San Diego

Basic Information
San Diego is the southernmost large city in California with a population about one fourth the size of Los Angeles. It is home to many popular tourist destinations in California and has particularly noteworthy beaches.

Dining
Like the rest of California, San Diego is host to a plethora of worldwide cuisine. Mexican and Asian dining establishments are particularly abundant. San Diego is also home to several American inspired restaurants of note.

Mexican Food

 * Roberto's Taco Shop
 * Roberto's is a small chain of mexican food restaurants that can be found in certain locations around Southern California and even a few in other places such as Las Vegas. Of particular note would be the California burrito. A California burrito consists of simply Carne Asada, French Fries, and cheese with sour cream being optional. Though originally a San Diegan concept, California burritos can now be bought at most 'hole in the wall' Mexican restaurants in California. Roberto's, along with a few other dining establishments that share the '-berto' suffix tend to have good food for a very affordable price. You will wind up spending between $3 - $6 per person.


 * Rubio's
 * Rubio's is a bit more expensive than some smaller taco shops you might visit. However, it's worth a mention because it's a chain that originated in San Diego (Pacific Beach, specifically) and has been expanding ever since. Rubio's is recommended over a '-berto' restaurant if you plan on ordering fish as Rubio's are famous for their fish tacos.

Asian Food

 * Onami
 * Todai
 * Convoy Street
 * Convoy Street is a long street in Kearny Mesa (at the heart of San Diego) where Asian restaurants are extremely abundant. You can find anything from Korean barbeque, to Chinese food buffets, to casual Japanese dining along Convoy. There are also several large supermarkets in the area including Ranch 99, Mitsuwa, Marukai, and Nijiya with the latter three being specifically Japanese.


 * Mira Mesa Boulevard
 * Mira Mesa Blvd is the primary road crossing the unincorporated city of Mira Mesa, stretching east to west from the I-15 to the I-805. The eastern half features a growing variety of Asian foods, with the newcomers in recent years being primarily Vietnamese and Filipino cuisine.  Because the transition toward ethnic foods has only recently picked up speed, it is not as widely known by non-locals as Convoy Street.

American Food

 * Phil's BBQ
 * The original Phil's was in Hillcrest, a small community about two to three miles North of downtown San Diego. They have since moved to Point Loma where they are generally very crowded every single day. They have perhaps some of the best barbeque foods in San Diego and are actually well known for it.


 * Hodad's
 * Hodad's, located in Ocean Beach, is a burger joint that successfully epitomizes surfer culture in the form of a restaurant. The staff is very nice, the food is excellent, and the atmosphere is interesting to say the least. Hodad's is also kind to your wallet as you shouldn't end up paying more than $10 per person. They also have a location downtown though it is not advisable as parking downtown can be pricey.


 * Stacked
 * Stacked is a burger restaurant chain (sit-down dining) exclusive to Southern California, though far more expensive than Hodad's. The food is great and the experience is different to say the least. Their menus are on iPads which you can also use to send orders to the kitchen at any time during your meal. As 'cool' as it sounds, you can end up spending more than $20 dollars a plate because of the readily accessible ordering. It's very easy to go overboard.


 * Slater's 50/50
 * Slater's is another burger establishment specific to Southern California. As of now there are three locations, the first of which is in Anaheim, between San Diego and Los Angeles. They have a location near San Diego harbor as well. Slater's is unique in that they put bacon on everything. Even their famous 50/50 burger consists of half ground bacon and half ground beef. Top that off with a maple bacon shake and you're set. Plates can be anywhere from $10 to $20 dollars per person but it's well worth the experience.

Beaches
San Diego is home to many great beach communities.
 * Ocean Beach
 * Mission Beach
 * Pacific Beach
 * La Jolla
 * Solana Beach/Del Mar
 * Encinitas