Favorite Restaurants Reviews
Acqua Al 2
Address: 322 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101 (Map)
While it may be physically impossible to bring a Florentine trattoria to San Diego, Chef and Owner Martin Gonzalez has come remarkably close. Acqua Al 2 is the sister restaurant of the original Acqua Al 2, located on the Via della Vigna Vecchia in Florence. Using the same menu, recipes, and cooking techniques, Acqua Al 2 offers authentic Tuscan-style dining right in the heart of San Diego’s Gaslamp district. The charming ambiance hints of old world Italy, while the aromatic and flavorful dishes exude authenticity. Anyone considering an escape to Italy should first pay a visit to this local favorite.
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Tapenade
Address: 7612 Fay Avenue, La Jolla, CA 92037 (Map)
Since opening in 1998, Tapenade has established itself as a La Jolla institution. Diners frequent the sophisticated establishment for acclaimed chef Jean-Michel Diot’s Provençal-style French cooking. Diot, who comes to San Diego after a successful career in Paris and New York, offers a consistently award-winning menu, while Tapenade’s welcoming atmosphere and excellent service compliment the cuisine. For an exceptional experience, Diot offers a five-course tasting menu with wine pairings, offered daily.
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Caffe Bella Italia
Address: 1525 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109 (Map)
At this family-run Italian restaurant, Chef-owner Stefano Ceresoli has transported the essence of his Milan birthplace to the beautiful setting of Pacific Beach. As a native who knows the niceties of Mediterranean dining, Chef Stefano prides himself in the bona fide Italian ambiance of his restaurant, accenting the space with mood lighting and decorative gold metalwork. His Northern Italian cuisine includes a variety of homemade pastas, complemented by rich sauces such as Saffron and Creamy Tomato. With scrumptious signature entrees, over thirty selections of wood-fired pizza, and a superb wine list with over 70 bottles, Caffe Bella Italia is a charming place to bring the family or a date.
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Bernard'O Restaurant
Address: 12457 Rancho Bernardo Road, San Diego, CA 92128 (Map)
Unassuming elegance is paired by striking attention to detail at Bernard’O Restaurant, in Rancho Bernardo. The main dining room provides a cosmopolitan space lit with the glow of an Italian-tile fireplace. The patio that affords views of glistening stars most nights also has a fireplace to keep diners comfortable. The menu is a toast to fine French fare, and Chef Patrick Ponsaty plates dishes complex in flavor and refreshingly direct in vision. The Californian Bouillabaisse is an ode to the sea with seabass, scallops, shrimp, mussels, clams, and potatoes, in a Rouille lobster sauce.
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Ocean Room
Address: 630 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101 (Map)
Boasting fresh sushi and an oyster bar overlooking an open kitchen, Ocean Room also offers fresh seafood including shellfish cooked to perfection using a kettle steaming technique. This is something that is rarely seen here on the west coast as it is a technique utilized more in the southern region of the United States, particularly Louisiana. Located in the center of Fifth Avenue in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego, Ocean Room’s contemporary décor, friendly staff, and flavorful seafood creations - headed up by Chef Felix Frias - will be a sure bet to indulge in the freshest seafood that San Diego has to offer.
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