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Where to Eat

The following list of restaurants was put together by some of the graduate students.

Afghan

 
Zia’s Afghan Café: 4118 30th Street (North Park) 619-285-1635. Cheap, yummy and huge servings. If you’ve never tried Afghan food, you must go here. If you have, you’ll love it here. This small restaurant has a limited number of things to chose from, but they are all really tasty. Usually people just have one of their "plates" (vegetarian, lamb, or chicken). You get a bed of rice, some meat, and a variety of weird veggies for about $6.00.
Breakfast/Brunch
Antique Row Café: 3002 Adam’s Ave. (Normal Heights) 619-282-9750. This place always has a long lineup on Saturday and Sunday mornings, but they do provide free coffee and munchies while you wait. The food is typical breakfast food, with big portions. The main appeal of this restaurant is the interior which is decorated with fun antiques and has books and crayons for you to amuse yourself with while you wait for your order.
  The Big Kitchen: 3003 Grape Street (Golden Hill) 619-234-5789. One of the best and friendliest places to have breakfast in San Diego. The restaurant has two rooms with walls plastered with photographs of patrons (including Hillary Clinton, and Whoopie Goldberg, and a ton of regular everyday people), and an outdoor patio. The fare is primarily vegetarian, with a down-home touch. They have egg white omelets, huge pancakes, a killer coffeecake, and an awesome breakfast burrito. The owner, Judy the Beauty, is great and will gladly sit down and chat with you.
  Brockton Villa Restaurant: 1235 Coast Blvd. (La Jolla) 858-454-7393. This place has a very East Coast feel to it, with patchwork quilts and a large stone fireplace. It is a little pricey but worth it. Great for brunch when mom and dad are in town and paying. The Cove Cakes come highly recommended (banana whole wheat cinnamon pancakes with fresh fruit), as well as the turkey and arugula sandwich, and the Greek Steamers (eggs scrambled using the steam attachment of their espresso machine, mixed in with tomatoes, feta cheese and basil).
  The Broken Yolk Café: 1851 Garnet Avenue (Pacific Beach) 858-270-9655. Try the eggs – they’re good.
  Café on Park: 3831 Park Blvd. (North Park) 619-293-7275. A favorite breakfast place amongst the Hillcrest set, there are often pretty long lines here on Saturday and Sunday mornings. However, it’s worth the wait. The portions are enormous and very tasty. Items range from peanutbutter sandwiches to the best tuna melt ever (made with real tuna, and not the kind from a can).
  Hob-Nob Hill: 2271 First Avenue (Banker’s Hill) 619-239-8176. The regulars here are old people in leisure suits. The food is very American and very 60’s. Breakfast is served all day and is really good. The waitresses are professional waitresses - the kind that stop and chat and call you dear and try their hardest to make you happy. Try the gourmet French toast - it’s excellent.
  The Original Pancake House: 3906 Convoy Street (Clairemont) 858-565-1740. The apple pancake is a must here. The coffee is served with whipping cream and the portions are huge. Not really cheap though.
  Perry’s Café: 4620 Pacific Highway (Mission Valley) 619-291-7121. An extremely popular breakfast spot for natives and visitors alike (including truck drivers). There is usually a wait here, but if you go early (before 9 am) or late (after noon) you won’t have to wait long. The food is of the diner-type - kind of greasy, but really good and inexpensive. They have a wide selection of omelets and fritattas.
  Woody’s Bagel Factory: 1044 Wall Street (La Jolla) 858-551-5550. Fifteen types of bagels (including Montreal-style), all hand rolled and boiled in water and honey. Not quite New York bagels, but not bad either. Lots of fancy toppings too.
Chinese
Emerald Chinese Seafood Restaurant: 3709 Convoy Street (Clairemont) 858-565-6888. This place serves good Chinese food, but some say they have seen mice here. The Dim Sum here is really good, and cheaper than at Jasmine, but beware, the wait on a Sunday morning can be up to 1 hour.
  Jasmine: 4609 Convoy Street (Clairemont) 858-268-0888. People have mixed feelings about this Chinese seafood restaurant where you can pick your dinner from the fish tank. The food is probably some of the best Chinese you will find in San Diego, but this also makes it very popular and crowded. The atmosphere (and prices) is like that of an expensive Hong Kong restaurant. Jasmine is also one of the few places in San Diego where you can find dim sum.
  Pickup Stix: 8707 Villa La Jolla Dr. (UTC) 858-552-1566. This fastfood restaurant is cheap, quick, and close to Scripps. The orange peel chicken comes highly recommended.
  Sam Woo Barbecue Restaurant: 7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. (Clairemont) 858-974-8899. This restaurant is located in the 99 Ranch Market food store and has very very authentic take-out Chinese for around $5 a person. And, when you are finished eating, you can go shopping at the market.
