Discovering San Diego's Food Scene With Eater San Diego
Are you looking for the best places to eat in San Diego? Do you wonder where to find the newest spots or what dishes are a must-try? Well, Eater San Diego is your go-to source for all things food in this sunny California city. They really help you keep up with the dining world here.
This site gives you the inside scoop on food news and helpful guides for eating out. It's all about San Diego, California, and what's happening on the plates around town. You can find out about so many different kinds of food and places to try, which is pretty cool.
Eater San Diego is like a friend who knows all the good food spots. They tell you about standout restaurants. They cover places across the county. This means you get to see a lot of different choices. You can find places that fit your budget, too. They also show you many types of food and dining styles. And you get to know about places in different parts of the city, which is useful, you know.
Table of Contents
- What's Eater San Diego All About?
- The Essential 38 Restaurants
- Hot New Openings and Closures
- San Diego on the National Stage
- Who is Behind Eater San Diego?
- Frequently Asked Questions About Eater San Diego
What's Eater San Diego All About?
Eater San Diego is a big name in the food world for this area. It gives you food news. It also has dining guides. These guides are for San Diego, California. They help you find places to eat. They show you what's new and what's good, too. It's a very helpful resource for anyone who loves food.
The team here is always looking for the next great bite. They tell you about restaurants that have made a name for themselves. They also share places that are just starting out. You can find information on different price points. They cover many kinds of food. This means there's something for everyone, you know.
They also tell you about different dining approaches. You might find a fancy place or a casual spot. They also cover many neighborhoods. So, you can find a good place to eat no matter where you are in San Diego. It's really quite comprehensive.
The Essential 38 Restaurants
One of the most talked-about things from Eater San Diego is their "Essential 38" list. This list is a big deal. It shows you 38 restaurants that are truly special. They show the very best of San Diego's food scene. This group of places really stands out.
The list covers a lot of ground, in a way. It includes restaurants from all over the county. So, it's not just about downtown San Diego. You will find places in many different cities. They also make sure to include a range of prices. This is good for different budgets, you know.
You will see many types of food on this list. There are different cuisines. There are also different ways of serving food. And they pick places from many neighborhoods. This list is updated often. With every update, Eater San Diego adds a few restaurants that have become newly recognized. This keeps the list fresh, which is pretty neat.
For example, to make room for new places, sometimes others come off the list. Recently, 24 Suns and Brisa were taken off. This makes space for exciting new spots. It shows how the food scene is always changing, you know. You can always find something new to try.
Hot New Openings and Closures
Eater San Diego is always on top of what's opening and closing. They tell you about the hot new restaurant openings. You may have missed some of them, so they keep you in the loop. For instance, they talked about openings in June 2025. This included sourdough pizza in Oceanside. There was also vegan fine dining mentioned. You could find out about Neapolitan pastas, and more. It's a pretty good way to stay informed.
They also have an "opening report." This is a curated roundup. It tells you about recent restaurant openings. It covers both big and small places. This is helpful for people who like to try new things. If they miss a spot, they even ask you to drop a note at their tipline. They will then consider it, which is nice.
Recent Restaurant Debuts
San Diego is always getting new places to eat. Eater San Diego shares these exciting news items. For instance, San Diego entered 2025 with some pretty exciting news. Lilo opened on April 17. This new fine dining spot takes the city's food scene to a new level. The experience there echoes that of very high-end places. It's a big deal for the city.
There are also new vegan places coming. A new fine dining restaurant and a diner are both entirely vegan. They are coming to University Heights. This shows a growing trend in the city, you know. People are looking for more plant-based options.
Yakitori is also getting a special treatment. The first solo restaurant for a veteran Japanese chef is opening. This chef's expert technique was recently seen at Yakitori Hino. Now, yakitori gets the omakase treatment. This means a chef-selected menu, which is very special.
Even coffee shops are expanding. Spill the Beans is a popular San Diego coffee shop. It opened its fifth location in Pacific Beach. This happened in early January. It's located at 980 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109. This shows how popular these places are, too.
