San Diego Restaurants: Where to Eat by Neighborhood (2026)

San Diego’s best eating is spread across its neighborhoods: tacos and Mexican food in Old Town, Italian food in Little Italy, seafood in Point Loma and on the bays, and casual beach food in Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach. This guide goes through the main areas and recommends only places we could confirm are still operating in November 2026. It also says plainly what happened to the restaurants our old pages covered, because several of them have closed.

Status check: the restaurants from our old pages

We checked every restaurant from the old site against official sites, current listings and local news.

Restaurant	Area	Status (Nov 2026)
Sipz Vegetarian Fuzion	Clairemont	Open (Clairemont Mesa Blvd). North Park branch closed in 2024
Cozymel’s Mexican Grill	La Jolla / UTC	Closed. The space is now True Food Kitchen
94th Aero Squadron	Kearny Mesa	Unclear. Listed as permanently closed, so call first
Tartine	Coronado	Open
Wahoo’s Fish Taco	Encinitas	Listed on N. El Camino Real. Confirm on the Wahoo’s locator
Edgewater Grill	Seaport Village	Closed January 13, 2025. Gladstone’s coming to the space
Anthony’s Fish Grotto	Downtown / La Mesa	Downtown closed 2017. La Mesa open
Don’s Market	Santa Ysabel	Listed as open
European Market & Deli	University Heights	Listed as permanently closed
Cafe Zinc	Solana Beach	Closed

Sipz Vegetarian Fuzion (Clairemont)

Sipz is at 5501 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. The menu is almost entirely vegan: Asian-style rice and noodle plates, mock-meat dishes, curries and appetizers, with vegan sushi and house-baked vegan desserts. Reviews on HappyCow’s Sipz listing were still coming in through October 2026, and the 30th Street location in North Park was reported closed in August 2024. If you searched for “Fuzion Cafe,” this is the same business.

Cozymel’s (closed)

Cozymel’s Mexican Grill was a Tex-Mex chain, and its San Diego restaurant was at 4303 La Jolla Village Drive near UTC. That address is now a True Food Kitchen, and the chain no longer operates in the county. For Mexican food, head to Old Town (below) instead.

94th Aero Squadron (call before you go)

This World War I French-farmhouse restaurant at 8885 Balboa Ave sits beside the runway at Montgomery Field. Its weekend champagne brunch buffet was the big draw. It opened on February 15, 1976 and marked 50 years in February 2026, according to Classic San Diego. It has nearly closed before: it shut on January 31, 2022 and reopened that April with a new seasonal menu. In November 2026, though, OpenTable lists it as permanently closed and the restaurant’s own website shows “CLOSED” with no hours. We can’t confirm it is serving, so call (858) 560-6771 before planning a brunch there. There are no other 94th Aero Squadron restaurants left in California. The only other survivor is in Miami.

Tartine (Coronado)

Tartine is still open at 1106 First Street, a short walk from the Coronado Ferry Landing. It works as a European-style café by day and a bistro at night, with pastries, all-day breakfast, salads, pasta and a long wine list. Its menu is on the official Tartine site. A 2025 profile in the Coronado News described it as a locals’ favorite of more than 20 years, open seven days a week.

Wahoo’s Fish Taco (Encinitas)

Wahoo’s is a Southern California chain known for fish tacos. Current listings put the Encinitas shop at 1006 N. El Camino Real, but we couldn’t confirm it on the company’s own locator. Check the Wahoo’s Southern California locations page before you drive. If you’re looking for fish tacos in La Jolla or Pacific Beach, see Oscar’s Mexican Seafood below.

Edgewater Grill (closed)

Edgewater Grill closed before dinner service on January 13, 2025, after almost 40 years on the water at Seaport Village (SanDiegoVille). Gladstone’s, the seafood restaurant founded in Santa Monica Canyon in 1972, took over the space at 861 West Harbor Drive. In November 2026, the Seaport Village Gladstone’s page still lists it as coming soon. Seaport Village’s other restaurants and snack stands are still operating around it.

Anthony’s Fish Grotto (La Mesa still open)

The famous downtown Anthony’s on the Embarcadero closed on January 31, 2017, after about 70 years. The family’s La Mesa restaurant at 9530 Murray Drive is still running. Its owner told Times of San Diego in 2025 that it had added Sunday brunch (Times of San Diego). It’s an old-school seafood house beside a pond.

