26 Best Restaurants in La Jolla, San Diego

Elegant yet unpretentious, this fine dining restaurant by chefs Choi Cheolhyeok and Silvio Salmoiraghi, integrate elements of Italy, France, Korea, Japan, and California to build masterpieces in an eight-course tasting menu. Both chefs have an impressive pedigree, formerly at the helm of Michelin Star restaurants in Tokyo and Italy, but at Ambrogio, they have joined forces to redefine modern Italian cuisine in San Diego. Prepare for a playful balance of flavors, colors, and textures that changes quarterly. The menu might feature black cod with toasted polenta, linguine with truffles, or Japanese wagyu with spinach and cognac. After eight courses, the assortment of pastries seems doable when paired with an impressive list of over 100 curated wines. Pace yourself for perfection and what might be a three-hour dining experience. An exceptional "Walk in the Garden" tasting menu is available for vegetarians. 

The desserts are magnificent at this small, charming shop in operation for nearly 50 years, where dessertier Michele Coulon confects wonders, using organic produce and imported chocolate. Snack on cookies, cupcakes, brownies, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and mini-desserts. But this is not just a place for dessert: lunch is served Tuesday through Saturday (the store is open 9 am to 3 pm), and the simple menu includes quiche and salads. Other irresistible treats found here are a chocolate-lovers’ Torte Lion Belge, pear-frangipane tart, and Marjolaine Torte with layers of meringue, chocolate ganache, and buttercream.

Champions of in-season, fresh-today produce, the chefs at this cozy room in the luxurious, Craftsman-style Lodge at Torrey Pines have made A.R. Valentien one of San Diego’s top fine dining destinations. Be prepared for food combinations that are simultaneously simple and delightfully inventive—crispy skin sablefish; duck confit; prime rib with bordelaise, and an impressive collection of California wines.

For coffee with a view, the La Jolla branch of Bird Rock is the best spot to kickstart your day with fresh brewed artisan coffees and summer specials like the dirty Horchata iced coffee. Grab a table on the patio with the beach in the distance and take your pick from a comprehensive selection of morning brews and pastries. With locations around San Diego and North County, you're sure to find a spot to grab a cup of this delicious, San Diego--roasted coffee. There's no better place to recharge after a hike at nearby Torrey Pines.

Bringing Paris to La Jolla, acclaimed chef Jean Michel Diot unveils bistronomie cuisine, a culinary concept that blends bistro favorites with gastronomie techniques. The airy dining room, lined with black-and-white photos of France, is comfortable, if not romantic, an ideal setting for the ever-changing menu that emphasizes fresh ingredients sourced from the Sunday farmers' market that holds court in front of the restaurant. Provençal classics like duck confit, coq au vin, and scallops Saint Jacques vie with more unusual fare like pike quenelles. Patrons-in-the-know always save room for meringue floating on crème anglaise topped with slivered almonds.

One of the few restaurants with a view that's also worth eating at, Brockton Villa is tucked in an historic cottage on a hillside above La Jolla Cove. Food is served all day, but this dining spot excels at brunch and lunch when ocean views are best. Snag a seat by the fireplace and start the day with their famous soufflé-like orange-scented Coast Toast, breakfast tacos, or the popular blue crab–cake eggs Benedict. For lunch enjoy the curry chicken salad wrap, a lobster roll, or chopped Mediterranean salad. During the late-afternoon social hour, a bottle of wine and artisanal cheese board are only $30.

This bustling café first opened as a full-service fish market in 1974, and has been popular with locals ever since. Order the char-grilled, locally caught halibut, swordfish, or yellowtail on a toasted torta roll to enjoy in-house or to go for an oceanfront picnic at nearby La Jolla Cove. Other delicious choices include seafood cocktails, ceviche, Dungeness crab and shrimp salad, and fish and shrimp tacos. The fresh, sushi-grade fish arrives daily from local anglers, making it a great spot to grab your catch without getting wet. 

La Jolla's ocean-view destination restaurant is like two dining experiences in one with Level2 bar and the rooftop Ocean Terrace. Prepare for spectacular views and an innovative menu featuring maple leaf duck with tangerine marmalade and salmon with braised lentils at the outdoor-only Ocean Terrace, while the Level2 lounge has unique craft cocktails like "Spa Day" with cucumber-mint infused vodka and elderflower. Regulars often come just for the sunset starters like salmon tartare, mussels, or jerk octopus. 

