Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

1974 San Diego guide to moderately cheap eats

Tijuana to Carlsbad

This guide is intended to stimulate your curiosity as well as your taste buds. In geographical area, it ranges from Tijuana to Carlsbad: in experience, from a two table dining room to a “factory”, and in terms of what keeps California green, namely money, it aims for the dinner that is roughly S3. The list is by no means exhaustive, and I would welcome any discoveries not mentioned here.

Every restaurant listed below has been sampled either by myself or that unflagging, ubiquitous gourmet. Teddy Lewis, without whose help I could not have canvassed all of San Diego.

  • Chiki Jai. (In Tijuana on Revolucion). Basque food.. The restaurant looks seedy on the outside and not much better within, but the garlic broiled shrimp and rolls with bleu cheese are a treat. The dinners are cheap and the portions large.
  • Charcoal House (Grossmont) Huge relish tray, salad, stuffed baked potato, garlic bread.’'steak for about $4.
  • Anthony's Fishette (foot of Market St. and Harbor Dr.) Best buy is the family platter for 3 or more. Several varieties of fish. $1.85 per person.
  • Don Jose's (College area and Clairemont-Kearny Mesa). Best buy for burritos (80c) and enchiladas (90c)
  • Aztec Dining Room (Both locations in Old Town) Mexican dinners at reasonable prices.
  • Tom and Ann's (La Mesa Blvd.) Few tables only, but excellent breakfast. 3 eggs, potatoes, toast, for under $1.00 and de luxe hamburger $1.25 for lunch. No dinners.
  • Cohen's Deli (Parkway Plaza. El Cajon) Hot plate of kosher delicatessen for under S2.25.
  • La Cocina (Grossmont Center) Best chili rellenos anywhere. Tacos, however, should be avoided.
  • The Prophet (University Ave.) Vegetarian. Recommended: avocado sand which on beet bread.
  • Osaka Oriental Market (3600 University Ave.) Good Japanese food cooked to order. Tempura is house speciality. Only 2 tables, food prepared to take out. About S2.00. even for take-out orders.
  • Sausage King (University, Ave.) Good sandwiches.
  • Hob Hob Hill (1st Ave. and Hillcrest) Expensive for breakfast and lunch. Inexpensive for dinner. Large portions. Homemade bread, cakes and pies.
  • Zolezzi’s (University Ave. in Hillcrest) Cafeteria style, but pleasant atmosphere. Inexpensive Italian. Good abalone stew.
  • Nicolosi’s (El Cajon Blvd. or Balboa Ave.) Good family style Italian restaurant. Very filling. Excellent torpedo sandwiches. Fine Ravioli.
  • New Moon (65th and El Cajon) Serves Dim-Sum from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. all items 50 cents - $1.00. Dinners also excellent.
  • Aspen Mine Company (58th and El Cajon Blvd.) Best buy is Friday night Happy Hour — free snacks with drinks. Food good, but not outstanding.
  • The Old Spaghetti Factory (275 Fifth) Whole warehouse full of spaghetti. Tons of pasta and bread. Long wait. Boisterous atmosphere. Happy birthday cupcakes free.
  • The Huddle (Washington and Goldfinch) Open until 4 p.m. Large portions, inexpensive American. Desserts poor.
  • Middle East Gourmet (1901 LI Cajon Blvd.) Delicatessen and bakery, "take out falafel and good pita bread.
  • Bea’s Rancho Chico (El Cajon Blvd.) Very rich Mexican food.
  • Westgate Plaza Coffee Shop (Main floor, across from the bar) Dinners about S4. Pastries excellent, especially the gateau St. Honore)
  • Marie Calendar's Pie Shop (Balboa and Genesee) Best hamburgers and pies in town. Always crowded. Large portions. Soup, com bread and honey butter is inexpensive and filling.
  • El Indio (India St. near Washington) Take out Mexican Food. You can eat outside, across the street. Always crowded.
  • Spice Rack (Mission Blvd.) Tasty Pita filled “pockets" and brown rice. Good desserts.
  • Di Leone's (La Jolla Blvd.) All you can eat breakfasts and dinners. Best buy i,s Sat. night chicken for $1.89.
  • The Village Cupboard (Prospect St. La Jolla) Steak and chicken dinners for $2.95.
  • Clark-Hansen Tearoom (7825) Ivanhoe La Jolla) Lunch Mon-Fri. Dinners, Monday night and Friday night only. $3.25. Usually one item only on dinner menu, but it’s fine.
  • Fidel’s Mexican. (Valley St., Del Mar)
  • Belgian Crepe and Waffle Shop (Rancho Bernardo) All about crepes.
  • Twin Inn (Carlsbad) Family Style dinners. Sunday chicken, all you can eat. Excellent corn bread. About $4 but worth it.
  • Sponsored
    Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

20 Best Online Casinos USA For Real Money (2024 List)

USA Online Casinos: Top 20 Online Casino Sites of 2024

This guide is intended to stimulate your curiosity as well as your taste buds. In geographical area, it ranges from Tijuana to Carlsbad: in experience, from a two table dining room to a “factory”, and in terms of what keeps California green, namely money, it aims for the dinner that is roughly S3. The list is by no means exhaustive, and I would welcome any discoveries not mentioned here.

