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Hello and welcome back to San Diego! We've made a video of all the amazing things you can do out here
but one of our favorite things to do is actually work out where we want to eat every night!
So, come with us and we'll show you how to EAT like a local!
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San Diego has it all: the beaches, the weather, the craft beer and even the food!
Interview: "San Diego is an incredible place for food
because of our year-round growing season. We are unbelievably lucky when it comes to the climate.
Of course being right next to the ocean we have incredible access to seafood,
you have the influence of being on the border with Mexico.
It's easy going but at the same time, a really high level kind of experience.
With so much great, local food to check out
it's hard to know where to start. We're going to focus on normal priced places
where the food does the talking rather than the Maitre'd!
Californians are famous for being laid back but they're fiercely proud of their local restaurants.
We're going to let you in on some of their secrets and give you our top places to eat in San Diego!
Right, let's get started! This close to the border we have to begin with Mexican food.
If you've never been to San Diego before you need to go to Old Town.
It's the historic heart of the city as it was where the first Californian Mission was established.
It's been frozen in time to show what life was like here in the 1800s.
It's a very popular tourist spot so not a hidden gem but it's perfect for families and a first night destination.
The margaritas and atmosphere will definitely make you feel like you're on vacation!
Check out the entertainment and traditional market at Fiesta de Reyes.
The central restaurants can have a long wait so don't be afraid to walk along the streets,
especially as some of the others might feel more authentic.
Special mentions are needed for Lucha Libre in Mission Hills.
It has epic, authentic burritos and a golden booth which i was told was reserved for Mexican pro wrestlers.
But, it can actually be booked by anyone clever enough to book 24 hours in advance.
Doing that makes you a champion in my eyes!
We also love Miguel's Cocina which you can find in Old Town, Point Loma, Coronado
and a few other places. We're obsessed with the white cheese dip which you get when you sit down.
Dylan: "Mmmm, the cheese sauce is amazing!"
Believe me, Jude knows good food when he tastes it!
You should also think about Mexican food when it comes to a certain day of the week in San Diego.
Taco Tuesday is where you can get tacos for as little as a dollar!
Most Mexican restaurants around the city
have these or other special deals on. It's popular with the locals though so
be prepared to queue at some places. But, it's totally worth it!
Make sure you order some fish tacos for me!
You can't go wrong with a burger in California but you can get it right...very right!
Every restaurant you go to will have one on the menu
but there are a few places which have something special.
Hodad's in Ocean Beach is so famous for its burgers
that we've never managed to actually get in because of the long lines!
If you want to taste why they're considered one of the best burger joints
in the country, join the queue. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
They've now got a branch in downtown so hopefully there's less of a line there.
Another small, unassuming joint that packs a punch is Rocky's at Crown Point.
It's a dive bar with a burger that beats posh fine dining restaurants every year!
It's an adults-only bar so if you've got kids like us, we had to get the burgers To-go.
I can't put my finger on why they're so good they're simple but packed with flavor.
It's a great example of how you can never judge a book - or menu - by it's cover in this city.
Our favourite place to go as a family, though is Slater's 50/50.
It's for the person who loves bacon and who doesn't?!
Here the burger patty is 50% beef and 50% bacon.
On top of that, you can add bacon cheese, bacon mayonnaise, bacon ketchup
bacon salt, and of course bacon, to your burger!
So, what you can do, of course, is just order from their normal menu. They've got
one burger which serves six people it's huge! It's got six slices of pineapple,
six eggs, six slices of American cheese! Phew!
There are also some really cool, normal burgers as well: a peanut butter and
jelly one. And also a bison and bacon burger one!
But what I really like to do is order my own one!
So, at the home of beer and bacon I've got a Sculpin from Ballast Point and I've gone for:
the 50 50 beef and bacon burger,
with a honey wheat, beer cheese, extra bacon on top of a bacon burger,
some coleslaw, tomato, lettuce, bacon ketchup! I'll tell you what it's called, in a minute!
Server: "Okay, the Life of Reilly!" David: "That's for me."
Server: "And then the Dyl Pickle."
Dylan: "Thank you."
Dylan: "I make good burgers!"
"I don't know how i can fit this in my mouth. Let's give it a go!'
"Mmmmm, amazing!"
"This is perfect. A perfect, custom burger, made for me!"
David: "Can you get too much bacon?" Alicia: "Never, that's a ridiculous question!"
It was the idea of Scott Slater, who created his masterpiece after a night out
while at university in San Diego.
