduta with a single mint leaf. A revelation in the dairy arts. —TJ

Chocolate Chip Cookie with Walnuts

Pop Pie Co.

Make no mistake: The pies, both sweet and savory, rock. The sleeper hit, though, is the CCC. If Pop Pie‘s flaky, melty crusts are a testament to the power of butter, this cookie is the brown butter gospel, crowned in flaky salt. Nuts in desserts may be controversial, but the enlightened among us will appreciate how their toasty earthiness plays off the sweet choc chips. —AR

The post 15 of the Best San Diego Food & Drinks to Try This August appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Finca is clairvoyance as a dining experience. Dishes seem to arrive before the words come out of my mouth, as if the server is doing the ol’ “pull the roasted bone marrow from behind my ear” trick. It is the most efficient kitchen I’ve witnessed that doesn’t have a drive-through window or promotional kids’ toys that, years later, will be recalled for crimes against humanity.

You expect speed when you order food in nugget form. But when ordering something like New York steak tataki in a fermented scallop ponzu at a modern wine bar run by three people who’ve been at the top of San Diego’s food scene, you expect to wait a bit for such exotica.

And, yet—whoosh. There it is. The expediency is very nice. No one who’s not a complete stain has ever grumbled about having their wishes granted too promptly. Plus, the servers make sure to mention, just because their kitchen is back there giving noogies to the space-time continuum, that doesn’t mean there is any rush. This is a wine bar with an accomplished chef, after all. Take your time; cue up the photos of you in Barcelona, albariño-eyed; and lather up a dissertation on Iberico stuff.

That bone marrow is some kind of nice, with a sweet-and-sour red pepper spread served with charred toast from Companion Bread in City Heights (which grinds their own flour, resulting in bread that tastes how the gods and old-world grandmas intended it to taste). For all its decadent hype (of which I’m culpable), bone marrow is kind of wallflower fat. It needs supporting flavors, and this romesco-ish pepper jam is it.

Finca is the start of North Park’s incoming wave of “oh-expletive” restaurants—along with the imminent arrival of a Persian-centric concept from CH Projects, a French thing from Brad Wise (Trust), and the first San Diego spot from star Baja chef Drew Deckman. Finca’s three owners are San Diego vets, two from Juniper + Ivy (Dan Valerino and chef Joe Bower) and one from The Hake (Ricardo Dondisch), which, RIP, was known for obsessively good hospitality.

If you’ve ever Googled “going to Spain, love the hell out of tempranillos, help me” and followed that with a search of “best hotels in Rioja,” this is your place. It’s exclusively California and Spanish wines—leaning biodynamic from harder-to-find, smaller houses—plus the Spanifornia food that bedfellows them. For whites by the glass, a hondarribi zuri (a Basque specialty from the northern Spain region of Bizkaiko Txakolina) is listed with a Sonoman 2022 trousseau gris (a crisp one, AKA gray riesling, usually not seen but tasted as a supporting addition in other whites).

When it comes to reds by the glass, you’ll find a prieto picudo (a pride of Leon, Spain) and a Conde de Hervías (the star tempranillo of Las Arenillas Vineyard—one of Riojas’ most storied wineries, it predates the phylloxera outbreak that pushed a bleak reset on European wines).

They’ve got about 90 bottles—bubbles and vermentinos and chenins and mencias and heavy garnachas and zins. Most are priced for neighbors and repeat explorers ($30–$60 range), topping out at $180 for the 2016 D’acan from Vega Clara, a winery in the famed “Golden Mile” of Ribera de Duero, Spain’s top red region. In the current economic bonkersville where the cost of chicken is neck-and-neck with a bottle of Screaming Eagle, Finca’s saying a hard no to the wine-culture gouge and looking to find long-term, varietally promiscuous friends.

Chef Bower’s tapas, made with these fermented juices in mind, are simply plated, un-tweezed. His yellowtail crudo’s so delicious, my daughter eats it. She, a devout white-carbs-and-cheese practitioner. It’s a healthy lump of fresh sushi-grade hamachi tossed in picholine olive oil (famed for being crisp and buttery) with avocado, orange, Fresno chili ringlets, and red onion.