Notable Restaurant Closures
It's not just about new places. Eater San Diego also keeps track of places that close. They provide a list of significant restaurant closures. This list covers a certain time frame. For example, they listed closures from December 2024 to January 2025. This helps people know what places are no longer open. It can be sad to see a favorite place go, you know.
One example is Tealightful Café. This place was a boba and Vietnamese snack shop. It was in Clairemont Mesa. It closed its doors. The owner is focusing on her health. This shows that closures happen for many reasons. It's part of the restaurant world, basically.
San Diego on the National Stage
San Diego's food and drink scene is getting noticed more and more. Eater San Diego helps to highlight this. They tell you when the city gets national recognition. This really helps to put San Diego on the map for food lovers. It's pretty exciting for the locals.
James Beard Awards and Cocktail Culture
The city is doing well in national awards. San Diego celebrates a semifinalist for "Best New Bar" in the James Beard Awards. This is a very big honor, you know. It shows that San Diego is becoming a top spot for cocktails. This further makes its reputation as a cocktail place. Bars here are really trying new things.
This winter, bars are using bold seasonal flavors. You might find pomegranate. There's also passion fruit. Smoky mezcal is another flavor they are using. These drinks are pretty interesting. They show how creative the bar scene is here, too.
Michelin Guide Recognitions
The Michelin Guide is a big deal for fine dining. Eater San Diego tells you about the city's progress with this. In advance of the California Michelin Guide ceremony on June 25, 2025, some news came out. The tire brand and culinary awards group added new restaurants. Seven new Southern California restaurants were added to their guide. Four of these were in San Diego, which is great news.
These new additions can get a Michelin star. They might get one at the ceremony this summer. Or they could get a Bib Gourmand designation. A Bib Gourmand means good food at a reasonable price. This shows that San Diego's food scene is getting more recognition at a high level. It's really a sign of quality, you know.
Who is Behind Eater San Diego?
The content at Eater San Diego comes from talented people. They really know their stuff. Candice Woo is the founding editor of Eater San Diego. She helped start it all, basically. Her work shaped what it is today.
Nicole Adlman is a cities manager at Eater. She looks after editorial operations. This includes city sites in Southern California and the Southwest. It also includes the Texas regions. She got a master's degree. It was in multidisciplinary writing. She studied at the University of Southern California. She helps make sure the content is good, you know.
Mona Holmes is an editor at Eater Southern California/Southwest. She also writes for KCRW radio often. She was a 2022 James Beard Award nominee. These people bring a lot of experience to the site. They help make Eater San Diego a trusted source for food news. They really know their food and drink.
Frequently Asked Questions About Eater San Diego
Here are some common questions people have about Eater San Diego, you know.
What kind of food information can I find on Eater San Diego?
You can find all sorts of food news and dining guides. They cover San Diego, California. This includes restaurant openings. You can also find lists of the best places to eat. They have guides to different food neighborhoods. You can also learn about iconic dishes. There's even vital restaurant information for visitors. They even cover Tijuana, Mexico, sometimes. It's a pretty wide range of things, you know.
How often does Eater San Diego update its "Essential 38" list of restaurants?
Eater San Diego updates its "Essential 38" list regularly. They add new restaurants that have become newly recognized. They also take some off to make room. This means the list is always changing. It reflects the current best of San Diego's dining culture. So, you can always check back for new picks, basically.
Does Eater San Diego cover more than just restaurants?
Yes, they do. They also cover bars. For example, they talk about James Beard Award semifinalists for "Best New Bar." They also mention cocktail trends. They even talk about coffee shops opening new locations. So, it's not just about food. It's about the whole dining and drinking scene, too.
So, if you are looking for what's new and good to eat, Eater San Diego is a great place to start. They really keep you informed. You can learn more about San Diego's food world on our site. Also, check out this page for more local dining tips. For a broader look at dining news, you could check out a general food news site, like Eater's main website, which is a good place to start.
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