3795 Mission Blvd., Mission Beach San Diego, CA 92109 (858) 488-9060 Map
University Ave. between Utah and 28th streets, next to Sumner and Dene art gallery (address/phone unknown) Map
The Mission Cafe (of which there are two) combines great American and Mexican breakfasts into an eclectic but good menu that’s good for breakfast or lunch.
The Mission Beach location is usually much busier during tourist season (March through about October/November), and it’s hard to find parking on the narrow Mission Beach strand, but both can be very popular. The North Park location is almost more fun because it’s right next to an art gallery/shop, Sumner and Dene, that sells everything from sculptures to paintings to jewellery, all wonderfully eclectic and fun, and sometimes affordable too. (We’re not normally “art people”, but we’ve bought some pieces from this place.) The best part is that the maitre’d from the cafe will come into the gallery to call your name when your table is ready, so you don’t have to keep checking back every 5 minutes lest your table be given away. This is only at the North Park location, though.
Breakfast includes several interesting pancake types (I’m a fan of the blackberry pancakes), the standard breakfast staples (eggs, bacon, etc.) and some special dishes. The Mission Rosemary is a favorite — a rosemary omelette thing with the famous house potatoes on the side. I also like the Mission Croissant — a croissant with cream cheese, tomatoes, scallions, and eggs. There’s a smoked apple sausage plate as well, and the Zen Breakfast — a vegetarian’s delight with several different kinds of veggies and some tofu.
There’s also a set of Mexican-ish dishes (burritos and wraps), for those who like that style of food, and some smoothies for the liquid dieters. They make a mean espresso mocha, adding chocolate chips into the frozen version of this drink.
Expect about a half hour’s wait for a table, depending on what time you get there, but the food is worth the wait.
420 Robinson Ave., Hillcrest San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 294-4848 Map
The Wit’s End is one of San Diego’s growing number of liberal bastions. A tiny pub in Hillcrest, The Wit’s End serves almost any kind of beer imaginable, US, British Isles, German and others, and also has Guiness on tap. They serve a fairly complete line of beers from the local Stone Brewing Company, as well.
The food is excellent; you can select from salads, sandwiches, appetizers, and other dishes. Neal, the owner, makes all the food himself at one end of the bar, and it’s consistently tasty. You can also add a cup of today’s or yesterday’s soup (there are always two) to your meal, and finish it off with an ice cream sundae or a very yummy ginger creme brulee.
As for the atmosphere, it’s somewhat telling that instead of a game, invariably Comedy Central is on the TVs instead. At 8 PM, everyone quiets down and the volume gets turned up to watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.
For nights when there’s not as much to do, there’s a Playstation 2 on one TV and an Xbox on the other.
This bar has been the site of a couple of local Democratic Party shindigs; an Air America sticker adorns the paper towel holder in the bathroom.
All in all not a bad place; excellent food, fun atmosphere, and a great price.
Website
2929 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 294-2132 Map
1430 Union St., Little Italy San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 294-7001 Map
Extraordinary Desserts makes a perfect after-dinner or late-evening destination to satisfy one’s sweet tooth. Typically about $10-$15 per person for a pastry or piece of cake and a drink, it’s not necessarily for every day, but every dessert there we’ve tried has been wonderful, so it’s definitely worth the money.
Extraordinary Desserts has an amazing selection of teas that are all mixed by hand, and an excellent selection of coffee drinks. My favorite is the Valrohna chocolate mocha; Kristin likes the “Chocolate Mint” and “Lover Girl” teas.
Desserts come in a wide range of styles and flavors; they always have something chocolatey, something fruity, something pastry, and sometimes a mix of each. Every night finds a different menu of special items, often served with their flavorful ice cream/gelatos on the side.
Whenever one goes, there’s always a line and both inside and out are usually crowded, but it’s not too difficult to find a table, and the line usually doesn’t last more than ten minutes.
The restaurant does an excellent job of packing orders to go; they even include cups of the various dessert sauces that would come with one’s order to garnish the plate.
Atmospherically, it’s a great place to sit and chat over food and a drink; during the summer, the outside seating is wonderful, and the inside is decorated with owner Karen Krasne’s collected object d’art, some of which are also offered for sale.
