For many years, San Diego built its dining reputation around great fish tacos—and justifiably so; the beachy metropolis is home to some legendary taquerias, and the food gets even better when paired with a great microbrew (another noteworthy local offering). But the Southern California city also has a handful of long-established high-end restaurants.
These helped set the tone as San Diego quietly evolved from its casual flip-flop status to a place with an exciting and sophisticated dining scene, one influenced by an influx of talented chefs interested in showcasing diverse culinary styles. These kitchens are buoyed by the bounty of California produce, Pacific seafood and nearby wine regions, making America’s Finest City a must-visit for great food and wine.
Make sure to explore all the Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners in and around the San Diego area. And to check out more great wine dining spots across the globe, explore Wine Spectator’s more than 3,500 Restaurant Award–winning picks, including the more than 90 Grand Award recipients that hold our highest honor.
Do you have a favorite you’d like to see on this list? Send your recommendations to restaurantawards@mshanken.com. We want to hear from you!
Addison
5200 Grand Del Mar Way, San Diego
Telephone (858) 314-1900
Website addisondelmar.com
Grand Award
Addison in Carmel Valley, Calif., has held a Grand Award since 2009 and and is a member of the prestigious Relais & Chateaux luxury hospitality association. Chef William Bradley has been dazzling diners here since 2006, helping solidify Addison as a world-class dining destination. His 10-course seasonal tasting menu harmoniously blends California ingredients with international inspirations. One of the restaurant’s signature dishes is a sesame-flavored Koshihikari rice served over a silky smoked sabayon and topped with Regiis Ova caviar. The restaurant’s Tuscan villa vibe—with arched windows and doorways, carved wood furnishings and marble pillars—matches the level of sophistication in Bradley’s food. Wine director Sean McGinness and lead sommelier Kyle South’s 2,800-wine program, backed by an impressive 10,000-bottle inventory, is well worth perusing for its depth and strength in Burgundy, Bordeaux, California, Italy, Champagne and several other leading wine regions.
The Marine Room
La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, 2000 Spindrift Drive, La Jolla, Calif.
Telephone (858) 459-7222
Website marineroom.com
Best of Award of Excellence
For more than 80 years, the Marine Room has given diners a front-row seat to the Pacific Ocean’s grandeur in La Jolla, Calif. Situated on the beach, the restaurant boasts views of crashing waves and scenic sunsets from tables along its main window or elevated within the middle of the dining room. Adding to the tranquil, beachy vibe are vaulted wood ceilings marked with light blue, gray and green details. Chef Alex Pailles’ menu leans into seafood and lively flavor profiles, as seen with the salmon belly tartare with makrut lime–chive oil, as well as the Baja swordfish with pasilla de Oaxaca chiles, hominy and charred portions of avocados and tomatoes. Holding a Best of Award of Excellence, wine director Nicholas George’s program shows depth in California and France, with plenty of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs to choose from. In a delightful twist, the fish-focused restaurant also has an impressive collection of Cabernets, including wines from leading Napa Valley vintner Bill Harlan; there are multiple vintages from his Harlan Estate, Bond, the Maiden and Matriarch labels.
Mister A’s
2550 Fifth Ave. 12th Floor, San Diego
Telephone (619) 239-1377
Website asrestaurant.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Mister A’s is a dining icon near Balboa Park that has undergone a few iterations since its opening in 1965. Longtime operations director Ryan Thorsen took over ownership in 2021 and promptly gave the restaurant a face-lift. Sweeping vistas of the San Diego skyline from the 12th-floor restaurant have long been a draw; during the renovation, the lounge area (previously sunken) was raised so the view could be enjoyed by all guests. The updated, contemporary design dining room pops with royal blue hues and glittering chandeliers. Executive chef Stephane Voitzwinkler’s menu is befitting of the restaurant’s penthouse vibe, with dishes such as the king salmon “Wellington” with foraged mushroom duxelles, asparagus and béarnaise sauce. Alternatively, guests can look to the restaurant’s Jazz Brunch menu and, during the season, holiday-themed menus. As for beverages, wine director Scott Rose’s 731-selection, Best of Award of Excellence–winning wine program spans 15 pages (and 5,500 bottles), with picks from California, Oregon, Italy, France (particularly Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley) and farther afield.
Nine-Ten
Grande Colonial Hotel, 910 Prospect St., La Jolla, Calif.
Telephone (858) 964-5400
Website nine-ten.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Inside La Jolla’s century-old Grande Colonial Hotel, Best of Award of Excellence winner Nine-Ten exudes a modern feel that tilts toward luxury, yet the restaurant still remains comfortable and unfussy. The dining room is lively with colorful local art on the walls. Beyond the main space, seating on the terrace offers ocean views and the front patio is terrific for people-watching. The menu is concise but big on flavor, with globally inspired dishes such as chef Jason Knibb’s Jamaican jerk pork belly with plantains, black-eyed peas and a sweet potato puree and his pan-roasted Colorado lamb loin with cilantro yogurt, charred eggplant puree and za’atar. Wine director Chris Russo’s program features 350 selections (representing 3,000 bottles), with depth in California, France and Italy. The list includes a selection of wines the restaurant team has discovered on their travels, as well as other sommelier suggestions and winery spotlights.