My daughter stops eating as a concept when she realizes the dish I’m moaning over is chicken liver mousse. It’s a casual spin on the old foie-gras-and-Sauternes dish that ruled all high-end menus in the ’90s. The mousse is whipped with cream cheese, criss-crossed with strawberry jam, and served over a cinnamon roll made with Japanese milk bread. The milk bread is nearly dry, a small ding, but all the flavors together are fantastic.

What they’re calling patatas bravas are some good-tasting lies. Local potatoes are fried and tossed with pickled sweet peppers and jalapeño crema and tons of herbs. Finca got their California all over the Spanish classic (traditionally made with a smoky tomato-paprika sauce), and it sure as hell isn’t patatas bravas, but it’s good for those with a casual pickle fetish (it’s a tangy, high-acid affair).

Bower takes some of the best local tomatoes—San Diego’s bright and shiny stars of summer—and funks them up. He tops them with capers, anchovies (the protein bar of the Iberian peninsula), a condiment made of roasted cippolini onions, and a blizzard of sheep’s milk cheese. If you’re looking for a breezy caprese note, this isn’t it, but it’s delicious in a weird, almost unsettling way.

Bower cooks like he voted yes on recreational cannabis, as suggested by the dish I just can’t get behind: his seared pork belly. It’s cooked sous vide for 12 hours, then pan-roasted with fresh dates and simmered in a miso sweet-and-sour sauce, then served with a savory-chewy Rice Krispies treat. It’s like eating lightly fried pork fat with a Chewy bar—surely some sort of interstate crime.

The tataki, on the other hand, is for me—as someone who fell hard for the fish sauce arts. Those who do not appreciate the charms of one of humankind’s first flavor amplifiers will have a less enthusiastic reaction. Finca uses scallop powder and blends it with barrel-aged fish sauce, agave, and rice vinegar, which forms a fermented scallop ponzu. In that pool, they lay NY strip, seared raw. For a restaurant built around pairing solid food with quality liquids, this dish may as well be their mission statement.

Now, listen. Currently, the sun is treating Finca like an ex who cheated and refused split-custody of the dog. They’ve adapted, installing shades on their floor-to-ceiling windows. Once the building (which is new) gets permits, they’ll be able to add a patio on the west side with umbrellas, which should provide relief. Until then, I recommend coming near dusk or later, after Finca’s been released from solar tyranny.

And a note about your final bite, which should be the cheesecake. Most self-respecting European-leaning kitchens will end with a cheese course. But Bower, being Bower, tweaks it for fun and the David Lee Roth amount of California in his heart. He mixes goat cheese with some cream cheese and sugar and shapes it in the form of cartoon cheese with a pretty delicious seasonal compote (when I was there, it was peaches) and graham crumble.

Finca is a heck of a neighborhood restaurant, a duet between juice nerds who speak great wine Spanglish and a high-end chef who’s been freed to take the piss out of some tweezer-food totems. Some tinkering works, some hurts the brain. But here’s the thing. On a lowly Monday, all three owners are in the small house, and they’ll win you one way or another—through crudo, through carignan, through welcome.

The post Restaurant Review: Finca Tapas & Bottle Shop appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

By age seven, you’ve processed all the visual stimuli (not without a touch of trauma, some synapses had to be reduced to charcoal in the pursuit of this joy). Then, some parental figure wins you a giant plushie and you finally know what love feels like. 

By the time you reach middle school, it’s a training facility for learning to flirt with other middle-school kids. You “cruise” with new hormones in your blood and old terrors in your heart. Then you enter your thrill ride phase, where you are shaken and twisted and hurled in ways the gods never accounted for in the blueprints for mortal bodies. 

When the thought of “The Kraken” brings your therapist to mind, you’re finally ready. From here on out, it’s about the food. Finally, you have reached fair enlightenment, discovered true fair purpose. You are a seasonal attraction monk. 

