San Diego
** = Best of all time!
La Jolla
My hometown :)
Breakfast/Brunch
Shorehouse Kitchen: brunch in La Jolla Shores
Caroline's Seaside Cafe: breakfast/brunch in La Jolla Shores overlooking the water, fun to walk along the beach before or after
Brockton Villa: great breakfast/brunch overlooking La Jolla Cove; sometimes people complain about the smell of seals (lol)
Brick and Bell: coffee and pastries in La Jolla Village or La Jolla Shores
Better Buzz Coffee: famous in SD, also locations in PB and Mission Beach
Lunch/Dinner
Eddie V’s**: very fancy, incredible views, good for a date; I love their crab fried rice (huge portion); make a reservation
George’s: also very fancy with incredible views; right next to Eddie V’s
El Pescador**: gourmet fish market with awesome sandwiches, salads, and ceviche
Taco Stand: casual/awesome tacos and burritos, very popular so there’s always a line
Barbarellas: good Italian place in La Jolla Shores. During the holidays they decorate the entire restaurant (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas)
Piatti’s: across from Barbarellas, also good Italian but slightly fancier
Cheese Shop: casual sandwich shop in La Jolla Shores where you can get sandwiches to-go, amazing oatmeal cookies
Marketplace Grill**: favorite Mediterranean restaurant to get to-go for dinner and eat on the beach — casual hole-in-the-wall; get the combo plate with chicken skewers, herb basmati rice, shirazi salad and grilled tomatoes
Places to stay
La Valencia Hotel
La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club
Places to see
Windansea: awesome beach where all the locals go, my mom and I love to walk by the beach and through the neighborhoods
La Jolla Farmers Market: Sunday mornings at La Jolla Elementary
Shopping: Bobbi Rocco (clothing boutique), Warwick’s (independent bookstore), Girard Avenue (main street in La Jolla with a bunch of shops), UTC (outdoor mall)
Kayaking: you can rent or go on a tour from La Jolla Shores to the caves; La Jolla Kayak or Hike Bike and Kayak are a must!
Hike Torrey Pines
Sunset at Cuvier Park: bring a picnic and watch the sunset at Cuvier Park which overlooks the water
The Lot: upscale movie theatre with a restaurant attached
Pacific Beach/Mission Beach
Young crowd, lots of beaches and bars
Brunch/Lunch
Better Buzz Coffee: awesome coffee, Mission Beach location has a cute cafe with avocado toast
Breakfast Republic: huge portions, classic breakfast
Lunch/Dinner
Waterbar: Super fun atmosphere right on the beach. Great food/drinks for lunch or dinner
Costa Brava: Spanish-style tapas; people are obsessed with their sangria
Oscars: casual, authentic tacos and burritos; hole in the wall (not sit down place)
Board and Brew: good sandwich shop, famous for their dipping sauce
Sushi Ota: really famous/delicious sushi place in a janky-looking strip mall
Dessert
Baked Bear: cookie ice cream sandwiches, I’m obsessed with their cookies
Mr. Frostie: soft serve ice cream that you can have it dipped in hard shell chocolate
Drinks
June Shine: hard kombucha, trendy
Bars: Firehouse, Backyard, Mavericks, Moonshine
Point Loma
Laid-back seaside vibes
Brunch/Lunch
Northside Shack: incredible acai bowls; honestly, best I’ve ever had
Lunch/Dinner
Old Venice: super cute Italian restaurant
Point Loma Seafoods: famous seafood restaurant; similar to El Pescador in La Jolla
Places to see
Sunset Cliffs: great place to watch the sunset
Ocean Beach
Funky, old school hippy town
Lunch/Dinner
OB Noodle House: pho, spring rolls, rice dishes, and drinks
Hodads: famous casual burger place, always a line
Lighthouse Ice Cream: great ice cream, I love their waffle ice cream sandwiches
Places to see
Shopping: Dreamgirls (cute and affordable clothing boutique), tons of antique shopping on Newport Ave
**Other beach towns to see: Del Mar, Encinitas, Cardiff, Solana Beach
