Outside holiday lights season, there’s no better time of day to visit Balboa Park than a quiet morning. And while that’s likely been true for more than a century, such mornings at the park have …

The table next to us is large and round, with a lazy susan built into its center. As it rotates, we get a clear view of terrific-looking dishes we might have ordered instead: whole steamed …

At the time a friend first recommended a local fish market serving straight-off-the-boat poke and sashimi, it didn’t seem likely the tip would lead me to a Sorrento Valley industrial park. But here I was, …

The hashtag, painted across the top of the truck, reads #worldsbestbirria. It doesn’t beg, it insists on a comparison with the best you’ve had. It doesn’t matter all that much whether the boast rings true, …

It’s been around for going on ten years, but I’d never once seen the place before making my first order at the counter last week. East of Birdland, south of the Montgomery-Gibbs airport, up the …

The Michelin Guide has cast its latest cursory glance at our city, and a handful of quite good restaurants across town are now basking in attentions bestowed by a car tire manufacturer. I know it’s …

When our server places it on the table, it’s so large that we assume the kitchen has sent out the two-person order by mistake. But no, this large bowl contains the single order of the …

Did you know there’s a neighborhood in San Diego specifically named after silent film actresses of the 1920s? I was surprised to learn this week that Talmadge was founded in 1925, named in honor of …

Alongside death and taxes, there’s at least one more certainty in this life: accumulate a few of food writing bylines, and publicist emails will find you. I receive dozens per day, occasionally duplicates finding me …

All things being equal, I’m going to choose the local restaurant over the out-of-town chain — especially when a clash of brands or menu items are involved. But that doesn’t mean I can’t give a …

I’m not a big fan of making lists, but within a couple bites of this pambazo, my mind starts sifting through all the hot sandwiches I’ve tried in San Diego. Can I think of five …

There is a lot going on at 4646 Convoy Street, suite 101. I was here just a couple months ago to try the Japanese style fried chicken of Junya’s Crispy Karaage. That counter shop shares …

I wonder, when the crack cocaine addiction became an epidemic in the 1980s, did anyone foresee that we would someday use the word crack to describe food? Yet, in the darker corners of American humor, …

Jerk chicken, goat curry, oxtail, brown stew. Having spent fifteen years sampling dishes from at least that many Jamaican restaurants, I’ve come to view these as staples of the island cuisine built upon the pleasures …

There’s an aisle of shelves in Spring Valley grocery Valley Farm Market almost entirely devoted to barbecue. It carries sauces, seasonings, wood chips, pellets, and a litany of accessories for the wannabe backyard smoker. I’ve …

I’ve photographed burritos, dumplings, and egg rolls, but probably the most challenging photo I’ve ever tried to take centered on a lump of fudge. I’d ordered the rocky road flavor, hoping that the large, white …

Out in search of a romantic dinner, we approached a rather nondescript, gray storefront on University Avenue. The place didn’t even have a sign up — were it not for a handful of diners enjoying …

The past couple years have brought plenty of changes to Split Bakehouse. When Vanessa Corrales launched the brand in 2018 with acclaimed pastry chef Kristianna Zabala, the idea was to offer a wholesale pastry menu …

Other than the word sushi itself, there’s usually not much to learn about a sushi restaurant by looking at its name. Sometimes, if there’s a Japanese word, you can run it through an online translator …

Plant-based eateries aren’t as tough a sell as they used to be in San Diego, but they’re still part of the volatile restaurant business, so even some of the good ones close before their time. …

I’m not sure what spurred an interest when I learned that an Australia-styled gastropub had opened in Shelter Island. Probably, I’d be just as keen for the arrival of a gastropub claiming any national character. …

There’s a new snack shack in Solana Beach, even if the physical shack itself is anything but new. Sindi’s Snack Shack recently opened within the “Detached Garage of Witmer Residence and Drug Store,” built in …

Just when I thought Stone Brewing had run out of surprises, the announcement reached my inbox: “Stone Brewing Announces Buenavida Hard Seltzer.” I looked at the date: April 1.Photograph Courtesy Stone BrewingHaha, Stone, you got …

When they arrive at the table, the rice paper wraps aren’t pre-made. The ingredients are laid out on separate plates: daikon, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, and pineapple chucks on one; grilled pork topped with peanuts and …

It’s not a huge place by any means. The pandemic sidewalk parklet probably holds as many customers as the dining room, if not more. We’ve grabbed our seats out there, sunglasses on, to bask in …