La Jolla's outpost of this local coffee chain is open until 11 pm and sports a full bar, which means that customers can spend a pleasant evening sipping a true-blue Irish coffee complete with whiskey at one of the many tables or couches. On those foggy marine-layer days, request one of their homemade soups and watch the waves roll in from the second floor. 

Step into this swanky New York--style Italian chophouse that takes you back in time with its piano bar, paintings of Sinatra, and dirty martinis to match. The menu is as rich as the atmosphere with the taste of olive oil, garlic, and lemon in every bite. Start with the steamed clams or homemade cannelloni, and move on to the lobster Manhattan over linguine or the charbroiled veal chop Fiorentina. Nearly all the desserts are made from scratch including the New York cheesecake and the rich cannoli. The dim lighting and dark leather booths make this one of the more romantic restaurants in La Jolla.

A popular meeting place for casual connections and grab-and-go goodness, this café–bar–market is a great place to start your day with an energy boost like avocado egg cups on toasted sourdough or smoked salmon toast with jalapeño and micro greens. Later in the day, place your order at the counter for “not an ordinary sandwich” like the prosciutto with stracciatella and pesto, afternoon nibbles like smoothies and charcuterie boards, or cocktails and wines by the glass. If you’ve ever grabbed a bite at a café and wished you could replicate it at home with signature ingredients, the market portion of this space will make you very happy.

Accolades continue to roll in for executive chef Jason Knibb—winner of an award of excellence by Wine Spectator every year since 2002—whose seasonal menus are magnets for travelers and San Diegans seeking a memorable meal like pan-roasted Colorado lamb loin or duck breast with white asparagus and mustard greens. Located at La Jolla’s Grande Colonial Hotel, the space encompasses a cozy ground-floor dining room, bar, and ocean-glimpse covered patio. At night deftly executed appetizers may include Jamaican jerk pork belly with plantains and black-eyed peas or porcini mushroom spaghettini with cured egg yolk. A prix-fixe six-course “Mercy of the Chef” menu is available for the whole table.

This trendy La Jolla restaurant “plays” tribute to the past with its location inside William Kesling’s historic piano showroom where live music still plays during cocktail hour. The casual yet refined menu features dry-aged cheeseburgers, pan-roasted chicken, and unconventional Caesar salads topped with jalapeño rings and Parmesan shavings; be sure to request a side of the creamy coconut rice pilaf. Its corner location offers patio seating as well as a mid-century-meets-tropical-style lounge with a magnificent mural by artist, Eva Struble, and a travertine bar where mixologists pour Oaxacan negronis and the “Ring of Fire,” a spin on the whisky sour. Arrive by 5:30 to hear an hour set of live piano on Wednesday and Sunday and live saxophone on Thursday.

Blocks from the beach in La Jolla Shores, this comfortably modern dining room and shaded patio hits all the right notes—affordable, polished, and family-friendly. From lunch through close, it bustles with regulars from the neighborhood and visitors from around the world who are guided through the extensive Italian menu by the professional staff, some of whom have worked here for over three decades. Warm bread and spicy dipping sauce are hard to resist, but save room for favorites like grilled romaine hearts wrapped in crisp prosciutto, saffron shrimp pappardelle, and veal scaloppine with mushroom risotto cakes. Kids love their special menu, while parents relish the value-packed wine list with excellent selections by the glass.

As the sister restaurant of La Jolla’s Georges at the Cove, this laid-back restaurant is the perfect spot to chill with friends after a day in the sand and share oysters from the raw bar or rosemary Parmesan fries dipped in jalapeño ranch. Grab a seat on the dog-friendly patio or head indoors for grilled favorites including octopus, prime rib, and cast-iron focaccia with honey ricotta. A smoky element takes flavors up a notch, with nearly every dish touching the wood-fired grill. Rounding out the menu are house-made pastas and desserts prepared by Aly Lyng, the pastry chef at George’s at the Cove. Sunday brunch and happy hour (4–5:30 pm) are both on point, especially with tempting offers that include a dozen oysters on the house with any purchase of a bottle of Champagne.

