Diners' Choice: Best Food restaurants in San Diego

OpenTable

Updated 05 October 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best overall cuisine in San Diego? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyses nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you book, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit.

Baci Restaurant - San Diego

4.9

4.9 (1865)

$31 to $50

Italian

Old Town

About the restaurant

Baci Ristorante offers diners a hint of old world Italian charm, with plush booths, white tablecloths, and gracious servers clad in tuxedos. While the decor is subtly modern, the menu is classic, celebrating Northern and Southern Italian cuisine. Specialties include classic pasta dishes, veal, and fresh seafood, with especially tempting daily specials offered by Executive Chef Domenico Alioto. In addition to the cuisine, the restaurant's charming and welcoming features--include an extensive wine list, elegant patio setting, and romantic main dining room--have made Baci a consistent favorite among locals for over 30 years.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined 3 days ago

You can always expect outstanding service and good northern Italian cuisine at this family owned and operated restaurant in the Morena District.

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Popular dish

Parmigiana

Tavola Nostra Pizzeria E Cucina

4.9

4.9 (530)

$30 and under

Italian

Hillcrest

About the restaurant

San Diego, meet Pinsa.
An ancient recipe comes back to life at Our Hillcrest Restaurant.
Tavola Nostra Pizzeria E Cucina is a full-service Italian restaurant and pizzeria bringing a modern touch to family recipes and an ancient style of pizza called, Pinsa.

Tavola Nostra, which means “our table”, is owned and operated by Jeff Oliveri – a first time restaurateur from a family of longtime restaurant owners who hopes to honor his familial heritage and tradition with his Italian dining concept that creates one of the best Hillcrest restaurants.

Top review

Rickvip

Dined 7 days ago

Tavola Nostra has the best authentic Italian food and Pinsa. Everyone is always very friendly and the customer service is over the top! We love this place and travel 80 miles from Orange County for the best PINSA and Italian food!

Jeune et Jolie

4.9

4.9 (3945)

$50 and over

Contemporary French

Carlsbad

About the restaurant

A culinary experience celebrating the moment, Jeune et Jolie reimagines French cuisine through the vibrant lens of our Southern California landscape with a 4-course menu offered at $120 per guest.

For those looking for a more casual evening, we feature "Le Menu du Bar”, an à la carte offering available for walk-in guests at our bar and lounge.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined 2 days ago

Amazing & will return! Enjoyed it from start to finish!

Lemon Grove Bistro

4.8

4.8 (73)

$30 and under

American

Lemon Grove

About the restaurant

In addition to offering comforting American favorites, our menu provides a selection of flavors inspired by our chef’s culinary experiences, ranging from classic Spanish fare to Italian favorites. Our menu changes seasonally to feature the freshest ingredients and provide an exciting dining experience throughout the year.

The Lemon Grove Bistro is in a historic mission-style building in the heart of Lemon Grove. Since 1912, it’s been a place where locals meet and build connections, whether they were picking up their mail at the Sonka General Store in 1944 or ordering custom cakes at the Grove Pastry Shop in 2012.

Come for the food. Stay to experience the inviting ambiance of the historic building and its new garden. Let’s build community--together.

Top review

THOMAS

Dined 1 day ago

We live in Poway which is about 25 miles away from Lemon Grove Bistro but decided to give it a try. Well worth the drive…..delicious food, the fisherman stew was particularly outstanding,efficient service and most certainly,fairly priced. We had heard good things about the restaurant and our dining experience was a most delightful one.

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Experience

Weekday Happy Hour

Vinarius

4.9

4.9 (348)

$30 and under

Italian

Downtown / Gaslamp

About the restaurant

Vinarius is an Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar in Little Italy San Diego. We offer an extensive wine list with wines coming from different regions of the world; the best meat and cheese board with Italian cured meats and different cheeses to pair with our wines. Our chef Alex makes homemade pasta enriched with our homemade sauces, entrees, pizza, different appetizers to choose from, and desserts that pair well with our port wines and after-dinner drinks. You definitely have to try our daily specials!
Our cozy full bar is also the perfect place to enjoy your drink and food while watching some sports!

Top review

Celeniavip

Dined 7 days ago

Food is incredible, we had the burrata, lobster ravioli, and pizza and everything was so delicious. Presentation is great. Service is great. Ambiance is great if you’re looking for a place with the right sound of music but still being able to hold a conversation. Price was really reasonable for the service and quality of food - and again the taste. Will come back next time in San Diego.

Tapas & Beers

4.9

4.9 (479)

$30 and under

French

Downtown / Gaslamp

About the restaurant

Located in Downtown San Diego's historic Spreckels building, Tapas & Beers is a French and Spanish Restaurant.

We offer a large selection of Tapas plates to share between friends & family
but also normal size dishes if you don't want to share !

Our beers on tap selection highlights breweries from San Diego County and our wine selection from all around the world will make any wine lover happy too !

Everything you will eat at Tapas & Beers will be made from scratch to order with fresh and mostly organic ingredients !

