SURF ROAD TRIPS were one of my favorite parts of growing up in Coastal California. When I first started driving as a teenager, it didn’t take me long to hit the road heading south. It’s hard not to be a little bit in love with the long stretches of warm, mellow beaches, the pods of dolphins just past the breaks, and fish tacos for three meals a day. San Diego was an obvious destination for these trips, with its abundance of great surf and beaches. It’s as close as you can get to Mexico without crossing the border, and plenty of that sun-drenched Baja tranquility spills over.
Thankfully, San Diego surf road trips are still a part of life for me. Some things have stayed the same since those days in the ’90s. The long, chill surf sessions haven’t changed much, and the fish tacos are still epic. My taste in food and wine has maybe evolved a little, though. I’ve spent the last 20 years working in the food industry, from dive bars to world-class bakeries (Tartine) and fine-dining restaurants (Flour + Water). Some of my favorite people from that world have made their way down to San Diego in the last few years too. Luckily, the city’s food scene has grown up along with us. Chic natural-wine bars, gintonerías (don’t worry, I didn’t know what that was either, although I’m really glad I found out), and sea-to-table fine dining mean that it’s not just post-surf tacos and beer anymore.
Much of San Diego's food scene rightly draws inspiration from the proximity to the sea, often with tremendous success. The area is also home to beautiful and hardworking small farms, which means you’ll find carefully grown heirloom vegetables, grains, and meat on menus all over town. I’ve collected some of my favorite spots here to carry you from morning to night. I won’t say you have to like seafood to eat in and around San Diego, but it helps.
Breakfast and Coffee
Wayfarer Bread and Pastry
Flawless foundations and classics
Wayfarer Bread is a bakery that any city would be lucky to have. Owner Crystal White had a dream from a young age of opening a bakery by the beach. She went about executing that dream with singular determination, training at the California...
Wayfarer Bread is a bakery that any city would be lucky to have. Owner Crystal White had a dream from a young age of opening a bakery by the beach. She went about executing that dream with singular determination, training at the California Culinary Institute in Napa, helping open Proof Bakery in Los Angeles, and fine-tuning her skills at Tartine Bakery (where, full disclosure, we worked together). In 2018, she opened Wayfarer in a charming former taco shop in the Bird Rock neighborhood, just steps from some of the best beaches in the county. The magic is in the flawless foundations: impeccably flaky croissant dough, country bread that embodies the maxim that the simplest things are the hardest to achieve (paraphrasing Keanu Reeves there). White uses those techniques as a canvas, painting on them with seasonal, local ingredients such as rhubarb, avocado, kumquat, and pistachio. As if that wasn’t enough, Wayfarer serves up mouthwatering sourdough pizza on Fridays and Saturdays.
Steady State Roasting
A welcoming third-wave coffee shop and roaster
Third-wave coffee (source-specific beans, creamy layered cappuccinos) took a minute to catch on in San Diego, but, boy, was it worth the wait. Steady State owner Elliot Reinecke brings thoroughly modern care and execution to the Carlsbad coffee...
Third-wave coffee (source-specific beans, creamy layered cappuccinos) took a minute to catch on in San Diego, but, boy, was it worth the wait. Steady State owner Elliot Reinecke brings thoroughly modern care and execution to the Carlsbad coffee scene, just north of San Diego. He started by roasting coffee in a shed in his backyard, and the vibe in the cafe still has that homey feel. Coffee shops are known for surly baristas, but here, the baristas are relaxed, friendly, knowledgeable, and warm. Reinecke sources his beans directly from growers and then roasts them carefully in small batches. The menu is well-curated, offering single-origin pour-overs for the tasting-note geeks and tie-dye iced teas (layered purple tea and lemonade) for those who just want something fun and delicious. My personal favorite post-surf refreshment is the Cold-Fashioned, a (non-alcoholic) cold coffee twist on an old-fashioned whiskey cocktail, with honey, bitters, and an orange-peel garnish. Bonus points for great merch — if you find yourself in North County and in need of a super hip hat or mug, this is your spot.