  Savoy Restaurant: 4690 Convoy Street (Clairemont) 858-495-9139. Inexpensive and really good with large portions. A nice change from all the other upscale restaurants on Convoy St.
Coffee
Bernini’s: 7550 Fay Ave (La Jolla) 858-454-5013. Open till midnight, this café offers a nice study area and very hot coffee.
  Brockton Villa Restaurant: 1235 Coast Blvd. (La Jolla) 858-454-7393. Although it’s a classy restaurant, they are really good about people just coming in for coffee and a good view of the sunset. They serve a killer mocha. All the drinks are around $2.00 and the bottomless coffee is only about $1.25.
  Café 976: 976 Felspar (Pacific Beach) 858-272-0976. Quaint, with a pleasant ambiance. They offer music on Friday and Saturday nights.
  Café Crema: 1001 Garnet Ave. (Pacific Beach) 858-273-3558. A trendy place to hang out. Has live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
  The French Gourmet: 960 Turquoise (Pacific Beach) 858-488-1725. This bakery is outstanding. Try the almond croissants with powdered sugar - great for munching on the beach or eating after morning surfing in Pacific Beach.
  Gelato Vero Café: 3753 India Street (Mission Hills) 619-295-9269. Limited menu but vegetarian-friendly. Rumored to have the best ice cream in San Diego. Occasionally has live music.
  The Grove Cafe: UCSD campus. Occasional live music. A good opportunity to mingle with some non-scientists. The danishes are really good and have real fruit in them.
  Kensington Coffee Company: 4141 Adams Ave. (Kensington) 619-280-9114. A great place to grab a coffee and a snack before or after watching a movie at the Ken Cinema
  The Living Room: 1010 Prospect Street (La Jolla) 858-459-1187. Lots of old furniture, good coffee and desserts in a really cozy atmosphere.
  Peet’s Coffee: A godsend from San Francisco, this little coffee shop has locations all around San Diego, including one in the Sav-On/Whole Foods mall in UTC. The coffee here is excellent, if not a bit expensive. It is worth it though. For awesome, strong coffee try Major Dickason’s Blend. They also have a wide selection of loose tea, and sweets. This is a great place to go when you are waiting for a prescription to be filled at Sav-On.
  Twiggs Bakery & Coffee House: 4590 Park Blvd. (University Heights) 619-296-0616. Good coffee and deserts in an artsy atmosphere. There is almost always a poetry reading or guitarist playing here.
  Zanzibar Coffee Bar and Gallery: 976 Garnet Ave. (Pacific Beach) 858-272-4762. A very trendy place for the crunchy younger crowd in Pacific Beach. Good place to sit outdoors and watch the colorful PB crowd walk by. Live music occasionally.
Cuban  
  Andre's Cuban Restaurant: 1235 Morena Blvd (Old Town) 619-275-4114. Try it once. You might never go back, but at least you can tell your friends you ate Cuban food. The dishes are kind of bland and oily, but definitely an interesting taste experience. Avoid the garlic bread - its just bread with oil poured on it and garlic powder sprinkled on top.
Indian  
  Ashoka the Great: 9474 Black Mountain Road (Miramar) 858-695-9749. This upper class Indian restaurant has excellent service and good food. There is an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet every day.
  K.C.’s Tandoor: 1070 N El Camino Real(Encinitas) 760-753-7452. Lot’s of vegetarian items, and a wide range of food. Very inexpensive and good for catered events.
  Star of India: 423 F St. (Downtown) 619-544-9891; Very pricey for passable Indian food. I recommend K.C.’s Tandoor instead. But if your parents are in town or you suddenly came into a bit of money, then go for it.
Italian/Pizza  
Bacci Restaurant: 1955 Morena Blvd. (Bay Park) 619-275-2094. Although this restaurant is really expensive, it’s worth it. Go here if you’re celebrating something or just really want to impress the person you’re with. The food is gourmet Italian and extremely rich. The swordfish is to die for, and the waiters are very nice and attentive.
  The Bronx Pizza: 111 Washington Street (Hillcrest) 619-291-3341. This is probably the best pizza in San Diego. Some people swear by the pizza here. It is New York style, with a thin crust and a small amount of sauce. The toppings include staples such as tomato, pepperoni, and mushroom as well as the more unusual pesto and spinach.
  Filippi’s Pizza Grotto: 1747 India (Downtown) 619-232-5094. Do not go here on a Friday or Saturday night - the lineup is terrible. Any other night of the week you will get really good Italian food in a setting with red and white checkered tablecloths and Chianti bottles hanging from the ceiling. There is also an excellent Italian deli/grocery in the front of the store.