You can find Slaters at Liberty Station, which is the old navy base where Top Gun was filmed.
There's also one in San Marcos in the north east.
Perfect for when you're on your way home from San Diego Safari Park!
If you didn't know, San Diego is the craft beer capital of the USA!
We made a video on this a few years back, check it out here!
In England, a visit to a brewery would be just for the beer
but in California they've created bistros and gastropubs
which are kid-friendly and have food worthy of their own restaurants.
There are hundreds of breweries in the city but these deserve a special mention:
Stone Brewing at Liberty Station, and its main headquarters at Escondido.
It's well worth the drive as it's like Disneyland for beer lovers!
Pizza Port is definitely worth a visit for an authentic, San Diego experience.
After a day at the beach, with sand still between your toes
order a pizza you'll only find in California!
Toppings include artichoke hearts, shrimp and pesto!
This is another no-frills venue where customers grab a table and look after themselves.
The food and the drink do the talking!
San Diego has really bought into the craft beer revolution
so expect to see local brews at every restaurant you visit.
Try a new one each time you're out
San Diego is a city made out of unique neighborhoods.
There's the colonial style of Coronado, beach living at Mission and PB,
up-market styles in La Jolla, urban downtown,
proud Hillcrest, the fishing capital of Point Loma,
and there's hippy Ocean Beach. That's all before you take into account the
culinary capitals of Little Italy and North Park.
This is one of the reasons why every local has their own favorite place to go in their part of town.
Interview: "San Diego has dozens of different neighborhoods and
within each neighborhood you're going to find local bars local restaurants that are really doing their own thing,
that are unique to that part of town. Locals, of course, have their favorites.
Definitely talk to someone, when you're at a bar or at a restaurant,
ask them what their favorite places are. You'll probably get a long list, more
than you could ever do in one trip, but then you just have a reason to come back
and keep trying more places!"
So, as you've heard every neighborhood offers something different so try to vary where you go.
Big hotels and posh restaurants may have taken up most of the real estate along
the coastline but you don't always have to pay a premium price for a table with a view in San Diego.
First up, in the north of San Diego County is Oceanside.
At 1,954 feet, it has one of the longest wooden piers on the West Coast.
You'll have built up an appetite when you reach the end so you'll be pleased
to hear there's a diner waiting for you! Ruby's is a chain but it's retro decor
and panoramic views of the Pacific make it a perfect place to eat or grab a well-earned milkshake!
If you time it right, you'll get a sunset view for the price of a normal meal!
Coronado is one of the poshest areas in San Diego.
The Hotel Del has welcomed the rich and famous for years. The area is known for
fine dining and upscale eateries but we found a hidden gem near the ferry landing!
The Village Pizzeria Bayside is an unpretentious pizza joint
but it boasts the biggest pizzas we've EVER seen!!
And that's not even the main selling point! You'll also get a view of the harbor and city skyline!
Sunsets, like this, are included in the price if you tip well enough!!
Finally, our favorite restaurant in San Diego:
Phil's BBQ. It's the place we go on
our first and last nights and usually bring home a suitcase full of bbq sauce!
In 1998, Phil Pace started selling his smoky creations from this hole in the wall
in Mission Hills. When the line of customers waiting for food got so long he got complaints,
he knew it was time to expand.
In 2007, he moved to Point Loma and a
couple of years later we joined the crazily long queues to eat there for the first time.
"Compared to the first time we came here, this queue is nothing. We would take people and they'd be like
why are we waiting? This is ridiculous? It was absolutely worth it every single time!"
"This place changed my life! Back home I've now got a smoker and I try to
emulate this and bring back as many vats of Phil's BBQ sauce as I can!
"Amazing!! We've had to find a way that you
can actually drink something at the same time. This is the way we've perfected it.
So, put your hands like this. Pick up your drink
in two hands like this.
Then, go straight back to your ribs!
Phil's is now a San Diego tradition for us.
We bring family here and we've let all of our kids have a little taste of it over the years...
and they all loved it!"
Phil's sweet and spicy sauce is truly unique.
Let me know what you think when you've tasted it in the comments.
There are now seven Phil's BBQ's in San Diego county.
There's a restaurant at the airport now, so you can have one last taste of San Diego before you fly home.
So, there you have it, our top choices for Cali Cuisine in San Diego.
Now it's time to let us know yours! Leave your recommendations in the comments below.
And, be sure to check back to see what up-and-coming places have been mentioned.
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Check out our other San Diego and California videos, here!