I don’t care how many three-star Michelins you’ve degustated at. If you’ve lost the ability to appreciate the blue-collar entrepreneurial mayhem of American fair food, your life battery is on yellow and you should plug back in for a bit, or see if you qualify for a free upgrade on your life. 

Because, with all due respect to the performers and sows the size of minivans and quality woodwork, it is all about the food. The San Diego County Fair was started by farmers, after all. And while a deep-fried Oreo may be a stern rebuttal to the entire concept of agriculture, it’s ingestible and glorious in all the ways. 

So the question every year becomes, what are you gonna eat? You need to have a meal plan. You’re gonna need some rational food to set a base for survival (things like roasted corn or a sandwich or a fifty-pound turkey leg) and then you’ll need to try a few things that just might be the fall of American civilization. 

To assist you in this pursuit—a few of us each year get together for a group project called the Fairtastic Food Competition. The good people of the fair whittled down each year’s offerings to 18 finalists, and on Friday we tried them all. We named some winners. 

It’s a friendly competition. The true reason is to highlight the moms and pops and families who work their duffs off to create the food of the annual gathering. They travel from fair to fair each year, raising their families on the road, an entire community of people who try to feed us beasts as entertainingly as they possibly can. 

Troy’s Favorite Food from the San Diego County Fair (In Order)

Hot Honey Funnel Cake Chicken Sandwich

Chicken Charlie’s

The legend strikes again. The man who invented the deep-fried Oreo (ahem, Library of Congress) took funnel cake, glued it into the shape of a bun using hot honey, then placed a fried chicken breast between it. Sticky, sweet, salty, savory, crimes. 

The Cali Dog

Pink’s Hot Dogs

I’m a hot dog purist at heart (yellow mustard, relish, onions), but I’m getting into the loaded dog movement. This one is a quarter-pound spicy sausage topped with french fries, guacamole, sour cream, and Hot Cheetos crumbles. Hot Cheetos dust is the black truffle of the liquor store… and the county fair. 

Chicken on a Stick

Chan’s Chicken on a Stick

Welcome to your rational base. Just 12 ounces of good, moist chicken on a stick, kissed (not overly slathered) in a teriyaki sauce that’s been a family recipe for 40 years. Judge’s note: “That’s just delicious chicken.”

Disco Pop Shake

TJ’s Ice Cream

Grape soda is the yeti of the soda world. Never included in the standard rotation, always craved by those with high-quality soda mouths. TJ’s owners mix it with vanilla ice cream, then top it with a thicker whipped cream and a dusting of Pop Rocks. Gimmicks don’t usually taste this good.

The Fruit Caboose

Surfin’ USA Party Shake

When you want a shake but it’s 85 degrees, 180 degrees on the asphalt. Frozen lemonade blended with housemade vanilla soft-serve, a graham cracker crust on the rim. Part shake, part hydration.

Candied Bacon-Wrapped Pork Belly Bites

Bacon A Fair

Close to vegetarian, but not totally there. Cubes of tender, juicy, slow-smoked pork belly wrapped in thick-cut bacon, then fried in a skillet with a brown sugar glaze. This is just delicious food. 

The post 6 Weird & Delicious Foods to Eat at the San Diego County Fair appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Amaro Daiquiri

The Guild Hotel

Of the five basic flavors, bitter is the outlier taste not everyone loves. But I do. I’ll bite a grapefruit, rind and all. Which is why amaro drinks are my ambrosia. And since unsweetened cocktails are my go-to, this daiquiri at downtown’s Guild called my name like a spirit from the shadows. Their house amaro blend, dark rum, and lime equals a good time. A daiquiri for after dark, bitter by design. –MH