  Il Fornaio: 1555 Camino Del Mar (Del Mar) 858-755-8876. Great view of the ocean. Expensive Italian food.
  Pizza Port: 135 N. Highway 101 (Solana Beach) 858-481-7332. A favorite amongst UCSD and TSRI students, this place serves excellent pizza and beer. It can get a little crowded and rowdy in the evenings (especially Friday and Saturday night) so beware. The pizza is really good and ranges from your everyday pepperoni and cheese to a decadent pesto and seafood number.
  Sammy’s California Woodfired Pizza: 702 Pearl Street (La Jolla) 858-456-5222; 12925 El Camino Real (Del Mar) 858-259-6600; 770 Fourth Avenue (downtown) 619-230-8888. Very popular nouvelle pizza spot.
  Sorrentino’s: 4724 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. (Clairemont) 858-483-1772. In addition to great pizza and sandwiches from the takeout side of the place, the restaurant itself is really good. Portions are huge and prices are reasonable, especially if you watch The Reader for coupons. The Chef’s Specialties are highly recommended.
Japanese  
  Ichiban: 1449 University Avenue (Hillcrest) 619-299-7203; 1441 Garnet Avenue (Pacific Beach) 858-270-5755. A great place for cheap, good, fast sushi.
  Sushi Deli: 828 Broadway (Downtown) 619-231-9597. This restaurant is the hip place to go for the downtown crowd. The food is excellent. The fish melts in your mouth, and the miso soup is awesome. AND it is REALLY cheap.
  Sushi Deli Too: 135 Broadway (Downtown) 619-233-3072. Sushi Deli’s sister restaurant that’s just down the street. Try going here if the line as Sushi Deli is too big.
  Sushi Ota: 4529 Mission Bay Drive (Pacific Beach) 858-270-5670. Some consider it the best sushi place this side of the Pacific. If you have any Japanese friends make sure you have them make the reservations, and bring them along for dinner - you’ll get better food and service. Get one of the sushi combos, the tchirashi sushi bowl, or order sushi a la carte. Sushi Ota is particularly well known for their rolled sushi. Try the rainbow or caterpillar roll. Beware though, it is expensive!
  Mitsuwa Market Place: 4240 Kearny Mesa Road (Clairemont) 858-569-6699. A good place for sushi without service, this Japanese market sells all kinds of prepared food including sushi. After 5pm they take $1.00 off all their sushi assortments. The little fast food stand out front also has lots of other things including udon noodles with goodies in huge steaming bowls for really cheap.
  Todai Restaurant: 2828 Camino Del Rio South (Mission Valley) 619-299-8996. Advertised as "All you can eat 200 ft. seafood buffet" this cafeteria-style restaurant offers everything from lobster, to miso soup, to as many different types of sushi as you can dream up. There is also a desert buffet that can’t be missed.
Kosher/Deli  
  City Delicatessen & Bakery: 535 University Ave. (Hillcrest) 619-295-2747. Voted the best Matzo-Ball soup in San Diego by San Diego Magazine. Apparently the softball-sized matzo-balls have just enough chicken to make them taste like grandma used to make.
  D. Z. Akin’s: 6930 Alvarado Rd. (La Mesa) 619-265-0218. This is by far the best Jewish deli in San Diego. The matzo-ball soup is excellent (huge matzo balls), and there are 110 sandwiches to chose from. The perogies and potato pancakes are a bit greasy. There is also a small market-deli-bakery here in case you want more food to take home with you.
  Samson’s Deli: 8861 Villa La Jolla Drive (UTC) 858-455-1461. There are something like 400 items on the menu and pickles on every table. The portions are huge and delicious, and the deserts are great. They serve breakfast all day, have terrific sandwiches, and a salad bar, and also carry quite a few vegetarian items.
Mexican  
Casa Sanchez: 3332 Adams Ave. (Normal Heights) 619-283-0355. The Saturday and Sunday brunch here is very good. The champagne breakfast includes champagne, fruit, any one of their large breakfast plates and a desert.
  Chillango’s Mexico City Grill: 142 University Ave. (Hillcrest) 619-294-8646. Not the usual take on Mexican food, Chillango’s offers Mexico City-style delights such as sandwiches and molé. It’s is small but tasty, and offers both indoor and outdoor dining. The food is very healthy (and vegetarian).
  El Indio Shop: 3695 India Street (Mission Hills) 619-299-0333. This popular Mexican restaurant usually has a huge line up of people waiting to order food. This is probably because their menu is so extensive it takes people forever to choose what to eat. They have a lot of vegetarian items and are reasonable priced. It is primarily a fast-food sort of place (i.e. no table service) but they do have outdoor seating and their own parking lot.
  El Zarape: 4642 Park Bvd (University Heights) 619-692-1652. A great little Mexican restaurant with a huge menu. Food ranges from the normal items like shredded beef and chicken tacos to the more unusual scallop burritos and potato-filled tacos.
