Best of 2003: Best Sidewalk Mexican

La Jolla Cantina
2161 Avenida de la Playa, La Jolla Shores
858-459-5282

You'd expect this cantina to charge La Jolla Shores prices. It doesn't. You can get huevos rancheros, machaca, and even eggs Benedict at a decent price. The short stack of pancakes or French toast (dipped in cinnamon vanilla batter) should satisfy your sugar fix, too. It's also great for contacts: local CEOs like to stop in for breakfast. Lunch is great on the sidewalk (try a "carnitas lunch torta" or seared ahi with greens), but the really cool time is early evening, when all of La Jolla Shores seems to spill onto the sidewalk to saunter, sit with a cerveza, and dish the day's dirt. And all this on one of the prettiest streets in the county.