Places to Eat in San Diego

I did some research before we left for our trip and picked out most of these places ahead of time. But no amount of research can really tell you whether you’re going to enjoy the food or not. I’m glad to say we did enjoy most of what we ate. I hope my research and personal experience will help you if you’re travelling to San Diego anytime soon.

Searsucker
Pork belly was delicious, but it was kind of bizarre. It came out as a large hunk of pork belly with a salad-like mixture on top with 2 weird crunchy potato things on the side. It was like butter the way it just melted in your mouth because it was so tender.
The short ribs came with pureed potatoes. It was so delicious. The meat was tender and moist. I could eat it every day. And those potatoes were smooth and creamy.
The duck fat fries were really good. My husband and son thought they were amazing. I, however, thought they were good, but strange. The duck fat gave them almost a nutty flavor.

Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate
After we ate at Searsucker, we walked down the block to Ghirardelli. We each had a scoop of ice cream (mint chocolate chip, cookie dough, and espresso chip). Everything was amazing and delicious, but not the cheapest options around.

Carnitas’ Snack Shack
I got the pork belly plate with shack fries and coleslaw (which my husband ate). I wanted to get the mac and cheese, but they were sold out. Tom got the triple threat pork sandwich which is bacon, pulled pork, and pork loin schnitzel. He loved it. I personally didn’t like it because of the pepperoncini on it. Owen got the carnitas taco kids combo. Everyone really enjoyed their food. We also got some chicharones to take with us.

Broken Yolk Cafe
This was a last minute choice because we had some unexpected time one morning and decided to get breakfast. This was an amazing choice because everything was seriously good. I got the crunchy french toast. Tom got the border benedict. And Owen ordered a kids pancake with a scrambled egg and bacon. It was just what we needed to get us ready for a busy day. Plus, it was reasonably priced, which is sometimes difficult to find in cities.

Lupe’s Mexican Eatery
I got the California burrito, Tom got the T-gunz burrito, and Owen got the kids rolled tacos with fries.
The T-gunz burrito was so big, my husband couldn't even finish it. He said it was delicious, but he recommends splitting it with a friend.

Crack Shack
Everything was amazing. Ran into Richard Blais. Schmaltz fries were seriously delicious. My burger came with a fried egg on top which was amazing, but I unfortunately bit into it and got the egg yolk all over my shirt! Embarrassing! My husband said this was the best food of the trip. He got the spicy chicken sandwich and fell in love. It was spicy, but the spiciness added to the flavor instead of it just being spicy for no reason.

Donut Bar
This place has amazing donuts! And they’re huge. I got the unicorn, Tom got the maple bourbon, and Owen got the Homer. They were all SO good! But so huge. I couldn’t quite eat all of mine. Seriously one of the best donuts I've ever had!

Hodad’s
This was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. My husband got the burger that was created because Guy Fieri visited here. It's called the guido burger and he loved it. My son was extatic because he asked for extra pickles on his burger and they did not disappoint. Plus, he was able to get a bottle of root beer, which always makes him feel grown up. The atmosphere in there was super unique. I would recommend giving it a try if you're in the area. We went after we left the zoo and it was fairly close by.

Where we ate that you should skip:
Sally’s
We were looking for a place to eat dinner one night when we didn’t have anything planned and picked this place based on its proximity (located right next to our hotel) and the menu which had things we liked.
My negative review is based on the wait (over 40 minutes while over half of the outdoor seating sat empty) and the price. Based on all the places we ate while we were there, it seemed a little overpriced.
The food itself was good, but not really anything to write home about.

Our Day at the San Diego Zoo

We arrived at the zoo around 9:15am, only 15 minutes after they opened. We were able to get pretty good parking considering we didn’t get there before opening. We could have bought our tickets online, but we chose to just stand in line and get them. We made a b-line straight for the koalas and I’m so glad we did. At 9:40am, they were pretty active. Well, as active as koalas can be. Basically what I mean is, they were awake.

We meandered our way around the zoo, looking at all the animals.
We saw:
9:43am Giraffes
9:50am Elephants
10:10am More Elephants
10:18am Leopard
10:45am Polar Bears

At this time (11am), we took the skyfari to the other side of the park. There was hardly any wait for it since we were still in the first couple hours of zoo opening. When we got to the other side, the line going in the opposite direction (to ride from the front of the park to the back) was VERY long. The views were great to see!

