From meaty to meatless and spicy to sweet, the following are 11 of the
hottest dishes and drinks for visitors to discover the true flavor of San
Diego.
Shrimp and Bone Marrow Sopes at Bracero Cocina de Raiz (bracerococina.com)
Prop 64 Cocktail at True North Tavern (truenorthtavern.com)
Seared Cauliflower Steak at Kindred (barkindred.com)
Pork Belly App at Carnita's Snack Shack (carnitassnackshack.com)
The Lusca at Miss B's Coconut Club (missbcoconutclub.com)
S'mores French Toast at Breakfast Republic (breakfastrepublic.com)
Seņor Croque at The Crack Shack (crack-shack.com)
Alkaka the Fierce at False Idol (falseidoltiki.com)
Maple Bacon Doughnuts at Great Maple (thegreatmaple.com)
Devil's Dozen Benny at Firehouse (firehousepb.com)
Raindrop Cake at VaniTea Cafe (vaniteacafe.com)
Research compiled by San Diego Tourism Authority, sandiego.org
Vegan Steaks and Cannabis Cocktails: 11 of San Diego's Hottest Dishes and
Drinks
San Diego may be known for sunshine and surf, but visitors looking to get a
real taste of San Diego will find a unique and vibrant culinary identity in
this beach city. New food trends, accessibility of fresh ingredients, a
tight collaboration between local and celebrity chefs alike and a strong
influence from the Mexican border have all made San Diego a playground for
food lovers.
From meaty to meatless and spicy to sweet, the following are 11 of the
hottest dishes and drinks for visitors to discover the true flavor of San
Diego.
Shrimp and Bone Marrow Sopes at Bracero Cocina de Raiz
Bracero Concina de Raiz in the hot Little Italy neighborhood exemplifies
San Diego's signature Cali-Baja cuisine. Local diners have been packing the
restaurant since it opened in 2015, so it's no surprise that one of San
Diego's hottest dishes can be found here. Bracero's popular shrimp and bone
marrow sopes features fresh shrimp, bone marrow, fried parsley and chile de
arbol served on a thick tortilla made of fried masa.
Prop 64 Cocktail at True North Tavern
On November 9, 2016, California voters passed Proposition 64,
effectively legalizing adult consumption of marijuana. With availability
comes experimentation, and True North Tavern is one of the first bars in
San Diego to experiment with cannabis oil. The cocktail features
Amarillo hop bitters, egg whites, lime simple syrup, Chareau aloe liqueur
and Nolets gin, topped with non-psychoactive drops of cannabis oil.
Seared Cauliflower Steak at Kindred
Decked with heavy metal imagery and evil-looking cats around
every corner, the all-vegan Kindred in the quaint South Park neighborhood is
easily one of San Diego's quirkiest restaurants. Fortunately, the food is as
much of a draw as the decor. In addition to offering a creative cocktail
list, the dinner menu serves snacks, salads, main dishes and sweets. A
favorite is the seared cauliflower steak: grilled cauliflower topped with
orange squash puree, tahini beets, puff pastry and steak sauce. Even serious
meat eaters might consider a vegan lifestyle after a trip to San Diego.
Pork Belly App at Carnita's Snack Shack
While San Diego is a vegan-friendly destination, Carnitas Snack Shack
claims to be where "vegans go bad," although it does offer vegetarian
options. Home to all things pork related, both their North Park and
Embarcadero locations feature a menu of mostly burgers and sandwiches, but
it's actually a no-bun dish that's a must-have. The pork belly app prepared
with braised duroc pork, sweet-spicy glaze, frisee salad, apples, radish and
lemon vinaigrette is a meat lover's delight.
The Lusca at Miss B's Coconut Club
San Diego is in the midst of a tiki resurgence, and Miss B's Coconut
Club is one of the hottest new spots to try out this trend. Named after a
mythological giant octopus, this monstrous punch, shareable with 5-10
people, features the house blend of rum, guava-mango kombucha, Nocello
liqueur, citrus, honey and papaya and is served in a silver octopus bowl,
garnished with a pineapple crown. Found only at Miss B's Coconut Club in
Mission Beach, the Instagram-worthy cocktail is sure to get many likes.
S'mores French Toast at Breakfast Republic
San Diego is a laid back city, so it's no surprise that brunch venues
abound. With a fun decor and an all-breakfast menu, Breakfast Republic is
where locals go for the most important meal of the day. Since opening in
North Park in June 2016, the eatery has quickly expanded to Liberty Station
and Encinitas, with plans to open two more locations. The highlight of
the menu is the s'mores French toast, which features a decadent
graham-cracker crust and thick-sliced brioche bread topped with toasted
marshmallows and chocolate sauce.
Senor Croque at The Crack Shack
When celebrity chefs set up shop in San Diego, they don't stick to white
table cloths and fancy tasting menus. With an all-day menu of
chicken-and-egg-based dishes, Richard Blais' The Crack Shack in Little Italy
offers a relaxed, al fresco dining atmosphere with a full beer and cocktail
bar, a bocce ball court and giant chicken statue that actually crows.
For those who like a challenge, the seņor croque is a hearty and messy
chicken sandwich made with crispy free-range chicken, bacon, fried egg,
cheddar cheese and miso-maple butter on a brioche bun.
Alkaka the Fierce at False Idol
The entrance to one of San Diego's most coveted new bars is as hard to
find as a reservation at this hot spot. Hidden behind a refrigerator door
inside the recently redesigned Craft and Commerce restaurant, False Idol is
the brain child of legendary tiki king Martin Cate (Smuggler's Cove,
Whitechapel) and another example of the tiki trend taking over San Diego. An
angry idol is the inspiration behind Alkaka the Fierce, a punch bowl-style
cocktail made with chai-infused bourbon, aged and dark rum, vanilla, pimento
dram, and orgeat served in a sharable bowl with a faux volcano that
erupts, literally.
Maple Bacon Doughnuts at Great Maple
For breakfast or brunch, as a main dish or dessert, the maple bacon
doughnuts from Great Maple are sure to please hungry visitors. Served warm
on a wooden board, the freshly made doughnuts are covered with a
signature maple bacon glaze, pieces of bacon and powdered sugar.
Reservations are recommended as the retro-modern eatery in the Hillcrest
neighborhood tends to be packed on weekends.
Devil's Dozen "Benny" at Firehouse
Is it a doughnut? Is it eggs benedict? It's actually both! Firehouse, a
restaurant and bar in Pacific Beach with sweeping ocean views, serves The
Devil's Dozen "Benny" every day until 3 p.m. Foodies can start the day with
a vanilla-bean glazed doughnut sourced from Devil's Dozen local doughnut
shop, topped with maple-peppercorn bacon, poached eggs, lemon hollandaise
and side of potatoes. With the shores of Pacific Beach just a few steps
away, full-bellied visitors can catch a snooze on the beach afterwards
or hit the waves to burn off the calories.
Raindrop Cake at VaniTea Cafe
A Japanese translucent cake served with brown sugar, soybean
flour and usually decorated with a flower, the raindrop cake has taken
social media by storm. The chilled dessert isn't really a cake at all, since
its main ingredients are agar, a vegan gelatin, and mineral water.
Nonetheless, this picture-worthy dessert is trending and VaniTea Cafe, a
small dessert and coffee shop in Chula Vista, is one of the first ones to
make it in San Diego.