Must-try in San Diego - visiting from LA

What will be your top picks for fish tacos in SD?

The Blue Water Grill has GREAT fish tacos. Always fresh.

https://bluewaterseafoodsandiego.com/

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@JeetKuneBao, this is an expansive topic for me. There are quite a few good places in SD but the problem is always consistency. Some places are great one day and mediocre the next.

The ones I go to most often are Mariscos German (truck or brick and mortar), Mariscos y birrieria El prieto, Four tunas, Kiko’s. They are unfortunately not always good but often they are. The salsa is best at Mariscos German (this matters a lot to me).

Other good places are Oscar’s, Mariscos mi gusto es, el cacho, TJ oyster bar, Mariscos Los Cuates, LA 57, Mariscos El Pescador

The taco stand is also surprisingly good.

There are also places like El Pescador, Mitch’s and Blue Water mentioned above that are all very good but different than the Ensenada taco stand type place.

I would like to try Mar Rustico but haven’t yet.

After all that, I doubt there is anything in SD that is above what can be found in LA/OC.

Finally, apologies to @PorkyBelly for derailing his/her question. I suspect @DiningDiva has tried Callie and Jeune et Jolie but don’t no if she still visits FTC.

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Thank you for the recs!

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Here’s how my experience at Jeune went:

Oh and we ate at Jeune et Jolie on Friday night as we headed down to the Fairmont. The meal was good, but not great and the service was so bad. The pacing could not have been slower and the servers all struggled to describe the dishes they were putting down in front of us. I know it’s hard for restaurants to find good staff right now so I don’t want to ding them too hard, but there’s no way this spot deserves a Michelin star

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A little late to the party Red Devil, but I’d pick Callie over June et Jolie. I think it is more consistent and the menu at Callie is pretty interesting.

As far as fish tacos, you suggestion for Mariscos German is spot on. I do like the fish tacos at Blue Water but think they have too much extraneous “stuff” on them, but that said, the quality of the fish is top notch and the over all taco really good.

For tacos in general don’t overlook Lola 55 downtown for some creative takes.

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Does Juniper & Ivy no longer compete with the likes of JetJ and Callie?

Juniper & Ivy still competes. It’s an elder-statesman as far as restaurant in SD go, so it doesn’t get the press the new places do. It’s still worth th ereservation and the price.

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As a fellow San Diegan, RedDevil, I agree with you on Oscars and the food truck off of Friar’s Road.

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hello San Diego folks–anybody been to Valle in OCeanside? That michelin star is pretty snazzy

It was ok. Service was outstanding but I didn’t find the food that impressive for the cost. It’s been a few months so I forget the details but I guess that’s the point—it just wasn’t that memorable. There was an effort made to be creative but just didn’t deliver on execution.

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Loved Cesarina. Reminded me of Maccheroni Republic in LA, but better. Delicious sauces. Tasty breads. Pasta was medium-soft al dente.

El Pescador Fish Market in La Jolla is fantastic as usual. Always crowded and for good reason. Fresh simply well prepared high quality seafood. Everybody was getting chowder or cioppino. Had a little fomo. Next time.



Wayfarer in La Jolla. Better get there early or wait in a 50 person line. I preordered. The plain croissant is buttery, flaky and perfect. The best I’ve had outside of France. Kids said their croissants were great. The baguette not pictured is outstanding as well.

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That octopus looks AMAZing.

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North Park Beer Company Pizza Shop. Great beer obviously. They had a few guest taps and wine. Got a 4 pack of Timbo Pills collab. Pizza was much better than expected. Would come back for sure. Very hard to find parking. Bring a jacket bc it’s windy.




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