San Diego dining recommendations

[Tinkermom]

Family with little ones but love good food and Pretty much all types suggestions much appreciated

[Aims]

Where will you be staying, Tinkermom? Are you looking for suggestions in the area of your hotel, or anywhere in San Diego? I live in the area, so from my personal experience I could recommend some places to try that are family-friendly.



Breakfast:


Richard Walker's Pancake House (downtown, near the Convention Center) This place is small and is very popular, there is always a line to get in, but they keep things moving pretty quickly.
richardwalkers/locations/san-diego/


The Cottage (if you'll be visiting La Jolla). Also a very popular and busy place, so go early for breakfast to avoid the longest waits. Their French Toast is a particular favorite of mine!
cottagelajolla/


Breakfast Republic- there are several locations around San Diego. I have been to the one in Liberty Station, which is near the airport. Their pineapple upside down pancakes are delish!
http://www.breakfastrepublic.com/'



Kono's Cafe. If you are spending some at Pacific Beach, Kono's is a good, inexpensive place for breakfast. It's very casual, very much a locals favorite and popular with the beach crowd and surfers. It is near the Crystal Pier. Big portions, low prices...they also do lunch, but breakfast is the big draw for most people.
konoscafe/


Donut Bar. If you love donuts, this is one of the most amazing donut shops in town. There is a location downtown (and they just opened one in Vegas too). They specialize in creative and unique flavor combos and designs. They stay open until all the donuts are sold out (and they can easily sell out before noon) and then they close for the day. You can also pre-order a day ahead through their website and then go pick up your order at the bakery.
donutbar/


There are also Denny's and iHops around town, too.



Lunch/Dinner


Cheesecake Factory is always a good bet. They have a little bit of everything! There is one downtown next to Seaport Village, and one in Mission Valley at the Fashion Valley shopping mall.

thecheesecakefactory/


Corvette Diner is a fun place to go, especially for the kids. It's a 1950's style diner where the wait staff dress up in 50's costume and break into song and dance routines The menu is mostly diner type food- burgers and milkshakes etc. It's loud and busy and always has a wait, so try for an early dinner or lunch time.
cohnrestaurants/corvettediner


Phil's BBQ is a casual, counter-service restaurant and has some of the best barbecue in San Diego. They were featured on Man vs Food a few years ago (if you are familiar with that tv show). Large portions, decent prices...also a busy, popular restaurant. They have a few locations around town, the original location is in Point Loma which is close to Sea World and not far from downtown either. Take note that they are not open on Mondays.
philsbbq/phils-bbq-locations.html#pointloma


Mexican food is very popular in San Diego so if you want to give it a try, these are a few of my favorite places...
Cafe Coyote in Old Town cafecoyoteoldtown/
Miguel's Cocina in Old Town (love their jalapeno cheese dip that comes with the complimentary tortilla chips)

miguels-cocina/, Lolita's (downtown near the baseball stadium) https://lolitasmexicanfood.com/

Carnitas Snack Shack (downtown on the embarcadero, near the harbor boat tour and cruise boats) Their carnitas tacos are so good carnitassnackshack/locati...dero-location/


Stacked- in Mission Valley, near Old Town. This is a unique place with a fully customizable menu. It's burgers, sandwiches, mac and cheese, pizzas, salads etc, and you can build each entree with any combination of toppings, meats, brieads, and so on, using the tablet at each table.
stacked/


If you are looking for a quick, fast food bite somewhere, I would look for In N Out Burger (very inexpensive and much better than McDonalds) in-n-out/#close, Rubio's (Mexican style seafood- their fish tacos are really good) rubios/ and Panda Express pandaexpress/. You can find just about any fast food chain in San Diego, but these are just nicer in quality and good prices overall.



I could list so many more, but this is already getting pretty long! I have a San Diego planning thread pinned to the top of this forum- or you could use the link in my signature below. I have a few more restaurant recommendations in that thread, too.

[Vinniecat]

The Cheesecake Factory is always a good shout.

