Foodie Guide to San Diego

You want to know the FIRST thing we do when picking a place to travel? Okay, maybe not the first, but easily one of the first couple of things we do... Find all the food! Thomas is truly the best at this, I don't know where or how he gets all the hottest local spots (and all the big ones too), but he always finds them!

In case you missed it, on Monday, I shared my favorite areas to hang out in when checking out San Diego, and now I am back with all the hottest places to grab a bite to eat!

1. Donut Bar
This famous little hot spot is the perfect stop if you have a busy day ahead. There are SO. MANY. DONUTS. And they are GIANT. We snagged two Monte Cristo donuts, a maple bacon, a pop tart donut (donut with a pop tart in the middle), a lemon blueberry and a Homer- which is exactly what you might think! All of them were delicious, and I am SO glad we had four people to help even out the tasting!

2. BarleyMash
Brunch Brunch Brunch. If you've been following along for any amount of time, you know I have a serious love affair with brunch. We had actually received a rec to go here for dinner and enjoy the nightlife from a friend, but never made it. We popped in for brunch and fell in love. If you enjoy all of the typical brunch items, but amplified this spot is for you! We snagged some favorites like their super sticky cinnamon roll appropriately called the Sin-A-Bun, a veggie sweet potato hash, the breakfast burger, and lots and lots of bloody Mary's from their extensive bloody Mary bar!
3. Pacific Beach Fish Shop
This is one of those super local spots that Thomas dug up. Tucked away outside of the city is this little fish market and shop. The main attraction (for us) was the halibut fish tacos. Sort background- Thomas' family is from Alaska, and his mom really knows her fish, especially halibut, so we were on the hunt for halibut fish tacos. Unfortunately they were out of halibut, so we opted for the Ono fish tacos and they were amazing! Actually, all of the tacos we got were amazing. I loved how you chose your fish, then your seasonings and then if you wanted them fried or grilled! Options make me happy!
4. Casa de Reyes
This delicious spot in the heart of Old Town San Diego is fabulous for some Al Fresco dining! We love sitting in the open patio area munching on chips and salsa, and margaritas. Lots of margaritas. We all shared their tortillas soup and enchiladas. They were good and definitely reminded me of some of our favorite restaurants at home!
5. Buon Appetito
This spot in Little Italy is perfect for a nicer dinner out. We came in for our one nice dinner of the trip, by nice I mean we got dressed up, wore something other than comfy shoes, and drank lots of wine. Thomas' mom and I shared their risotto and it was one of the best risottos I have ever had. She and I also shared the insulate tricolor, and holy YUM. The boys shared some kind of meat & pasta dish and it was fabulous. Definitely a great stop if you're in the mood for something a little more formal- don't forget to make a reservation!

6. Rust General Store
I mentioned this spot in my Places to explore in San Diego post, but this general store is just too fabulous to miss. Both Thomas' mom Janet and I love finding unique things, aka walls filled with tons of different spices and chocolates. So as you can imagine, we were both in heaven. The ladies in the general store were so friendly and incredibly helpful. We ended up taking home lots of their chocolates, unique salts and other goodies!

7. Extraordinary Desserts
If you are willing to look for it, you will find it. This immaculate spot is hidden away in somewhat of an industrial area. They have cases and cases of gorgeously decorated desserts and fun sweets to see!

8. The Cravory
After we filled up on Fish Tacos we needed a little something sweet. So to The Cravory we went! The Cravory had tons of artisan cookies that I could have never dreamed up, and of course, some of the traditional ones! Stop in, grab a dozen and enjoy them for a few days at home, that's what we did!

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