Lunch
El Pescador Fish Market
Laid-back atmosphere with top-quality seafood
This is the kind of place you can roll into in your flip-flops and get incredibly fresh, top-quality fish. It’s a market, so the main area is a large, glassed-in case full of whatever is in season, be it local spot prawns, crab, or fish. You can...
This is the kind of place you can roll into in your flip-flops and get incredibly fresh, top-quality fish. It’s a market, so the main area is a large, glassed-in case full of whatever is in season, be it local spot prawns, crab, or fish. You can buy seafood fresh to take home and cook, but there is also an extensive menu of sandwiches, shrimp and crab cocktails, oysters, tacos, and full plates that can be ordered for takeout or eaten at the tables in the middle of the market hall. The foolproof move here is to pick something that’s newly in-season and get it grilled or sauteed over a salad with housemade dressing or as a plate with a side salad and steamed rice.
The Fishery
An industry destination
When everyone you know in the food and beverage industry in any particular town all direct you to the same place, you should probably go. The Fishery is an industry favorite for good reason. There are seafood towers and great Champagne. The service is...
When everyone you know in the food and beverage industry in any particular town all direct you to the same place, you should probably go. The Fishery is an industry favorite for good reason. There are seafood towers and great Champagne. The service is professional but not stuffy, and the atmosphere feels nice without being too fancy. The owners have taken great care with the wine list here. There are some collector-quality French classics as well as some fun off-the-beaten-path by-the-glass wines. As with all my favorite wine lists, you can think as much or as little about it as you want and still can’t really lose. Also worth noting: This place is family owned for over 25 years and is currently in the capable hands of the second generation.
Royal Rooster
Unmatched Baja-style tacos
If San Diego were a country, fish tacos would be the national dish. They’re also my hypothetical death-row last meal. My favorite style is Baja, with batter-fried fish, tangy white sauce, and shredded cabbage. Everyone has a favorite fish-taco spot, and I...
If San Diego were a country, fish tacos would be the national dish. They’re also my hypothetical death-row last meal. My favorite style is Baja, with batter-fried fish, tangy white sauce, and shredded cabbage. Everyone has a favorite fish-taco spot, and I love to hear people’s different opinions. On a recent trip, I asked Bob Mitsven, a low-key Jedi Master of surfboard shaping and a lifelong San Diegan. If I can trust anyone about San Diego fish tacos, it’s Mitsven. So when he told me to go to Royal Rooster, I did not pass go, I did not collect $200. And I was not sorry. The fish was tender, the batter crispy, the sauce tangy, and the tortilla fresh. If you’re not into fish, they have other meat and veggie tacos and burritos on the menu as well. The restaurant’s in the harbor, so you can watch fish being pulled in off the boats as you eat on the patio.
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Dinner and Drinks
Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub
Excellent sushi with a punk edge
When you have access to the freshest, cleanest seafood, it makes sense to do as little to it as possible. The natural progression of this mentality is sushi. San Diego has some great sushi spots, but this one — located about 40 miles north...
When you have access to the freshest, cleanest seafood, it makes sense to do as little to it as possible. The natural progression of this mentality is sushi. San Diego has some great sushi spots, but this one — located about 40 miles north of the city — is particularly beloved for the blend of classic technique, innovation, and ambiance. The sashimi is unimpeachable, but the vibe is black-wall-paint punk-rockabilly. It works. Pro tip: Get the power bowl, a chirashi-style bowl of rice topped with a rainbow of sashimi.
Marisi
Indulgent Italian cuisine
This is where to go if you’ve worked up an appetite playing at the beach all day. From the housemade focaccia with local Tehachapi heirloom red-fife wheat to the handmade pastas, the stars here are the locally sourced, thoughtfully made version of what Italians do...
