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.

Visit to Nashville, TN

One of the last stops on our Mother/Son roadtrip was Nashville. This is frequently our last stop on roadtrips. Nashville is such a fun place, even if you only have a day to spend here.

We drove into town and immediately went to Hattie B’s Hot Chicken to stand in line and get some awesome food. Parking is crazy in Nashville. We’ve never had trouble finding a spot, but it comes at a price, that’s for sure. This place is so popular, you definitely need to get there 30 minutes before they open on weekdays and possibly an hour early on the weekends if you want a table. I ordered chicken strips (medium heat) with pimento mac and cheese and potato salad. Owen got the kids chicken strips (southern, which means no heat) with fries. We also really enjoy their lemonade. I think it’s made in-house and it’s absolutely delicious. They’re not over-priced and the food is definitely worth a trip. It was hot outside and the indoor seating is incredibly limited so we did have to sit outside. However, it at least is covered and has fans.

Then, we headed out to the Adventure Science Museum. The cost was $28 for my son and myself. It was amazing! I’m kind of over children’s museums because they all have the same exhibits. So, once you’ve been to one, you’ve been to them all. But this is so different. First of all, it’s not just for little kids. There is a section just for them, but I feel like this “museum” is geared toward the older child, which is a welcome change. We played music, defeated germs, walked on the moon, hung out among the stars, climbed a spine, and slid down the digestive system. It was seriously amazing. We only spent about 2 hours here, but it was a fun 2 hours.

Owen’s Notes: “Oh my gosh! My favorite thing that we did there was doing the moon gravity thing. There was a machine that picked me up, lifted me into the air, and then put me back down again. I had to try to walk over to a flag on the ground and walk back. It was so fun, but way harder than it sounds.”

When we were done at the Adventure Science Museum, we headed downtown again to check out the Johnny Cash Museum. The cost was $20 per adult and $16 per child. It is ranked the number one music museum in the world. This museum is fairly small, but still worth a visit. We only spent about an hour here, and even that was pushing it. It seemed crowded, which was a shame, but we still had a great time. There was a ton of memorabilia and informational text you could read, outfits from famous moments and records displayed. But my favorite thing about the entire museum was that there were performances you could watch, a video history of Johnny Cash’s career, songs you could listen to with headphones, and a couple places where you could sit to do these things. They also offered a green screen photo you could buy. Overall, it was a decent museum that I’m glad we visited, but I don’t feel the need to go again during our many trips to Nashville.

Owen’s Notes: “My favorite part of the Johnny Cash Museum was taking a picture in front of the green screen and then getting a picture of me with Johnny Cash.”

Then, before heading back to our hotel, we popped into the Goo Goo shop to pick up some Goo Goo Clusters to bring back home with us. If you’ve never heard of a Goo Goo Cluster, you’re missing out. They are a regional treat that we discovered on our travels and we keep going back for more. It is a disc-shaped candy bar that contains marshmallow nougat, caramel, and roasted peanuts and then covered in milk chocolate. My family’s favorite is the peanut butter, though. Basically, they replace the marshmallow nougat with a soft peanut butter nougat. The Goo Goo shop is located right downtown across from the Johnny Cash museum so it’s pretty convenient when we’re in town. You should give them a try if you’re visiting the area. They also have a little cafe inside their store.

Owen’s Notes: “I love Goo Goo Clusters. We bought the peanut butter ones!”

Our hotel was the Wingate by Wyndham out by the airport at 1 Century Blvd. They have free wifi, free breakfast, a mini fridge, and a microwave. What else you could you want? It was clean and perfect for our needs. We always stay out by the airport when we visit Nashville. It may be farther from the action, but it is significantly cheaper. And saving money on our hotel allows us to spend money elsewhere.

Our trip to Nashville was a great one. I will always suggest this place to people planning a weekend getaway or as a destination on a roadtrip.