Moving to SD: Good neighborhoods for foodies? (San Diego, Chula Vista: transplants, 2014)

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by sprez33

.....and, while SD is not the foodie destination we wish it were, don't let some of the negativity on this and other boards get you down. There are a few people who are generally unhappy with aspects of SD and seem to whine incessantly about it on social media sites like this, Chowhound, Tripadvisor, Yelp, etc. Focus on the positives and you'll feel much better (probably a general life statement as well). Illegitimi non carborundum, as they say! I've been living in SD for 11 years after living in SF, LA, NY, Chicago and Philly for the first few decades of my life. Here's some advice based on how I've learned to enjoy the food scene in SD.

- Focus on the beer. The quality, quantity and variety of great craft beer in SD is unsurpassed in the nation. I was a huge wine drinker (and amateur maker) while living in the Bay Area and was disappointed with leaving that. But the SD beer scene has made up for it. There's far more good beer in SD than a (mostly!) sober person can keep up with and it's still growing. And it' not just in brewing but in the serving. Bars here understand better than most that you need to properly treat your tap lines and glassware to properly serve beer. With certain exceptions, I find beer in other cities to lack the quality and creativeness of SD beer.
- And the beer-focused cuisines. One place where SD excels is in beer-friendly and farm-to-table food. A lot to explore here.
- The sushi. This is true of SoCal generally as well as SD. You have the broadest access to sushi across the board from upscale sushi restaurants to neighborhood joints. Supermarket sushi in SoCal is better than restaurants in most of the country. I lived in LA for 5 years and was in sushi heaven. My wife and I love sushi so much people called us the sushi twins. Moved to the Bay Area and was continually disappointed in the quality of the sushi there. It may have changed in the last 11 years but on a recent business trip to SF I went to a highly rated sushi restaurant and left disappointed.
- Asian food. There is a lot of good Asian food in SD. It's not a promiscuous as say Chinese in the Bay Area/Vietnamese in OC but there are gems all over the city. Explore on your own and keep an open mind. Also, most of the advice on the local boards like Yelp and even Chowhound is useless. My wife is from Asia and we have a lot of Asian friends. I'm always surprised by the difference in what the social media boards refer to as good, authentic Asian and what my Asian relatives and friends think. Not that people don't give honest opinions about what they like. However, most people have very limited and poorly formed palates when it comes to "authentic" Asian cuisine. Explore and keep an open mind and there are lots of possibilities.
- Be adventurous. You rarely hear about it on the boards but if you're willing to go to places like City Heights, you find some very interesting food. University Ave in City Heights has the most interesting juxtaposition of Southeast Asian, horn of Africa and Mexican/Central American restaurants. Sometimes in the same strip mall. Similarly National City for Filipino. Many people fear to tread in these neighborhoods but I've always had good experiences.
- Ethinic supermarkets. For a city it's size, San Diego is very diverse ethnically. More so than the SF. You can find a plethora of ethnic food stores around the city/county. 99 Ranch, Luck Seafood (Chinese), Zion (Korean), Nijiya, Mitsuwa, Marukai (Japanese), North Park Produce (Middle Eastern), Vien Dong (Vietnamese), Northgate Gonzalez (Mexican), Seafood City (Filipino) and many others. Thus, you can find ingredients for all sorts of cuisines, often at dirt cheap prices.
- Hawaiian food. Not much to back this up but there seems to be more Hawaiian food in SD than other places. Many places to get musubi, poke, loco moco, etc. Not fine dining but definitely fun and interesting.

I hope that helps! Enjoy your move to SD.

Great, great post!

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by rosa surf

Yeah pansit and lumpia are good. Their pastries are really good (though every time I see mamon and p*to I have to crack up, being a Spanish speaker lol!)

When I've tried other dishes though I haven't really liked them. I find the food very greasy and lacking interesting combinations like Thai or Vietnamese cuisines. I tried

I've stood in lines out the door at Tita's Kitchenette for their menudo. Love it!

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by Inmyhead

It sounds like there are a lot of good options. We have by no means eaten everywhere in SF that we'd like to, but it is pretty exciting to think about starting over with a whole new list of places.

I've been looking at rental listings in all of the areas people have mentioned and have concluded that luck is going to play a really big part in where we end up, as the rentals available now that sound perfect are pretty randomly distributed on the map. It will just depend on what happens to be available end of June/early July.

As others have already said, SD is no SF when it comes to food, but you'll be fine. And I don't care what people say, there are plenty of good eats in the area, especially the ethnic variety. The neighborhood joints are what I prefer. Places like Dao Fu, Bahn Thai, BFD, Nate's Garden Grill, Carnitas Snack Shack, Fat Boy's Deli, Supernatural Sandwiches, Sherman's Shack, Kafe Sobaka are places that I like that most people have probably never heard of.

[sdhkshdcny09]

Originally Posted by elchevere

"I'm sorry to tell you that you will likely be very disappointed in the food, esp. coming from San Francisco. The good news is: There are gems scattered throughout SD, even in the suburbs in the most random/unexpected of places"

...agree completely...if I were to move away there is not one restaurant that would have me dreaming about my meal one week prior to a return (unlike places in SF, NYC and even Portland or Miami where I plan my dinners like I do my air travel).

Keep an open mind about frequenting Tijuana--the food scene there is booming and they have some excellent restaurants as well...if you provide a cuisine preference, I can steer you towards some of my local favorites in SD and TJ. Good luck,

It's too bad that San Diego doesn't have any good Mexican restaurants.... :/

[sdhkshdcny09]

I see the San Diego food scene from a different perspective than most of you. Firstly, I am still pretty young and don't frequent the more upscale restaurants simply because I don't have the money. So yes, if you have the money to spend on fine dining, then SF/NY are better options. SD is obviously not as cosmopolitan and can't attract as many top restaurants/chefs.

What I can tell you from my point of view, is that San Diego has a plethora of great, affordable food options given its size (18th largest US metro). Maybe I'm a simpleton (/cheapskate), but I'm also a foodie who appreciates the quality of food in SD given its price. My point of comparison is living in 3 global cities.

[Think4Yourself]

Originally Posted by rhanifin

It's too bad that San Diego doesn't have any good Mexican restaurants.... :/

What crack have you been smoking? There are a ton of really good ones in the south bay and TJ has even more.

[sdhkshdcny09]

Originally Posted by Think4Yourself

What crack have you been smoking? There are a ton of really good ones in the south bay and TJ has even more.

Clearly you didn't read the post I responded to

I don't know about you, but I'm always craving specific dishes/restaurants while I'm not living in San Diego. I'd kill for a fish taco from Oscar's right about now..


I never was good at sarcasm....

[Think4Yourself]

Sorry, I guess I did jump the gun on that one.

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by rhanifin

I don't know about you, but I'm always craving specific dishes/restaurants while I'm not living in San Diego. I'd kill for a fish taco from Oscar's right about now..

Oscar's recently opened in Hillcrest and people are loving it.

[Inmyhead]

Wow! Thank you all for the advice! I didn't expect so many helpful, friendly responses - they're very much appreciated.