This is where to go if you’ve worked up an appetite playing at the beach all day. From the housemade focaccia with local Tehachapi heirloom red-fife wheat to the handmade pastas, the stars here are the locally sourced, thoughtfully made version of what Italians do best: carbs. My favorite is the tagliatelle with crab covered in bottarga — cured fish roe that’s shaved over the buttery pasta in a shower of umami. There’s also gorgeous carpaccio and lamb chops if you need some variety.
Paradisaea
Whimsy with an eye for detail
Paradisaea takes all the right things seriously without being self-serious. In a room that feels like every element is a highly thought-out custom piece, whimsical touches such as a neon sign and cocktail coasters in the shape of birds-of-paradise keep things...
Paradisaea takes all the right things seriously without being self-serious. In a room that feels like every element is a highly thought-out custom piece, whimsical touches such as a neon sign and cocktail coasters in the shape of birds-of-paradise keep things light (Paradisaea is the genus name of birds-of-paradise). Come for happy-hour oysters and rosé on tap, and stay for a dry-aged cheeseburger and an impressively deep whiskey list. Service is spot-on: polished and knowledgeable without being at all snooty.
Mabel’s Gone Fishing
A Michelin-starred gintonería
Mabel’s Gone Fishing feels like the unique extension of a particularly playful and charming personality. It calls itself a gintonería, a Spanish-style gin-and-tonic bar. And those are excellent. As fun as that sounds, though, it doesn’t quite do...
Mabel’s Gone Fishing feels like the unique extension of a particularly playful and charming personality. It calls itself a gintonería, a Spanish-style gin-and-tonic bar. And those are excellent. As fun as that sounds, though, it doesn’t quite do justice to the overall execution. This is the rare spot that completely nails ambiance, service, cocktails, wine, and food. It just earned a Michelin star earlier this year, and it’s easy to see why. Bring a few people and carve out some time — this is the kind of place where you want to order as many different things as possible and share everything, drinking and talking into the evening, with nowhere else to be.
Jeune et Jolie
An ideal prix-fixe date-night spot
Nothing says date night like a French restaurant with pink velvet booths. Everything about this spot feels intimate, lighthearted, and chic. This is a great place to come if you need some turf with your surf. Expect lardo with your asperges blanches and...
Nothing says date night like a French restaurant with pink velvet booths. Everything about this spot feels intimate, lighthearted, and chic. This is a great place to come if you need some turf with your surf. Expect lardo with your asperges blanches and sweetbreads with your wagyu beef. I suggest the prix fixe, if you want to pay more attention to your date than to choosing from the menu. Another one with a well-deserved Michelin star.
Eppig Brewing
A rotating selection of German-inspired fresh beers
San Diego has a great and illustrious history as a beer town. There is a wealth of great microbreweries to choose from, but this is my favorite spot to grab a pint and watch the world go by. A rotating selection of German-inspired beer means you can get a...
San Diego has a great and illustrious history as a beer town. There is a wealth of great microbreweries to choose from, but this is my favorite spot to grab a pint and watch the world go by. A rotating selection of German-inspired beer means you can get a lager to quench your thirst on a sunny day or a stout to warm you from the inside if the fog rolls in. My favorite order is the Berliner Weisse with raspberries and cherries. The grain mash is co-fermented with fruit, a classic style that is perfect for a sportbier, the German tradition of recovering with a beer after sports activity — a custom also honored by surfers everywhere.
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Our Contributors
Jennifer Latham Writer
Jennifer Latham is the author of “Baking Bread With Kids” from Ten Speed Press and co-author of “Bread Book” with Chad Robertson. She is the former director of bread for Tartine Bakery. She studied philosophy and journalism at the University of California, Santa Cruz, before following her love of dough into professional kitchens. Jennifer believes that healthy local food systems foster healthy people, communities, and environments. She lives in Northern California, where she loves to play outside.