[Tinkermom]

Originally Posted by Aims

Where will you be staying, Tinkermom? Are you looking for suggestions in the area of your hotel, or anywhere in San Diego? I live in the area, so from my personal experience I could recommend some places to try that are family-friendly.



Breakfast:


Richard Walker's Pancake House (downtown, near the Convention Center) This place is small and is very popular, there is always a line to get in, but they keep things moving pretty quickly.
richardwalkers/locations/san-diego/


The Cottage (if you'll be visiting La Jolla). Also a very popular and busy place, so go early for breakfast to avoid the longest waits. Their French Toast is a particular favorite of mine!
cottagelajolla/


Breakfast Republic- there are several locations around San Diego. I have been to the one in Liberty Station, which is near the airport. Their pineapple upside down pancakes are delish!
http://www.breakfastrepublic.com/'



Kono's Cafe. If you are spending some at Pacific Beach, Kono's is a good, inexpensive place for breakfast. It's very casual, very much a locals favorite and popular with the beach crowd and surfers. It is near the Crystal Pier. Big portions, low prices...they also do lunch, but breakfast is the big draw for most people.
konoscafe/


Donut Bar. If you love donuts, this is one of the most amazing donut shops in town. There is a location downtown (and they just opened one in Vegas too). They specialize in creative and unique flavor combos and designs. They stay open until all the donuts are sold out (and they can easily sell out before noon) and then they close for the day. You can also pre-order a day ahead through their website and then go pick up your order at the bakery.
donutbar/


There are also Denny's and iHops around town, too.



Lunch/Dinner


Cheesecake Factory is always a good bet. They have a little bit of everything! There is one downtown next to Seaport Village, and one in Mission Valley at the Fashion Valley shopping mall.

thecheesecakefactory/


Corvette Diner is a fun place to go, especially for the kids. It's a 1950's style diner where the wait staff dress up in 50's costume and break into song and dance routines The menu is mostly diner type food- burgers and milkshakes etc. It's loud and busy and always has a wait, so try for an early dinner or lunch time.
cohnrestaurants/corvettediner


Phil's BBQ is a casual, counter-service restaurant and has some of the best barbecue in San Diego. They were featured on Man vs Food a few years ago (if you are familiar with that tv show). Large portions, decent prices...also a busy, popular restaurant. They have a few locations around town, the original location is in Point Loma which is close to Sea World and not far from downtown either. Take note that they are not open on Mondays.
philsbbq/phils-bbq-locations.html#pointloma


Mexican food is very popular in San Diego so if you want to give it a try, these are a few of my favorite places...
Cafe Coyote in Old Town cafecoyoteoldtown/
Miguel's Cocina in Old Town (love their jalapeno cheese dip that comes with the complimentary tortilla chips)

miguels-cocina/, Lolita's (downtown near the baseball stadium) https://lolitasmexicanfood.com/

Carnitas Snack Shack (downtown on the embarcadero, near the harbor boat tour and cruise boats) Their carnitas tacos are so good carnitassnackshack/locati...dero-location/


Stacked- in Mission Valley, near Old Town. This is a unique place with a fully customizable menu. It's burgers, sandwiches, mac and cheese, pizzas, salads etc, and you can build each entree with any combination of toppings, meats, brieads, and so on, using the tablet at each table.
stacked/


If you are looking for a quick, fast food bite somewhere, I would look for In N Out Burger (very inexpensive and much better than McDonalds) in-n-out/#close, Rubio's (Mexican style seafood- their fish tacos are really good) rubios/ and Panda Express pandaexpress/. You can find just about any fast food chain in San Diego, but these are just nicer in quality and good prices overall.



I could list so many more, but this is already getting pretty long! I have a San Diego planning thread pinned to the top of this forum- or you could use the link in my signature below. I have a few more restaurant recommendations in that thread, too.

See more...

Thank you so much 😊 we’re staying at the Best Western Palms. I’ve looked through your planning thread at the top already, thank you it’s been really useful.

