San Diego’s Culinary Scene Hits Prime Time with These Dining Destinations

It’s fair to say that San Diego knows good food. As you might imagine, you’ll find a lot of raw seafood, premium tacos and craft cocktails—a perfect reflection of the city’s location. From innovative Asian fusion concepts to snazzy Italian osterias, the culinary scene here is always evolving and always raking in the awards. So without further ado, we’ve rounded up 17 of San Diego’s best restaurants recognized by the prestigious Michelin Guide. Let’s dig in.

Lilo

Coastal omakase meets high drama at this 22-seat tasting menu restaurant in Carlsbad. Led by Chef Eric Bost, formerly of Michelin-starred Jeune et Jolie, Lilo offers a 12-plus course menu that highlights seasonal California flavors with strong Japanese and French influences. Dishes include dry-aged Japanese kinmedai paired with geoduck and bone marrow, as well as a 40-day dry-aged beef ribeye accompanied by preserved gurumelo mushrooms, seaweed, and bordelaise.

The dining experience begins on a heated patio, featuring an array of small bites, before transitioning into the sleek dining room, designed to evoke a seaside cave with wave-like walls and an open kitchen. Wine director Savannah Riedler curates offbeat California picks, while desserts surprise with creations like orgeat ice cream topped with celery root bushi and Ossetra caviar.

With its recent inclusion in the Michelin Guide as a “recommended” establishment, there’s potential for Lilo to earn a Michelin star or Bib Gourmand designation at the upcoming awards ceremony on June 25. Thanks to its unique culinary approach, Lilo shines as a must-visit restaurant for foodies in San Diego.

Location: Carlsbad

 

Atelier Manna

Atelier Manna in Encinitas is a soulful blend of art studio and wellness café, recently recognized in the 2025 California Michelin Guide as a Recommended restaurant. Chef Andrew Bachelier, known for his work at Campfire and Jeune et Jolie, along with his wife Larah, envisioned this space as a creative haven where culinary artistry and community converge.

The menu offers a globally inspired brunch that emphasizes nourishment and creativity. Dishes like Turkish-style çılbır eggs, halibut crudo with coconut leche de tigre, and a pork rack with pomegranate jus showcase the chef’s inventive approach. Complementing the food is a standout nonalcoholic beverage program, featuring vitality tonics crafted from local produce, such as clarified pineapple and cardamom. Every dish is a brushstroke, every corner tells a story, and the result is a Michelin Recommended marvel.

Location: Encinitas

 

24 Suns

24 Suns spins the calendar differently. Inspired by the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, chefs Nic Webber and Jacob Jordan craft a tasting menu that evolves with each solar term, offering a poetic reflection of nature’s subtle shifts. This Oceanside restaurant, born from a pop-up, now resides in a transformed former dive bar. The space exudes a minimalist yet warm ambiance, featuring Asian-inspired decor and a stone bar, creating an inviting atmosphere for diners.

One evening, the menu might present a crispy bird’s nest filled with smoked swordfish rillette, while another showcases a 12-foot-long longevity noodle symbolizing a wish for a long life. The next night, it’s a new term and a new vibe. Add a wine-and-sake program curated by General Manager Kyle South, and you’ve got a dinner party where the universe shows up on your plate. South, formerly of Addison, offers a selection of natural wines and inventive cocktails, such as the duck fat-washed Cognac Sazer-quack, enhancing the dining experience.

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Location: Oceanside

 

Tanner’s Prime Burgers

Chef Brandon Rodgers took everything he learned in white tablecloth kitchens and funneled it into the juiciest double stack ever. Tanner’s Prime Burgers is all about unapologetic flavor.  Enjoy Brandt Beef, beef bacon, Greenspan’s American cheese, and fries that sizzle in tallow like it’s a five-star fryer. There’s no ego here, just old-school burgers done right with modern finesse. The Dirty Double is an instant classic, the tallow ice cream sandwich is dangerous, and yes, the Teamonade deserves its own merch. What began as a racetrack pop-up is now officially Michelin-worthy. When the food’s this good, stars follow.