99 Problems

Happy Medium

The name is fitting—whenever l’ve stopped into North Park’s newish Happy Medium, it’s been just the right amount of bustling: lively enough to feel like a vibe, chill enough that the bartender has a minute to chat. The cocktails are well-balanced, too, including the 99 Problems, a tiki-esque rum drink with Thai tea, lemon, vanilla, and 99 Bananas, a ‘nana schnapps. Not as sweet (or as banana-y) as it sounds. –AR

Secret Citrus

Mate Maker Co Hard Kombucha

Made with citrus sourced from local farms and Australian hops, this collaboration between Mate Maker and Harland Brewing has been a sunny spot during recent gray weather. The bubbly, tropical, tangy beverage clocks in at six percent ABV—light enough to keep it chill, bright enough to have another. –BD

Bullet With Butterfly Wings

Storyhouse Spirits

Butterfly pea flower (tastes like a purple version of green tea) and aloe liqueur don’t sound like my kind of night out. Sounds like the bartender is working on their naturopath influencer brand. But this cocktail at the East Village distillery is perfect—not too sweet, not too bitter, tiny bit spicy—with Storyhouse dry gin, those two neo-wellness ingredients, jalapeño, strawberry, hibiscus, and lime. –TJ

Möce Tee

Mango Pomelo Cheese Foam

This Mission Valley strip mall outpost is serving up some of the most unique drinks in town, including this Wonka-esque bubble beverage. With sweet mango clear boba, bitter pomelo pulp, and a salty, drinkable cheese cloud, this caffeine-free tea is a flavor and texture bomb. Order it less sweet and treat it like a breakfast smoothie. Now, someone simply please explain why all boba drinks are served in plastic cups thick enough to withstand a direct nuclear hit. –MH

Signs + Wonders Vol. V

J. Brix

Escondido-based low-intervention winery J. Brix makes some of the tastiest bottles in SD with grapes grown at least in-part in our county, depending on the vintage and bottle. A blend of carbonic-fermented merlot and skin-contact riesling from the winery’s 2023 vintage, this release is a special one, with only 100 cases available. Serve it chilled and get ready to glou glou—this wine’s a patio pounder. –JB

Iced Horchata

Por Vida Café

Did you know you can make delicious gasoline from cinnamon, rice, condensed milk, and coffee? This Barrio Logan café is bringing the flavor and the fire power with a housemade horchata that had me itching to run a marathon in my boots. For some reason, I suddenly also wanted to do my taxes and finally solve the JFK murder. Do you think they’d fill me a five-gallon canister for the road? –MH

Straight Bourbon

Fierce & Kind

As a Scotch whisky drinker who usually finds bourbons too corny, I recently tried local spirits label Fierce & Kind’s bourbon, which I found could satisfy even the thirstiest peat hound. This whiskey is aged more than two years, clocks in at 86 proof, and offers gentle whispers of Islay with faint smoke and vanilla flavors. –JB

Affogato

Elvira

When I was a kid in New York, nothing was more exciting than going to Serendipity for frozen hot chocolate. OB’s Elvira has Italian-ified the famous drink with its affogato: Fresh-poured espresso pools in the middle of zabaione ice cream (think sweet custard with a hint of cognac) from local gelateria Bobboi, all topped with fresh whipped cream and served in a frozen sundae glass with a spoon. The cognac and coffee flavors (and the resulting caffeine kick) offer an adult edge to indulging my inner child. –JB

Art’s Cure-all

Birdseye Kitchen

Sometimes a Saturday night calls for spicy, greasy rice noodles with a shot of liquid gut health on the side. That’s where this sunshine-in-a-glass mocktail from Encinitas’ Birdseye comes in. It’s got the looks and the flavor to feel like you’re indulging in a true tipple, with enough ginger and turmeric to impress Paltrow herself. It’s all about balance, right? –SL

Milkshake

Cali Cream

No shade to the big three, but chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry are the crinkle-cut fries of the milkshake world: always good, never thrilling. When I’m craving ice cream‘s curly-fry equivalent, the Gaslamp’s Cali Cream delivers with dozens of flavors, mixable and matchable to create the bold, sexy shake of your dreams. Recently, I went with mocha almond fudge plus coffee. The combos are near-endless, though, so go nuts (no pun intended). –AR