Every restaurant listed below has been sampled either by myself or that unflagging, ubiquitous gourmet. Teddy Lewis, without whose help I could not have canvassed all of San Diego.

  • Chiki Jai. (In Tijuana on Revolucion). Basque food.. The restaurant looks seedy on the outside and not much better within, but the garlic broiled shrimp and rolls with bleu cheese are a treat. The dinners are cheap and the portions large.
  • Charcoal House (Grossmont) Huge relish tray, salad, stuffed baked potato, garlic bread.’'steak for about $4.
  • Anthony's Fishette (foot of Market St. and Harbor Dr.) Best buy is the family platter for 3 or more. Several varieties of fish. $1.85 per person.
  • Don Jose's (College area and Clairemont-Kearny Mesa). Best buy for burritos (80c) and enchiladas (90c)
  • Aztec Dining Room (Both locations in Old Town) Mexican dinners at reasonable prices.
  • Tom and Ann's (La Mesa Blvd.) Few tables only, but excellent breakfast. 3 eggs, potatoes, toast, for under $1.00 and de luxe hamburger $1.25 for lunch. No dinners.
  • Cohen's Deli (Parkway Plaza. El Cajon) Hot plate of kosher delicatessen for under S2.25.
  • La Cocina (Grossmont Center) Best chili rellenos anywhere. Tacos, however, should be avoided.
  • The Prophet (University Ave.) Vegetarian. Recommended: avocado sand which on beet bread.
  • Osaka Oriental Market (3600 University Ave.) Good Japanese food cooked to order. Tempura is house speciality. Only 2 tables, food prepared to take out. About S2.00. even for take-out orders.
  • Sausage King (University, Ave.) Good sandwiches.
  • Hob Hob Hill (1st Ave. and Hillcrest) Expensive for breakfast and lunch. Inexpensive for dinner. Large portions. Homemade bread, cakes and pies.
  • Zolezzi’s (University Ave. in Hillcrest) Cafeteria style, but pleasant atmosphere. Inexpensive Italian. Good abalone stew.
  • Nicolosi’s (El Cajon Blvd. or Balboa Ave.) Good family style Italian restaurant. Very filling. Excellent torpedo sandwiches. Fine Ravioli.
  • New Moon (65th and El Cajon) Serves Dim-Sum from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. all items 50 cents - $1.00. Dinners also excellent.
  • Aspen Mine Company (58th and El Cajon Blvd.) Best buy is Friday night Happy Hour — free snacks with drinks. Food good, but not outstanding.
  • The Old Spaghetti Factory (275 Fifth) Whole warehouse full of spaghetti. Tons of pasta and bread. Long wait. Boisterous atmosphere. Happy birthday cupcakes free.
  • The Huddle (Washington and Goldfinch) Open until 4 p.m. Large portions, inexpensive American. Desserts poor.
  • Middle East Gourmet (1901 LI Cajon Blvd.) Delicatessen and bakery, "take out falafel and good pita bread.
  • Bea’s Rancho Chico (El Cajon Blvd.) Very rich Mexican food.
  • Westgate Plaza Coffee Shop (Main floor, across from the bar) Dinners about S4. Pastries excellent, especially the gateau St. Honore)
  • Marie Calendar's Pie Shop (Balboa and Genesee) Best hamburgers and pies in town. Always crowded. Large portions. Soup, com bread and honey butter is inexpensive and filling.
  • El Indio (India St. near Washington) Take out Mexican Food. You can eat outside, across the street. Always crowded.
  • Spice Rack (Mission Blvd.) Tasty Pita filled “pockets" and brown rice. Good desserts.
  • Di Leone's (La Jolla Blvd.) All you can eat breakfasts and dinners. Best buy i,s Sat. night chicken for $1.89.
  • The Village Cupboard (Prospect St. La Jolla) Steak and chicken dinners for $2.95.
  • Clark-Hansen Tearoom (7825) Ivanhoe La Jolla) Lunch Mon-Fri. Dinners, Monday night and Friday night only. $3.25. Usually one item only on dinner menu, but it’s fine.
  • Fidel’s Mexican. (Valley St., Del Mar)
  • Belgian Crepe and Waffle Shop (Rancho Bernardo) All about crepes.
  • Twin Inn (Carlsbad) Family Style dinners. Sunday chicken, all you can eat. Excellent corn bread. About $4 but worth it.
  • Sponsored
    Sponsored
Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Best Sports Betting Sites - 10 Online Sportsbooks Ranked for 2024

Best Sports Betting Sites (2024) - Reviews of TOP Online Sportsbooks
Next Article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.