Location: Oceanside

 

The Fishery

Michelin Recommended 

Fishing for the best seafood spot in town? The Fishery will reel you in with rotating seasonal fresh catches and execution that earned them a Michelin nod. This nautical dining concept doubles as a local seafood wholesaler. It’s brought to life by gold embossed letters that spell out its moniker, a sailor blue awning and a 30-foot fish case. The cod burrito is a warm tortilla wrapped around crisp-fried cod filets, rice, beans and guacamole. Their ahi tuna poke needs nothing more than a dash of fresh lemon to be considered the best raw fish in town.</span>

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Location: Pacific Beach

 

Lola 55

Bib Gourmand: good quality, good value cooking

It’s not hard to find good tacos in San Diego, but if you want great tacos, Lola 55 is the place. This trendy restaurant has two locations in San Diego and serves up elevated tacos and signature cocktails. If you’re wondering what turned Michelin on to Lola 55, the mosquito chicken taco, pork belly adobada, masa fritas and churro sundae will answer that question. You’ll find the chefs at this modern Mexican sensation sizzling away at their mesquite wood-burning grill Tuesday through Sunday.

Locations: Downtown San Diego and Carlsbad 

 

Callie 

Bib Gourmand: good quality, good value cooking

Mediterranean octopus, kampachi crudo, warm chocolate chip tahini cookies and a winning selection of bubbles and wine—there’s a reason the name of this Mediterranean kitchen means “most beautiful” in Greek. </span>ss=”yoast-text-mark”>ss=”yoast-text-mark”>ss=”yoast-text-mark”>le=”font-weight: 400;”>Callie’s menu is peppered with a whimsical montage of homegrown morsels that translate into a bold reflection of Spanish, Italian, Moroccan, Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine. Sweeping past the contemporary 30-seat cocktail bar and communal dining room, you’ll find a stocked kitchen of local ingredients. We’re talking fresh yogurt from the El Cajon farmers’ market and pastured lamb from Poway. If you’re craving a little of everything, splurge on the Mediterranean Feast, a tasting set at $75 per person with an optional $40 wine pairing.</span>

&lt;span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Location: East Village

 

Kettner Exchange 

Bib Gourmand: good quality, good value cooking

Kettner Exchange’s hip, upscale venue prefers to scatter its wealth of culinary bliss across (literal) levels of award-winning architecture. You’ll find a club lounge, sports bar and terrace on the top floor. Underneath sits a cozy dining room with a two-way fireplace and hanging driftwood. Superior standouts among their globally-inspired small plates include bigeye tuna doused in a Makrut lime-soy marinade, suckling pig larb, foie gras French toast and grilled quail char sui. They’re all ready to be paired with shaken cocktails, like the Post Water-Malone and Rice and Shine.

Location: Little Italy

9/6

 

Juniper & Ivy

Michelin Recommended

Credit: Courtesy of Juniper and Ivy[/caption]

It’s hard to believe Juniper & Ivy’s white-tiled cocktail bar, soft tan furnishings and dining booths concealed by cur</

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tains are housed inside what was once an abandoned 1920s warehouse. Guests choosing the pre-fixe dinner enjoy award-winning Latin-Asian dishes curated by James Beard finalist Anthony Wells. Meanwhile, market-fresh finds, seasonal specialties, and artisan vintages inspire plates like yolk-filled ravioli and roasted chicken with grilled peach panzanella. Skim the dessert section if you must, but there’s really no contenders for the decadent chocolate Yodel cake.

Location: Little Italy

 

Addison

Three Michelin Stars

Credit: Courtesy Fairmount Grand Del Mar

Did you know San Diego is home to Southern California’s first and only three-star Michelin restaurant? Its triple-crown rating has marked Addison as a formal dining destination worthy of any trip to get here. A seasonal bounty from California’s top farms and global inspiration await in this elegant white-tablecloth dining room. Every dish shines, but the sesame Koshihikari rice with applewood-smoked sabayon and Regiis Ova caviar stands out. Meanwhile, chicken liver churros, shellfish-studded chawanmushi, and refined small bites with dessert wines are also must-tries.

Location: Del Mar

 

Coasterra

Michelin Recommended 

Credit: Coasterra

Perched on the tip of Harbor Island, dreamy views meet even dreamier seafood plates at this midcentury modern Mexican venue. If avocados turned into creamy guacamole tableside doesn’t convince you Coasterra is Michelin-worthy, the smoked beet tartare tostada with king trumpet mushrooms certainly will. Specialty cocktails and margs made with local ingredients? They’re all on the menu, and a premium tequila list as well. Good food and events go hand in hand at Coasterra with a large floating deck and a 300-seat banquet room. This is the quintessential place to savor chicken enchiladas and cinnamon churros over sunset views, if you ask us.