Discover why our place isso highly rated !

Cheers!

Top review

Lori

Dined on 25 Aug 2024

Tapas and Beers was outstanding. Everything we tried was delicious. Attentive and fun service, just an all around great restaurant with amazing food. Great beer selection as well. We did not try the desserts because we were just stuffed from eating so much amazing food.

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4.9

4.9 (4671)

$50 and over

Steakhouse

Downtown / Gaslamp

About the restaurant

Located in the heart of the East Village neighborhood of San Diego, Cowboy Star is dedicated to providing an unmatched attention to detail and a level of service that immediately sets us apart. Cowboy Star guests are the number one priority and guest satisfaction is the base upon which our entire concept is built.

Our level of service is only matched by our celebration of regional American heirloom recipes offered with genuine neighborly hospitality. We are committed to supporting local and regional farmers, fishers and producers by cooking food that recaptures the simple and pure tastes found in locally grown, natural and organic ingredients. We strive to raise awareness of a more sustainable food future, while helping to restore a sense of community that brings us back to a more homegrown time.

The Cowboy Star Menu features the finest in select natural products including Niman Ranch all natural beef from the nation's leading Certified Humane Angus herd.

Top review

CorbettP

Dined 2 days ago

This place gets better and better everytime we go. I try something new everytime and it never disappoints.

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4.9

4.9 (242)

$50 and over

Japanese

Kearny Mesa

About the restaurant

OpenTable Diners' Choice 2022, 2023 and 2024!
Come dine in our modern and relaxing atmosphere, where we serve traditional sushi and unique fusion dishes.
Enjoy particularly selected sakes, wines, and unique cocktails that pair exquisitely with our fine dishes.
In addition to traditional sushi, and hot and cold Japanese appetizers, our menu includes pastas, homemade desserts, and other regional fusion dishes to cater to a wide range of guests.
We are also proud to offer premium A5 Wagyu dishes.
Please let us serve you our traditional and creative dishes so that you can enjoy "To Become One (2B1)" with us in Harmony!

Top review

Janet

Dined 4 days ago

A wonderful sushi experience - upscale / elevated sushi made with great care by the chef for a beautiful presentation. Great staff !

Mona Lisa Cocktails & Cuisine

4.9

4.9 (87)

$50 and over

Italian

El Centro

About the restaurant

Step into Mona Lisa, an opulent haven of Italian cuisine. Discover a culinary masterpiece where prime steaks are elevated to perfection, accompanied by meticulously curated sides that redefine indulgence. Our open bar offers an endless selection of finely crafted cocktails and wines, enhancing every moment. With an ambiance of refined luxury, Mona Lisa invites you to savor the art of flavor in every bite of our prime steaks, making your dining experience unforgettable.

Top review

Jesus

Dined on 28 Sept 2024

Honestly great service super attentive super special for my girlfriends birthday. Food was delicious! Clean space nice and peaceful.

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Popular dish

Ribeye 16oz

Black and Blue Steakhouse and Lounge - Valley View Casino

4.9

4.9 (1717)

$31 to $50

Steakhouse

Valley Center

About the restaurant

Black&Blue is a contemporary American Steakhouse with Las Vegas flair, and a 21 and up dining experience. B&B was recently named San Diego’s “Most Romantic Steakhouse” by the San Diego Union Tribune, and most recently awarded as the Best Steak House Best Seafood by San Diego A-list! At B&B we offer the choicest meats, freshest seafood and most dazzling desserts to delight the mind and body that will transport our guests into a world of indulgence and taste. Unwind with conversation and creative cocktails in our Black&Blue Lounge. Then move into our main room where Chef Nicholas Burgess will impress you with his inventive dishes and innovative takes on classic favorites. The Manager, Chris Scala, will ensure you receive the ultimate in guest service in an atmosphere that’s friendly and fun. To fully enjoy the B&B dining experience, please be prepared to spend an hour and a half with us. Visit us at B&B for a dining experience you’ll never forget.

Top review

Megan

Dined 2 days ago

First time here to celebrate a birthday. Everything was excellent. We’ve not had the best experiences at casino restaurants… ever (excluding Vegas). The food was either sub par and not worth the price or the service/restaurant itself was lacking. I heard good things about Black & Blue and decided to take a risk. My husband was as skeptical as I was. From the minute we arrived the staff was friendly and attentive. We never had to ask for refills or stop them for anything. The drinks were amazing and decently priced. We ordered the surf and turf… best scallops we’ve ever had, huge delicious lobster tail, the filet was perfectly cooked. We could not believe how delicious it was, and how much you got for the price. The only thing is we wished it had more mashed potatoes on the plate… because they were that good. We also got the crab cakes and the fig and burratta salad, both recommended. We finished off with the baked Alaska. There were no flames at the table, but it was a delicious dessert that will be hard to miss when we come back to try something else. Overall, super happy we took a chance, we will definitely be back soon! Thank you to all the staff for making this birthday one to remember!

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