Check out my Travel Blog Post: San Diego! San Diego has always felt like the epitome of laid-back Southern California as it’s about 2-3 hours from the more bustling L.A., and has just a slower pace. To me San Diego feels like a combination of multiple beach towns as they are spread out from one another but every corner is made for watching beautiful sunsets. Every neighborhood and beach has a different feel and atmosphere ranging from pristine, adorable beaches with sweet baby seals in La Jolla to the utopian, “hippy” vibes of Encinitas just north of the city.

My favorite neighborhoods are North Park for the culture, La Jolla for the views, and Encinitas for relaxing. Regardless of which neighborhood you’re in, you can always find something delicious and plant-based, (especially within the San Diego city limits) along with fun and quirky cocktail bars, and dynamic coffee shops. I have rounded up my favorite spots from my most recent trip to paradise that also includes some of the charming northern beach towns.

Restaurants

Kindred: South Park

• San Diego’s thriving plant-based food scene wouldn’t be the same without Kindred. It is one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego, not only because it’s a 100% vegetarian menu, but also because Kindred has an extremely well-curated vibe that is very intentional – perfect for date night or a fun dinner with friends. Kindred has excellent and distinct cocktails and has one of the best bites that I had on this trip: chimichurri seitan skewers. It was absolute perfection in its texture and flavor drizzled with a vegan aioli. Other honorable mentions include the harissa garlic rolls and devilishly charred broccoli on a bed of ricotta. The broccoli was super flavorful and crispy. We also tried the bucatini carbonara, which was delightful featuring shitake mushrooms and vegan bacon.

The Yasai Vegan: Little Italy

• I am always quite impressed with the thriving and diverse plant-based food scene that San Diego offers. Upon returning here I had to visit Yasai Vegan for their delicious vegan Japanese food. They have a large vegan menu and then a separate menu for omnivores. We started with their tasty rice green tea and comforting miso soup and then had to get their crispy vegan Chicken Karaage along with their silky Agedashi tofu. Their vegan sushi is my favorite so we got the Little Italy roll and smoky Stressed Out roll drizzled with vegan eel sauce. Both were very satiating and flavorful. Yasai Vegan is a must try in San Diego.

Campfire: Carlsbad

• While Campfire is up in Carlsbad, it is definitely one of the best restaurants in the San Diego area and the best in Carlsbad. Campfire has a cozy, outdoorsy vibe without the inconvenience of actually camping. They have tasty cocktails and even tastier food. We started out with their smoked, marinated olives, which we couldn’t get enough of. But the star of the show here is always their Charred Broccoli head served on a bed of harissa aioli with peanuts. The broccoli is perfectly crispy, moist, and flavorful – the kind of broccoli I dream about. Additionally, the mushroom-truffle pasta was very satiating and well-balanced. You can’t go here though without trying their s’mores that you roast on a mini bed of coals. It adds to the experience! These are the best s’mores I have ever had and they have vegan marshmallows! Eating here always feels so dreamy and is worth the drive from San Diego.

Four Corner Pizza: Leucadia

• Four Corner Pizza is the quintessential Leucadian restaurant with its relaxing, heated patio, natural wine, and gourmet pizza. Everyone seems happy there and it’s so laid-back. We had some natural wine to accompany our marvelously marinated olives, fresh arugula salad, and delightful Cacio e Pepe pizza. There is also an Encinitas location but I recommend the Leucadia one as it’s more charming.

Modern Times: Little Italy

• While Modern Times is a microbrewery, the location in Encinitas has a wonderful vegan menu. Unfortunately, the one in Encinitas has closed but they still have locations in San Diego. Modern Times has bulgogi fries topped with their hoisin marinated impossible beef was amazing along with their crispy Brussels Sprouts and naughty vegan crunch wrap. There were so many other items I wanted to order but absolutely loved everything. It’s a casual vibe with open windows to also soak up more sun.

Parlor Donuts: All Over

• We first had these donuts in Oceanside, but they more recently opened up a spot in North Park with a very similar menu. If you love donuts, then you must go here. They have the best donuts I have ever had in my life. Their specialty ones are the French Toast and Cinnamon Roll, which are super flaky with mouthwatering icing. It’s worth the calories that you can just walk off afterwards because there is no winter in San Diego!