Overall, Extraordinary Desserts provides a tasty treat that, while not something one can do every night for just dessert, provides a tasty treat that’s worth the amount paid.
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1433 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach San Diego, CA 92109 (858) 270-4455
World Curry represents the finest in curries from all over the world. They have fine curry dishes from India (of course), Japan, and the Caribbean. From what I understand, Brits will be able to find a decent curry at this place — they have Keema and Vindaloo curries. You can also get a lovely Thai salad, and since you can substitute tofu in most of the dishes, they cater to the vegetarian palate as well.
My favorites are the Thai Panang curry, the good Thai chicken salad, and the curry puffs — a dollop of one of the curry dishes and some cream cheese, wrapped up in a delicious pastry dough and deep fried.
We usually go here for lunch or for takeout when we need it. The dishes are yummy, everything is fresh and well-made, and it’s a great value.
1830 Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, Ocean Beach San Diego, CA 92107 (619) 226-7619 Map
4705 Point Loma Avenue, Ocean Beach/Point Loma San Diego, CA 92107 (619) 224-9815 Map
3910 30th Street, North Park San Diego, CA 92104 (619) 574-1288 Map
Rancho’s Cocina (known simply as Rancho’s) is one of the better Mexican restaurants in San Diego. It’s very unassuming, but their food is excellent and inexpensive.
Traditional Mexican fare (tacos, burritos, etc.) can be found on the menu, sometimes with a twist, along with some more obscure dishes, as well as some of their own creation. Their grilled fish tacos are among the better found in San Diego, and their fried calamari appetizer is amazing — fresh and tender, not a trace of the chewiness one might find at a lesser establishment.
They also have a good deal of breakfast items on the menu, as well as smoothies (liquados) made from fresh fruit.
Over half of their menu consists of vegetarian items, some with just vegetables, others with tofu or other meat substitutes. Every ingredient they use is fresh; we once had to walk through the back area to get to a bathroom at the original location on Point Loma Ave. (which also contains their grocery store), and the owner proudly pointed out that the only thing that came from a can was tomato paste — everything else was in fresh bundles from their suppliers.
They’re usually busy, so every now and then it can take a little time for the food to arrive, but it’s always worth the wait. The only thing cheaper are the “*berto’s” restaurants one finds interspersed around San Diego, but it’s worth the extra buck or two for real, quality Mexican food.
Website Map
2302 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 297-4007 (297-for-james-bond)
(Note, not 100% sure if the website is official, but it does have most of the menu on it.)
Pomegranate is an absolutely amazing Russian/Georgian restaurant. A small, unassuming place on El Cajon Boulevard a block west of Texas Street, you will never walk out of there hungry or disappointed.
They do prefer if you make reservations, but you can walk in unannounced if necessary.
One of the owners, Marko, sits at a table in the corner, watching over the diners like a godfather, and he’s always up for a chat if you’re in the mood. The other owner, Jon, runs the kitchen and produces finer food than comes out of the more expensive restaurants in the gaslamp.
If it’s your first time there, try the 7-salad sampler of appetizers that’s not on the menu; that will give you a good taste of the food finery one can expect. For an entree, try the Georgian Eagle (half chicken stewed in spices), the Golubtsi (meat wrapped up in cabbage leaves and cooked), or any of the other delicious items. If you’re not feeling as adventurous, there’s always the beef stroganoff, which is also impeccably cooked.
For dessert, I like the Babushka’s Surprise — baked apple filled with nuts and fruits and served next to ice cream. If you’re looking for something to double your pulse rate and kick your inevitable food coma, try the Toad Sweat ice cream along with the Turkish Coffee — both excellent items.
My S.O. likes the samovar tea (but don’t ask for it to be iced!); I like the Georgian wheat beer and the medium-strength ginger ale (they have a strong spicy ginger ale that I haven’t dared try yet).
All of the staff want to make sure that your entree is to your liking; once when I ordered the falling-apart barbecue beef, the chef noticed that I was cutting away the fat (I’m that kind of person) and brought me a new cut of meat without the fat.
Pomegranate is one place where we’re never disappointed by what’s served, and we always feel like we get more than our money’s worth.