I was looking for something memorable and a little special (but still child friendly, not in a McDonald’s type of way but happy to accommodate children)
We always try to seek out that ‘memorable’ place.
We have a car so can get anywhere, will look through your suggestions now, huge thanks

[Tinkermom]

Originally Posted by Vinniecat

The Cheesecake Factory is always a good shout.

See more...

We always do a Cheesecake Factory it goes without saying

[grant_w]

We went to the Corvette diner, and won the "who has come from the furthest away" competition. Won a t-shirt

[Aims]

Originally Posted by Tinkermom

Thank you so much 😊 we’re staying at the Best Western Palms. I’ve looked through your planning thread at the top already, thank you it’s been really useful.

See more...

You will love the Best Western Palms Such a beautiful location on Shelter Island, and you will be so close to a lot of restaurants. Shelter Island/Point Loma...that is one of my favorite locations in San Diego. I grew up in that area. It is close enough to downtown to be convenient, but just far enough away from all that hustle and bustle that it's a bit more peaceful (if you don't count the noise of airplanes taking off from the airport nearby).



There are so many good places to eat near Shelter Island, too. You are only a five minute drive from Liberty Station where the Corvette Diner is that I mentioned in my other post. Liberty Station is a really charming neighborhood, they have added a lot of new restaurants there in the last year. They have a Starbucks, a Coldstone Creamery for ice cream, Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Company is good, Panera's Bread is a great spot for a simple lunch (they are a soup, salad and sandwich chain and they also do a simple breakfast- good pastries), Luna Grill is a casual counter-service restaurant with a Mediterranean menu that I really enjoy, Con Pane Rustic is a good bakery if you want something like pastries for breakfast, Liberty Public Market is a large indoor space with lots of food stalls from different vendors (gets very busy, especially on weekends), and there is also a Vons grocery store in Liberty Station. It's a full service store with a deli and bakery, in case you need to pick up some groceries. All of this is just around the corner from Shelter Island and your hotel.

[Tinkermom]

Originally Posted by Aims

You will love the Best Western Palms Such a beautiful location on Shelter Island, and you will be so close to a lot of restaurants. Shelter Island/Point Loma...that is one of my favorite locations in San Diego. I grew up in that area. It is close enough to downtown to be convenient, but just far enough away from all that hustle and bustle that it's a bit more peaceful (if you don't count the noise of airplanes taking off from the airport nearby).



There are so many good places to eat near Shelter Island, too. You are only a five minute drive from Liberty Station where the Corvette Diner is that I mentioned in my other post. Liberty Station is a really charming neighborhood, they have added a lot of new restaurants there in the last year. They have a Starbucks, a Coldstone Creamery for ice cream, Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Company is good, Panera's Bread is a great spot for a simple lunch (they are a soup, salad and sandwich chain and they also do a simple breakfast- good pastries), Luna Grill is a casual counter-service restaurant with a Mediterranean menu that I really enjoy, Con Pane Rustic is a good bakery if you want something like pastries for breakfast, Liberty Public Market is a large indoor space with lots of food stalls from different vendors (gets very busy, especially on weekends), and there is also a Vons grocery store in Liberty Station. It's a full service store with a deli and bakery, in case you need to pick up some groceries. All of this is just around the corner from Shelter Island and your hotel.

See more...

That’s all so helpful, thank you so much

[marypoppins38]

Another vote here for Richard Walkers Pancake House, the food is really fantastic...but huge! We also ate breakfast/brunch a few times at Tent City on Coronado Island and it was lovely. I would have liked to have tried it for dinner but we never got the chance. The Cheesecake Factory at Seaport is lovely too with a large outdoor eating area.

[florida girl]

Great choice we have stayed at the Best Western Island Palms twice and we all love it there. We really enjoyed breakfast on the patio overlooking the pool area and had the set dinner in the restaurant there too, reasonable price and you can have a drink too.

The Corvette Diner is a fun place to eat. We also found a really lovely local Italian place Old Venice restaurant which I would recommend. Also the C-Level lounge is good for a special meal we were recommended by some Americans we got friendly with and it didn’t disappoint lovely views over the Bay.