  Fins: La Jolla Village Square (UTC) 858-270-3467. Amazing shrimp tacos and burritos. Sundays are Shrimp Special Days where everything with shrimp is half price.
  La Salsa: 8750 Genesee Avenue (UTC) 858-455-7229. This chain serves inexpensive, healthy and fresh Mexican food with very large portions.
  Pokez Mexican Restaurant: 947 E St. (Downtown) 619-702-7160. This hipster hangout serves large portions at cheap prices. They have a lot of vegetarian dishes including a tofu version of carne asada.
  Papas & Tacos Mexican Food: 2239 1st Ave. (Banker’s Hill) 619-233-6079. One of the specialties here is papas and nopalés (that’s potatoes and cactus) tacos. Try it – it’s awesome. The restaurant also offers you the option of taking your food to the bar next door where you can enjoy an alcoholic beverage with your Mexican eats.
  Roberto’s: Carmel Valley Road, a little ways down from the Torrey Pines Rd turnoff. This is conveniently located near Scripps and is ideal for a quick lunch or dinner.
  Rubio’s: Located all around San Diego, Rubio’s is a favorite amongst many. They say you’re not a real San Diegan until you’ve had a Rubio’s Fish Taco. Their shrimp quesedilla is really good too. However, for fast food it can get a little pricey.
Seafood  
The Fishmarket: 750 N. Harbor Dr. (Downtown) 619-232-3474. A bit pricey, but you get a nice view of the harbor. The salmon and cucumber salad is excellent and so is their breakfast. There is a fish market on the premises if you didn’t get enough seafood.
  Hudson Bay Seafood Restaurant and Market: 1403 Scott (Point Loma) 619-222-8787. They have the best fish sandwich you will ever taste. They close at 8:30pm and are right on the dock so you can watch the boats while you eat.
  Pacifica Del Mar: 1555 Camino Del Mar (Del Mar) 858-792-0476. Kind of pricey, but very romantic (great views) and great food.
  Point Loma Seafoods: 2805 Emerson St. (Point Loma) 619-223-1109. This place boasts to be the largest retail fish market in southern California. In addition to having a fish market, it is also has a take out counter where you can order everything fishy from shrimp cocktail to fish and chips to sushi. There are tables set up outside to eat at, or you can walk to the docks and watch the boats while munching on your fish.
Thai  
  Karinya: 4475 Mission Blvd. (Pacific Beach) 858-270-5050. For a restaurant in a mini-mall this place has a wide variety of upscale Thai food. The boardwalk nearby provides a nice walk for after dinner.
  Spices Thai: 3810 Valley Center Dr. (Del Mar) 858-259-0889. A favorite among TSRI employees, there are great cheap lunch deals in this nice upscale restaurant. The food can be ordered at spice levels ranked from 1 to 10, beware though, the 10 is extremely hot!
  Taste of Thai: 527 University Avenue (Hillcrest) 619-291-7525. This pricey gourmet Thai restaurant is a good place to take your parents. Beware of the vegetarian items, a lot of them contain tofu that is pressed and flavored to resemble duck meat that’s a bit too realistic for some people.
  Thai Foon: 540 University avenue (Hillcrest) 619-297-8424. Located across the street from Taste of Thai, you can get better, cheaper, more authentic food here.
  World Curry: 1433 Garnet Avenue (Pacific Beach) 858-270-4455. They serve typical Thai curries as well as Japanese and Indian ones. Portions are big, the food is good, and the rice comes in little pyramids.
Vegetarian  
Daily’s Fit and Fresh: 8915 Towne Center Drive (UTC) 858-453-1112. With tasty, healthy, quick food, Daily’s may be the quintessential Southern California restaurant. Their three-bean chili, cranberry lemonade, hot fudge sundae (low fat), and veggie pizzas are quite good and cheap. Nothing on the menu is over $6.
  Jyoti Bihanga: 3351 Adams Avenue (Normal Heights) 619-282-4116. This place serves surprisingly tasty vegetarian food in a very Hindu atmosphere. The service is a bit slow, but there are lots of interesting things to look at while you wait. Be sure to follow the photographs depicting the exploits of spiritual leader and cosmic weightlifter Sri Chinmoy.
  The Roxy: 517 North Highway 101 (Encinitas) 760-436-5001. This little Encinitas restaurant offers good tasty vegetarian food that is not all brown rice and sprouts. They have a heavy Greek influence in their cooking. They also have live music once in a while, but the music isn’t too loud or distracting. Non-vegetarians will love it here too.
  Kung Food: 2949 5th Avenue (Downtown) 619-298-7302. This is a vegan restaurant that serves only natural organic foods.

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