We decided to take the bus tour. My son really wanted to sit on the top of the bus. When we got there, we saw that there were 2 lines. One goes upstairs to sit on the top level (this line is always longer) and one stays down below for the lower level. We waited in line for about 20 minutes before we made our way onto the bus. My son and I sat on the right side while my husband sat on the left.
TIP: The right side is the place to be! That’s where most of the animals will be on your tour.
The tour itself lasted about 30 minutes. During that time, we saw bears and elephants and other random animals. I wouldn’t say this is a great way to see animals, but it is a great way to take a break from walking.

After we got off the bus, we were off to see some more animals:
12:31pm Orangutans
12:38pm Gorillas

At about 1pm, we decided to eat some lunch. Since we were in the area, we decided to eat at the Treetops Cafe located in the Lost Forest. There are some great views from the multilevel decks. I shared a chicken caesar salad and chicken parm with my husband. It came with a breadstick, but I knew we would each want one so we got a side of 2 breadsticks to go with our meal. I also got a rose wine as my drink. Owen got a kids meal that came with pepperoni pizza, applesauce, animal cookies, and a milk. Everything was pretty mediocre, but I have no complaints. Luckily, we were able to find a seat right next to the restaurant.

After lunch, it was time for more animals:
1:55pm Hippos (now, I know we stayed here for a while, but we were all feeling a little tired and wanted a rest; plus, I’m a huge fan of hippos so we basically waited around for it to move closer to the window
2:46pm Alligator
3:03pm Galapagos Turtles

We were now back over by the Skyfari, so we took it back to the back of the zoo. Again, we came at a good time and didn’t have to wait very long in line.

3:36pm Elephants again
4:03pm Bears
4:19pm Sharks
4:22pm Penguins

We decided we were done for the day so we headed off to the gift shop so that my son could pick out a couple souvenirs. He found an amazing sweatshirt that says “Save the Chubby Unicorns” with a picture of a rhino. He was ecstatic!

We took a couple pictures out front before we left for the day.

We took 18,669 steps this day and still didn’t see everything that the San Diego Zoo had to offer, so just be aware that you will get tired and your feet will hurt, but know that it will be worth it being able to see all of these amazing creatures.

There are a lot of places located around the zoo to take pictures with animal sculptures. Here are some of our favorites:

San Diego Photo Spots

While we were in San Diego, we visited a couple places just to take pictures. And while most of our choices turned out to be amazing, there were a couple that were total fails. Read all about them.

Sunset Cliffs
This is seriously an amazing location. Even if you’re not into taking pictures, you should still come here just to watch the sunset. I definitely suggest walking down further from the road a little bit to really get the cliffs in your pictures. That being said, use your brain and be careful!
When we got there, my husband just let us out and had to drive around for a little bit to find a parking spot. So, if you’re planning to go here, leave yourself plenty of time to park before sunset.

Greetings from San Diego postcard mural in North Park
located outside the Belching Beaver brewery
This is such a cute mural to pose in front of. Especially as a tourist! There were even other people taking pictures while we were there that took our picture for us.

You are Radiant! Mural in North Park
outside the Artelexia store
This one isn’t really my favorite because it’s difficult to find parking and when the sun isn’t just right, it casts a lot of shadows.

Spruce Street Suspension Bridge
This was one of our favorites. The bridge itself is pretty, but it’s just such a fun little walk. And while my son was slightly terrified at first, because some people walk heavy so it swayed at first, he eventually loved it! It is located in a residential area so it’s pretty easy to find parking, just be aware that you are by people’s houses so be courteous.
The views from the bridge itself aren’t really anything special, but we loved it all the same.

Favorite Color Mural in La Jolla
7596 Eads Avenue
This is just a fun little mural full of colors. There was a truck parked right next to it so it was a little difficult to see at first, but we made it work.

One Pointed Attention Mural in La Jolla
7835 Ivanhoe Ave
This mural was inspired by molecular structure and scientific drawings.
It was a little different, but we still enjoyed taking pictures.

Fails:
Secret Swings in La Jolla
While we were there, the swings were not. We couldn’t find them at all. And trust me, we did try. There is an okay view near where people say they are, though.

Scripps Pier in La Jolla
We couldn’t find anywhere to park after driving around for almost 20 minutes so we never even got a picture here.

If you have any other awesome suggestions for photo places near San Diego, leave them in the comments for us to try out the next time we visit.