One of the saving graces of pandemic summer 2020 was the emergence of Metl Bar: specifically, its talent for creating small batches of boozy ice cream. Often, they’re inspired by classic cocktails. So a negroni …

In my years covering local restaurants, I’ve witnessed San Diego foodies get excited about restaurants specializing in cheeseburgers, tacos, carne asada fries, ramen, sushi burritos, Neapolitan pizza, fried chicken, cupcakes, bone marrow, vegan brunch, and …

When students move back into University of San Diego dorms this fall, the home of the Toreros will feature a new set of official school beers. Torero Blue and Torero Bold are now the products …

Photograph by Matthew SuárezMost restaurants count on location, location, location to help make a name for themselves. Others make do with whatever space they’ve got. The restaurants featured here don’t necessarily operate in conventional storefronts, …

I’ve rarely given much thought to where cookies come from, and neither had the kid. But he could tell I hadn’t picked these up at the supermarket. “Where’d you get these?” he asked, a glazed …

The windows rattle when the trolley rolls past. Which isn’t surprising, given how the shape of the building is defined by the way tracks curl east coming out of Santa Fe Depot. They carve an …

There’s a good reason I have been writing about fried chicken over and over in the past year: it’s become more popular than ever. And not only because Nashville hot chicken has been having a …

Last October, when Chula Vista beer-maker Novo Brazil Brewing Co. took over the Ocean Beach taproom previously operated by Culture Brewing Co., it had a branding decision to make. The company has been brewing beer …

Elaborate, green and black graffitied monikers float like crumpled leaves through a landscape of clouded mountain peaks, pink cherry blossoms, and blue waterfalls. The vibrant mural covers the broad, flat side wall of stand-alone storefront, …

We pick up a bag of duck food along with our pedal boat rental, so as soon as we are out on the water, we aim for the first duck we see. It takes some …

A new documentary chronicles the history of brewing in San Diego, showcasing the ways the city became an outsized contributor to America’s craft beer culture. Beer City: San Diego was made by Aubree Miller and …

Part of the allure of the Irish pub is that they’re pretty much the same all over the world. Go to pubs in Paris, Melbourne, Hong Kong, and you’ll find the experience replicated over and …

It’s in Poway, but probably not the part of Poway you’re thinking of. Most who go to this southeasternmost corner, along Scripps Poway Parkway, are going to work, going to Costco, or passing through on …

San Diego city council closed its June 22 session with an adjournment in memory in honor of bartender Nate Soroko, who passed away unexpectedly last week at 39. The memoriam, read by council president pro …

“Can we have waffles for breakfast?” For months during the school year, these were the first words my half-asleep brain heard every weekday morning. Not good morning. Not how did you sleep? Just “Can we …

As the crow flies, the unincorporated community of Crest is more than two and a half miles from the nearest freeway. In actual driving terms, it’s closer to four. And not flat miles, either, but …

For five years, Susan McMillion and partner James Farnsworth have quietly been making and serving some of the city’s best kombucha out of their small shop, Bootstrap Kombucha. Operating on an industrial stretch of Pacific …

A Hillcrest favorite, Amarin Thai, closed last fall, after holding down its Richmond Street location for more than 22 years. Longtime fans of the restaurant may be pleased to learn that Thai food is officially …

The marketing cachet of Japanese-bred cattle seems to be rising. At least, I find myself writing about wagyu a lot more than I used to, as local restaurants and butcher shops embrace the notoriously marbled …

To follow through on their plan to open a brewery, Daren Rudy and Alex Kim were prepared to move to Reno, Nevada. “It’s a growing population, annually,” explains Kim, “and also a growing craft beer …

Breakdance with Olympic prospectsKearny Mesa/Old TownBreakdancing will be an official sport at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and local b-girls and b-boys have been practicing breakdance maneuvers in hopes of repping Team USA. Throughout the …

How’s this one for timing? Shannon Nault and Bobby Kokinda signed the lease for their first food-service business at the beginning of March, 2020. Let’s just say they wound up taking more time than they’d …

If not for the flat screen TVs and masked servers, walking into Bully’s East would feel like entering a time capsule. At the center of the dimly lit restaurant stands a grand mahogany bar, from …

Okay, so my go-to chili cheese fries spot wound up closing due to last year’s shutdown. Obviously, that’s a bigger bummer for the owners and staff of the departed Sister Ray’s restaurant than it is …

San Diego is about to get a first of its kind taproom dedicated to hard yerba mate. Actually, tap “room” is inaccurate. The bar being launched by Kové Hard Yerba Mate is being built entirely …