City Tacos: All Over

• City Tacos is a chain all over the San Diego area and they have some of my favorite tacos I’ve had in the region. While they are known for their fish and shrimp tacos, they also have about 3-4 vegetarian tacos. The squash one in particular comes with the sultry crispy cheese and I love being able to try their 5 different salsas and zesty guacamole.

Cali Creamery: Encinitas

• I don’t seek out ice cream but Cali Creamery has some of the best ice cream I have ever had. It’s super thick and flavorful and worth the line.

Coffee Shops

Invigatorium: Gaslamp

• This was a hop, skip and jump away from our hotel in San Diego and we came here almost everyday because we loved their cold brew and patio. It’s a spacious interior and if you’re there in the late morning, you get to bask on the sunny patio. They also boast flavorful lattes such as their cardamom and lavender-vanilla ones. I absolutely enjoyed their freshly squeezed orange juice. If you are hungry, they have plenty of vegetarian breakfast/lunch options served all day (well at least until they close at 3pm). We tried the avocado toast and it was one of the best I had with super fresh ingredients such as pickled onions, radish and seeds.

Dark Horse: All Over

• Grab a coffee from their take-out window and take a stroll throughout my favorite San Diego neighborhood, North Park. If you’re hungry, grab a vegan donut. I recommend their cold brew but you really can’t go wrong at Dark Horse.

Parrakeet Café: La Jolla

• After walking around the idyllic La Jolla neighborhood and seeing the adorable seals, we made our way to Parrakeet Café. They have a wide variety of health food items and drinks such as their turmeric ginger shot. I especially enjoyed their Matcha Spirulina latte and their Spinach Pesto Eggs Benedict with perfectly poached eggs. I just felt so healthy afterwards.

Spill the Beans: All Over

• Chaga lattes and bagels?! Sign me up! Spill the Beans is a casual breakfast spot/coffee shop with an excellent chaga cold brew and chili crisp cream cheese to go with a variety of bagel options. They also have an open window in the front and a patio so you can enjoy the sun while eating your bagels.

Lofty Coffee: All Over

• Lofty Coffee is a regional chain but the one in Encinitas on the cliff is my favorite one. It has gorgeous views, a large, sunny patio, and excellent matcha lattes. I have enjoyed everything here along with their croissants and sweetheart dogs basking in the sun.

Bars

Vino Carta: Little Italy

• Tucked away in San Diego’s bustling Little Italy, Vino Carta is a relaxing escape from the madness with a unique menu for natural wine lovers and well-curated vibes. They do have some cheese and crackers to grab but no food that is ready-made. Enjoy a glass on their patio or in their cozy interior.

Young Blood: Gaslamp

• If you’re looking for a fancy and unique cocktail experience, then look no further than Young Blood! They do have a prix-fixe menu where you order 3 cocktails but they don’t pressure you to do all 3 if you can’t handle it (like me). The cocktails were quite strong so by the time we were ready for the 3^rd one, we decided to share it. I highly recommend a reservation as it is an intimate spot. The second cocktail was my favorite because it’s made specially for you based off of your preferred flavor profiles. They also serve you an opening mini cocktail, which was an incredible dirty martini made with artichoke brine! The service was very attentive and I highly recommend this experience.

Mothership: South Park

• The Mothership is a sister bar to my beloved Kindred so I of course had to try it! It is a space-ship themed tiki bar. What a unique combination of concepts! The décor and vibe were impeccable. The menu is vast and creative. I had the Heliotropic and enjoyed it very much. I can really only handle having one tiki drink and definitely would have it again. They do have vegetarian food but they stopped serving it after 10pm (kind of early). Definitely check out the bathroom while you’re there because it is perfectly on point with the space theme.

Part Time Lover: North Park

• San Diego loves a bar with a theme so Part-Time Lover is all about the retro-vinyl theme with a record store in the back and vinyl DJs serving up unique selections. They have a great variety of cocktails with more traditional ones to more curious concoctions. It can get crowded here but we went on a Sunday so we magically were able to find seating but this place is always bustling.

Hope you enjoyed reading my recommendations! Hungry or thirsty for more? Check out my other travel posts.