Location: Harbor Island

 

Sushi Tadokoro 

One Michelin Star

Step aside, Nobu. f=”https://www.sushitadokoro.com/”>Sushi Tadokoro</span>style=”font-weight: 400;”> may not look like much from the outside, but their traditional Edo-mae style sushi will quickly change your mind about appearances. This omakase sushi bar prides itself in homemade sauces, top-of-the-line ingredients and fresh-caught seafood flown in from around the world. Featuring British Columbia oysters, Hokkaido scallops, and California sea urchin, this Michelin-starred San Diego restaurant showcases the ocean’s finest. Meanwhile, its airy yet simple design keeps focus on the bluefin tuna, though a compact dining room makes reservations essential.

Location: Old Town

 

Mabel’s Gone Fishing 

Bib Gourmand: good quality, good value cooking

Credit: Kimberly Motos

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that deliver the most joy—like a bucket of oysters and a gin tonic from Mabel’s Gone Fishing</span></a>. A salty and satisfying blend of California and Iberian seafood, this trendy bodega draws inspiration from traditional Spanish tapas bars. Oysters and kampachi are the perfect palate warmers before moving on to swordfish schnitzel served with salsa verde, creamy tonnato sauce, caper berries and fennel. The food has earned this San Diego restaurant a Bib Gourmand recognition from the Michelin Guide. We agree that the cozy outdoor heaters, custom ceramic plateware and Spanish-tiled backsplash pass the vibe check.

Location: North Park 

 

Soichi

One Michelin Star

=”font-weight: 400;”>Michelin-starred sushi, anyone? Step up to the bar at <a href=”https://www.soichisushi.com/”>Soichi for a stellar culi

nary experience helmed by Chef Soichi Kadoya, who’s been practicing the art of sushi making since the age of 16. This omakase restaurant likes to keep things small and personal. It features a communal dining lounge and polished 12-seat bar that accommodates up to two parties at once. Top-quality nigiri and sake are the house specials at Soichi</a>. Golden eye snappers and fatty tuna are flown in from a small fishermen’s village in Japan, while local greens are sourced closer to home from a hydroponic farm here in California.</span&gt;

ss=”ai-optimize-50″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Location: University Heights

 

Solare

Bib Gourmand: good quality, good value cooking

Homemade pasta kneaded fresh each morning, oversized pizzas and a warm, homey atmosphere that emulates dinner in the living room are just a few attributes that set Solare</span&gt; apart. A Bib Gourmand award is just one of many badges of pride worn by this Michelin-recognized San Diego restaurant. This Italian trattoria is known for its award-winning wine and service. Not to mention there’s a World Pasta Championship winner manning the chitarra pasta cutter. Lasagna al forno will satisfy your pasta cravings, however don’t miss the fennel sausage pizza. It’s delivered with hot charred crust from their 900-degree wood-fired oven.

Location: Liberty Station

 

Cesarina

Bib Gourmand: good quality, good value cooking

Photography By: Swells Creative

Cue the Italian music, please! Cesarina is the reigning pasta champion of San Diego.  These chefs have mastered the art of the perfect fusilli, fettuccine and mafalde noodle. Hand-painted pottery adorns each colorful tabletop, while thrifted portraits and black-and-white tiled flooring replicate a traditional vintage Italian osteria. Everything from the truffled gnocchi and paccheri vodka scampi to their mix-and-match menu is made with amore. And where there’s pasta, there’s wine—and plenty of it. Let’s just say href=”https://cesarinarestaurant.com/welcome-to-cesarina/”>Cesarina does it right, with a house selection made with grapes plucked all the way from Italy’s central Lazio region.</span>

<p class=”ai-optimize-58″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Location: Point Loma

 

Paradisaea

Michelin Recommended

Credit: Paradisaea

Paradisaea, a tropical tiki bar, isn’t typical Asian fusion. Here watermelon radish tops crispy halibut, and coconut shrimp grills over a robata. Meanwhile, flamboyant wallpaper, exotic flora, and a pink neon sign recreate the Bird of Paradise’s habitat, delivering a Michelin-worthy experience. Additionally, white sea bass crudo, dry-aged burgers, and the Dancing Bird cocktail showcase their mission: elevating plates with seasonal ingredients. Adjacent to the dining room is sister-outfit Dodo Bird Donuts. Here, you’ll find your morning fix of horchata, churro and tres leches donuts. 

Location: Bird Rock