Don’s Market (Santa Ysabel)

Don’s Market is a small grocery store at 30250 Highway 78 in Santa Ysabel, where Highways 78 and 79 meet on the road to Julian. Current listings show it open daily from early morning. It’s a handy place to pick up snacks and supplies before heading into the mountains. Backcountry hours can change, so call if you’re counting on it. Nearby, the historic Santa Ysabel Store doubles as a backcountry visitor center. For the pie stop most people are actually driving up for, see our Julian Pie Company guide.

European Deli and Zinc Cafe (closed)

The European Market & Deli at 4135 Park Blvd in University Heights is listed as permanently closed. If you meant a different European deli, it’s worth checking its listing before you go. Cafe Zinc, the vegetarian garden café at 132 S. Cedros Ave in Solana Beach, has also closed. The “Zinc Café & Market” still operating today is a separate Orange County business in Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, not in San Diego County.

Where to eat in San Diego by neighborhood

All of these were confirmed open in late 2026. Check each restaurant’s own site for today’s hours.

Old Town

Old Town is the easiest place for a visitor to eat Mexican food, and it fits well with a day at the state historic park (see our Old Town guide). Old Town Mexican Café at 2489 San Diego Ave has been a fixture for more than 40 years. It’s known for handmade tortillas, carnitas and carne asada.

Little Italy

Little Italy is the densest dining neighborhood downtown. The Little Italy Mercato farmers’ market runs year-round on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. along West Date Street, plus a smaller Wednesday market from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. It’s a good place to graze on a budget. For an old-school sit-down meal, Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, which also runs an Italian market, serves classic pizza, spaghetti, ravioli and lasagna.

Downtown and the Gaslamp

Downtown has hundreds of restaurants, but for something casual and local, Hodad’s has a downtown branch at 945 Broadway, a second home for the Ocean Beach burger shop. Petco Park, the convention center and the Gaslamp are all within walking distance.

Ocean Beach and Point Loma

Hodad’s in Ocean Beach at 5010 Newport Ave is the original burger shop, on Ocean Beach’s main street a short walk from the sand. Across the peninsula, Point Loma Seafoods at 2805 Emerson St has been running since 1963. It’s a fresh fish market, smokehouse and casual restaurant with sushi, beer and wine.

Pacific Beach and Hillcrest

For fish tacos, Oscar’s Mexican Seafood made its name in Pacific Beach at 746 Emerald Street. A second branch is at 646 University Ave in Hillcrest. Both open at 8 a.m. and stay open into the evening, according to the Oscar’s site.

La Jolla

George’s at the Cove at 1250 Prospect Street has been feeding visitors above La Jolla Cove for more than 40 years. It has several dining areas, including the Ocean Terrace. Reserve ahead, especially for dinner.

Coronado

Tartine (above) covers breakfast, lunch and dinner near the ferry landing. Orange Avenue, a few blocks away, has plenty more choice between the ferry and the Hotel del Coronado.

Kearny Mesa, Clairemont and Convoy

Inland, Sipz is the pick for vegetarians and vegans. Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa is San Diego’s main hub for Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese food, and has its own guide: Asian restaurants in San Diego.

Balboa Park

Balboa Park has several cafés and restaurants inside the park. See Balboa Park restaurants for what’s open between museums.

East County and the backcountry

Anthony’s Fish Grotto in La Mesa is the classic East County seafood dinner. If you’re driving to Julian, plan a stop at Don’s Market in Santa Ysabel on the way up.

Tips for eating out in San Diego

• Book weekends near the water. Waterfront and sunset-view restaurants in La Jolla, Coronado and downtown fill up on Friday and Saturday nights. Casual taco and burger spots don’t take reservations, so arrive early.
• Check before you drive to an old favorite. Several long-running places on the list above have closed since 2017. A quick look at the official site saves a wasted trip.
• Use the trolley and ferry. Old Town, Little Italy and downtown are all on the trolley, and Coronado is a short ferry ride from Broadway Pier, which takes the hassle out of parking.
• Mind the hours inland. Many neighborhood cafés and backcountry markets close earlier than city restaurants, especially on weekdays.