Sparkling Syrah

Bourdon

From SD resident and former Bachelorette Becca Kufrin’s California wine brand, Bourdon, this crisp sparkling syrah is like rosé’s femme-fatale older sister. Jammy but not cloying and friendly even to never-a-red drinkers (guilty), it’s the kind of hostess gift guaranteed to get you a repeat dinner party invite—but you’ll have to plan ahead. Bourdon is currently only available online. —AR

Déja Vu

The Vibe

I’m pretty vanilla with my coffee: splash of cream, maybe a dash of sugar. But occasionally, I go on a caffeine rumspringa and embrace the power of add-ins. Like this beaut from all-day brunch joint The Vibe: white mocha, cherry syrup, espresso, milk. Sounds saccharine, tastes like l just became a white mocha believer. –EH

Fogata

Valle Oceanside

Fruity. Smoky. Spicy. Fabulous. Every taste sensation I desire lives in Valle‘s Fogata cocktail. Mezcal, passion fruit liqueur, and lime with a smoked habanero rim, it’s somehow both light and refreshing while also incredibly deep and complex. When the server offered to hold it for me while we walked to our table, I said no, thank you—I couldn’t let it go. —BD

Carrot Ginger Lemonade

Lemonade

Ginger and lemonade go together like two lovers holding hands in Hillcrest, but admittedly, I was skeptical of the carrot in this concoction. It was just so pretty, though, I had to give it a go. And yes, would recommend. Spicy, sweet, sour, and bright like a parking cone. Tap into your inner rabbit and get the large. –MH

The post 15 of the Best San Diego Drinks to Try This June appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Shroomed + Chia Bowl

Trilogy Sanctuary

Caffeine keeps me alive, but the decaf “shroomed” infusion at this vegan La Jolla rooftop yoga café may resurrect me. With reishe, cordyceps, chaga, and cacao, it proved a comforting combination of mushroom soup meets hot chocolate, paired with a chia pudding bowl— fresh and crafted with love. Admittedly I only got one bite because my toddler inhaled it, so… two stamps of approval, I guess. –MH

Benedictos Veggie

Eme Restaurante

Next time you venture down the Baja peninsula, stop by Eme Restaurante. Perched on the Ensenada hillside, this trendy, pet-friendly nook features an espresso bar, cold-pressed juices, and an endless menu that warrants repeat visits. Their veggie Benedict—a melody of poached eggs, mushrooms, spinach, and feta, perched on a toasted English muffin and bathed in a zesty poblano sauce—justifies hours spent in border gridlock. –CN

The Calexxxican

The Naked Cafe

Proof that chilaquiles by any other name would taste as delicious. The Naked Cafe’s Calexxxican “meditation bowl” piles egg whites, plant-based chorizo, feta, black beans, avo, sour cream, and salsa over crispy tortilla chips. It’s not the healthiest thing at this Carlsbad hideaway for organic eats, but, hey, brunch is for sins. This just happens to be a lesser one. –AR

Pink Rose Waffles

Pink Rose Cafe

If Barbie decorated her dream house during a particularly manic episode, you’d get this La Mesa mecca of made-for-the-’gram photo ops. Think pink everything—from the neon sign to the wall of plastic flowers to the food and drinks. Even the receipts. The pink rose waffles are heavily rose-water-flavored, soft, chewy and, honestly, kinda good. Paint me pink and call me Ken. I’m moving in. –MH

Madeleine Omelet

Cafe Madeleine

I stumbled upon French restaurant Cafe Madeleine while meeting a friend for brunch in North Park. Decorated in art-nouveau style and featuring quaint sidewalk tables with umbrellas, you really do get a Parisian feel while visiting. Try the Madeleine omelet, made with mushrooms, brie, truffle oil, and breakfast potatoes, or the savory-sweet French onion soup, which can be made gluten-free. –NM