Stake Chophouse & Bar
1309 Orange Ave., Coronado, Calif.
Telephone (619) 522-0077
Website stakechophouse.com
Best of Award of Excellence
On Coronado Island, Stake Chophouse & Bar offers modern steak house charm in a dimly lit dining room, with dark wood accents and leather banquets. Executive chef Matt Sramek and chef de cuisine Matthew Martinez’s menu follows suit with oysters, caviar, seafood platters and more. As for the cuts of meat, there are rib eyes, strips and tenderloins in various sizes, plus a 12-ounce Full Blood Wagyu “Picanha” sirloin and a 10-ounce American Wagyu skirt steak. For $215, the Taste of Japanese A5 experience includes three cuts of beef ranging from 10 to 12 in Beef Marbling Score: a Kagawa rib eye, a Saitama tenderloin and a Miyazaki New York strip. And don’t miss the potato options, including spuds gratin, duchesse, fried or baked; there’s also a menu item of Yukon Gold potatoes mashed with butter-poached lobster and an optional truffle add-on. The glass wine cellar is the centerpiece of the space. The restaurant boasts a 16,000-bottle inventory, with diverse picks from Italy, Spain, California and France. Wine director Nate Black’s 1,873-label program makes a serious mark with its Cabernet and Bordeaux selections, including multiple vintages of Colgin, Abreu, Dominus and Schrader in Napa, as well as Pontet-Canet and Figeac in Bordeaux. Guests can also explore sommelier picks under $100 for additional steak-friendly selections.
A.R. Valentien
The Lodge at Torrey Pines, 11480 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, Calif.
Telephone (858) 777-6635
Website lodgetorreypines.com/ar-valentien
Award of Excellence
When golfers make a pilgrimage to the legendary Torrey Pines, they don’t have to look far for a great place to dine and unwind after a round of 18. Award of Excellence winner A.R. Valentien’s stunning Craftsman design—a post-and-beam structure, stained-glass lighting fixtures and wood-framed windows—marries the charm of a mountain lodge with the sophistication of a country club for an overall warm, welcoming vibe. Adding to this experience is the 280-wine program from wine director Paul Krikorian; the 11,000-bottle collection is strong with California offerings, including bottles such as Far Niente Chardonnay, as well as Cabernets from Duckhorn and Groth. The concise, regionally focused menu spotlights the bounty of California with seasonal dishes such as a zucchini soup with Dungeness crab–stuffed squash blossoms and pepita garnishes, or a hand-rolled scarpinocc pasta with summer corn, Parmesan brodo and black truffles. Don’t miss chef Kelli Crosson’s charcuterie plate, which features unctuous house-made pâtés and terrines.
Juniper and Ivy
2228 Kettner Blvd., San Diego
Telephone (619) 269-9036
Website juniperandivy.com
Award of Excellence
San Diego’s Little Italy is one of the city’s trendiest districts, with more than 70 eateries, wine bars and pubs within a radius of just a few blocks. Juniper and Ivy opened in 2014 with Top Chef All-Stars winner Richard Blais at the helm; Jon Sloan leads the kitchen today, offering a hyperlocal, seasonal and user-friendly menu with creative comforts such as house-made sourdough with Mikolich farm honey butter and Kurobuta pork chops with lion’s mane mushrooms. Bold, global flavors also star, as with the achiote-marinaded rockfish tostadas with avocado mousse, the carne cruda asada toast with Cotija cheese and the Okinawan sweet potato with togarashi honey. A Restaurant Award winner since 2015, the wine list—overseen by wine director and general manager Anna Shin—spans 300-plus offerings comprised mostly of Californian and French picks. Among the 1,900 bottles in the restaurant’s inventory, guests will find Merry Edwards Pinot Noir and Domaine Tempier rosé. Situated inside a modern warehouse structure, the Juniper and Ivy space is lively, with exposed industrial ceilings, redwood beams and natural tones to match.
The Fishery
5040 Cass St., San Diego
Telephone (858) 272-9985
Website thefishery.com
Award of Excellence
Opened in 1996, the Fishery is a Pacific Beach restaurant that once was a seafood wholesaler and warehouse for the Pacific Shellfish seafood company. The concept of taking the best and freshest catches of the day for the kitchen (while also distributing fish to local restaurants and stores) remains intact today, and the family-run business is a local favorite for top-notch, sustainably caught seafood. That ethos extends to the restaurant’s other ingredients as well. Chef Jon Bautista and the kitchen team ensure the Fishery’s star attractions shine in the dishes, complementing the fish with generous herbal and citrusy accents. This is on display with the local ahi served with heirloom tomatoes, ginger, Thai chiles and anise hyssop. These flavors are a fitting match for wine director Nicholas Gergen’s 285-label, moderately priced wine list, which was born from proprietors Nicholas Lorenz and Annemarie Brown-Lorenz’s travels. Across the list are a number of refreshing, seafood-friendly Mediterranean whites as well as a collection of counterparts from California regions.
Keep up with the latest restaurant news from our award winners: Subscribe to our free Private Guide to Dining newsletter, and follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @WineSpectator and Instagram at @wine_spectator.