Homemade crepes and fresh-brewed coffee come second to the artisanal ice cream made with just a handful of ingredients. Even vegans can get their scoop on, with flavors like strawberry shortcake, mint, cookie dough, and chocolate made with cashew milk, cocoa butter, organic carob beans, and other natural goodness.

This casual indoor-outdoor eatery in La Jolla Shores has a sprawling outdoor patio perfect for leisurely lunches with friends and family. Surfers and well-heeled locals populate the 50-seat patio while enjoying made-to-order organic smoothies and fresh salads, as well as scrumptious breakfast and creative lunch entrées that include flatbreads, soups, sandwiches, and the popular cheeseburger and prime steak frites. The black-cherry almond smoothie is addictive, while the tarragon chicken salad with lemon aioli, green apple, avocado, pistachios, and dried cranberries over mixed greens with a citrus vinaigrette is a tantalizing mix of flavors.

If the chef at this La Jolla bakery looks familiar, it's because she won Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship in 2015. Since that win, chef Maeve Rochford has made a name for herself as a celebrity chef and owner of Sugar and Scribe offering baked goods like delicious scones as well as sit-down options like lobster Benedict, Irish sausage rolls, and irresistible blueberry pancakes with fresh-plucked berries, edible flowers, and vanilla whipped cream. For a La Jolla summer cool down, try the horchata latte.

A cozy beach cottage sets the stage for American comfort food with a California twist at this La Jolla staple. The restaurant serves lunch, but it’s the well-loved daily breakfast that has locals and visitors happily queuing—sometimes up to two hours on weekends. Egg dishes have unique fillings like soy chorizo and pork belly braised beef, and the sizable, shareable stuffed French toast is a can’t-miss. Postsurf or hike, keep it healthy with the avocado smash and smoked salmon on rosemary bread. Lunch spans tuna melts and fish tacos, while the drink menu, with Bloody Marys and hard kombucha, will have you justifying, "it's five o'clock somewhere." It’s worth waiting for a patio seat that overlooks a charming stretch of downtown La Jolla. 

A 2016 renovation has brought on a new chef, menu, and ocean view at this restaurant situated in pedestrian-friendly La Jolla Village. The clean, elevated design features a custom-made copper bar, spacious terrace, and polished woods. The menu draws inspiration from Mexico, Asia, and the Mediterranean with raw dishes like a lobster aguachile with chili-pear granita and meat- and seafood-heavy mains that include lamb loin, seared yellowtail, and mussels in a spicy broth. The cocktail menu features more than two dozen libations divided by categories like agave, cane sugar, and dark grains, while the wine list covers 250 varietals. There’s a retail shop for diners looking to take a bottle home.

It’s hard to dine closer to the Pacific than at this venerable La Jolla Shores mainstay whose two-story-tall windows capture beachgoers, kayakers, snorkelers, and swooping gulls; if the tide is high, waves race across the sand and crash against the glass. The Maine lobster bisque comes coated in Meyer lemon cream, while the bluefin tuna is dressed in a togarashi aioli and the truffle yuca fries are topped with shaved Parmesan.

This 500-square-foot restaurant serves up heaping portions of tacos, burgers, bowls, and “sammiches” inspired by the owner’s international travels. American classics have an Asian twist, like the smoked pork belly street tacos with kimchi aioli and ginger slaw or the Cajun spice-dusted lamb lollipops with coconut-jalapeño rice. Don’t be surprised if the chef steps out of the glass-walled kitchen to ask how you liked the “Fork'n Burger” or the “Notorious P.I.G.” with a mountain of pork and smoked gouda. Between the postcard murals and Southeast Asia-meets-Hawaiian vibe, you might forget you’re in La Jolla.

Perched on a rooftop in La Jolla, this café features a mindful menu of bowls, tacos, and other creative entrées that are all 100% organic, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free. There's also a boutique with sustainable products and a yoga studio with aerial yoga, sound healing, and training workshops.

This hip eatery has won national acclaim for its combination of casual comfort and a menu of ever-changing local fare. In nice weather, request a patio table to enjoy the people-watching along with cocktails like the London's Burning with gin, jalapeño, avocado, and lemon or house sangria. The menu shines with dishes like the Spanish octopus, pork Bolognese, seared scallops, and roasted chicken. Desserts include mud pie, but the butterscotch budino with brown butter blondies is a solid staple.