Croissant Breakfast Sandwich

Stratford Court Cafe

The breakfast sandwich: so simple, yet so easy to mess up. Key players: cheddar cheese, zingy-fatty sauce, fluffy eggs. In my opinion, all other components are arbitrary, a croissant is a plus. Del Mar’s Stratford Court aces the test; the charming cottage setting with plentiful sunny tables and endless coffee are extra credit. –SL

Manna Porridge

Atelier Manna

If you take one thing from our food critic’s review, know that the porridge at Manna must not be missed. Need a hug, but no human takers? Consider your Sunday-morning oxytocin needs covered. Mixed mushrooms, egg yolk, and seared scallop snuggle in a duvet of creamy, earthy buckwheat. Miso adds depth and balance. It’s divine, and I’m pining for my next embrace. –SL

Blue Whale Brekky Bowl

Blue Whale

Trying to find seating for Saturday morning brunch at La Jolla’s Blue Whale was a daunting task. After puppy-guarding a table with a passion only a helicopter mom could muster, I was rewarded with the Brekky Bowl. If the rabbit food–looking greens garner a side-eye from your hangover, I recommend crafting a DIY avocado toast with the other ingredients to ensure satisfaction. Bacon and hash browns, you were perfect. –AP

Tiramisu Brioche French Toast

Matteo

The best-named restaurant in SD has one of the best treats in town. With espresso-dipped brioche, coffee cream, fresh fruit, and a big ball of mascarpone, this caffeinated toast is worth a trip to South Park all its own. Hanging at this buzzy brunch bastion is just a bonus. –MH

Churro Pie

My Vegan Pie

Made in a North Park home, the pies from MVP are vegan, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free (dates provide sweetness). Our advice? Treat the cashew-based churro pie like a breakfast pastry. It tastes like a satisfying mix of oatmeal and Cinnamon Toast Crunch and won’t take you on one of those donut-induced glucose roller coasters. –NP

Croque Madame

Feast & Fairway

One of Coronado’s best kept secrets, Feast & Fairway brings the flavors of Breakfast Republic to the island, minus the typical morningfood hustle. The croque madame, a tower of eggs, ham, gruyere, and béchamel sauce atop thick slices of toasted brioche, provides delicious fuel for a long day at the links. –CN

Yorkshire Cali Burrito

California English

Should Richard Blais rename the Yorkshire Cali burrito at his UK-inspired locale in Sorrento Valley? Maybe. On the one hand, “British burrito” doesn’t conjure delight. On the other, meats, potatoes, eggs, swaddled in a tortilla-like slab of fluffy Yorkshire pudding… it fits the bill. Whatever you call i—’rito, wrap, portable roast—the carb-loaded dish will leave you both stoked and chuffed. –JB

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bowl

Quik Stop Liquor

Liquor stores offer society many things: booze, sandwiches, cigarettes. Vice and sustenance. Quik Stop on Newport Avenue balances the poisons within by slinging smoothies and the like from a sidewalk setup. This frozen PB & J in a cup tastes, well, like it was made with care outside a liquor store. In OB, there is a real and earnest competition about who has the best açai, dude. This one gets points for location. –MH

Strawberry Croissant

Paris Baguette

In Kearny Mesa, dodge shoppers in Korean grocer Zion Market to reach its food court, home to Paris Baguette, an international South Korean chain that’s become part of the Asian bakery boom in SD. At this point, I usually go into a trance and wake covered in a fine dusting of sugar from six different half-eaten pastries. The strawberries-and-cream-filled victual is so good that sometimes I spritz my croissant-scented perfume (a real thing I own) just to relive it. –AR

Birriaquiles

Sunday Breakfast Society

Give me birria all day, everyday. Throw it in ramen, inside tamales, on a sandwich, over spaghetti, in cereal—sky’s the limit. So naturally, I had the birriaquiles at Chula Vista’s Sunday Breakfast Society. They come with sour cream, cilantro, green salsa, over easy eggs, and all my affection. –NM

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