San Diego Reader

• Restaurant

Local Habit

• 3827 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103 | Directions
• 619-278-0057

Affordable, organic, locally sourced meals (fresh basil pasta from Seeds @ City Urban Farm at City College, anyone?) and a rotating selection of 12 San Diego craft beers, including one cask ($5.50–$6.50), make Local Habit a strong contender among America’s Finest City’s world-famous gastropub scene. A joint venture of Barry Braden (Pizza Fusion) and Eco Caters in Ocean Beach, Local Habit specializes in gourmet pizza, house-cured meats, and inventive small dishes. The grilled oysters are a risk-free introduction to the medium — no sea snot, and a firm, palatable texture. Gouda Mac is heaven. The pork belly is bacon’s Buddha nature. Add charming waitresses, Edison bulbs, Stone Double Bastard, growler lampshades, and dark-hardwood everything, and you’ve got a classy but pomp-free drink-and-dine experience.

— Chad Deal