Best 100 San Diego Restaurants Best 1000 Attractions
Top Food Critic & Author of 50 San Diego Travel Books Shows You His Hometown
Best 100 San Diego Restaurants & Best 1000 Attractions are featured in this 650 page website. We focus on the Best Restaurants and Attractions personally reviewed. Our Award-Winning restaurant reviewer goes unannounced, pays for his own meals (eats 3 meals at one seating) and inspects their kitchen. We give the same personal attention to every recommendation including BEST attractions and things to see and do.
56th Annual San Diego City Guide used by millions
In 1995, three years before Google was founded SanDiegan.com was already an active resource for Newcomers, Visitors and Residents. With its vast 650 pages of researched content Google categories San Diegan.com as an authority site just like it does The New York Times.
City of San Diego Awards BARRY with A San Diego Day
The Mayor of San Diego and all of the city council members Awarded Barry with a BARRY BERNDES DAY on Jan. 14th, 2018. This special award was given to Barry for his 50-years of showing his hometown to millions of newcomers, visitors and residents via his 100 Best Restaurants & 1000 Best San Diego Attractions & things to do.
Ballooning Above Rancho Santa Fe
1000 FREE Things to Do is just the beginning
San Diego is also Home to 72 Golf Courses
Plus, 50 miles of Beaches!
Plus, the largest Desert in America!
Top 10 Attractions – 1 in 3 attendees is a San Diego Resident
Hot Linked are the Attractions locals love visiting often
- Kid & Family Friendly Attractions
- San Diego Zoo: See 7000 animals
- USS Midway 1000 ft Aircraft Carrier
- Balboa Park: See Zoo & 17 Museums
- SEA WORLD: Aquatic Marine Park
- Cabrillo Monument: Historic site
- Old Town State Park: Free Adm.
- La Jolla: Sightsee, Shop, Dine
- Coronado: Tour Hotel Del
- Embarcadero: Maritime Museums
- Tijuana: Duty Free Shopping
- Harbor Champagne Dinner Cruise
- Cultural insights: 56 museum Tours
Where you Eat is Just as Important as what You See
Best 100 Restaurants Reviewed
Featured are 100 personally reviewed restaurants by Barry Berndes, San Diego’s Dean of Restaurant Reviewers. Barry has literally dined in 10,000 restaurants since 1969, paying for his own meals. He also inspected their kitchen. The same extensive research is done for attractions, museums, cities, and suburbs. It’s like your best friend is giving you a personal tour of their hometown.
Reviews ARE NOT PAID Advertising
Advertisers are told up front that they can say what they want in their display advertisement, but we reserve the right to say what we personally experienced because we paid for our own meals or admission to an event. Plus, advertise NEVER see what we have written about them before it is published. Thus, our recommendations are unbiased & not paid for.
Best 100 Restaurants from 1000s Reviewed
Oceanfront Dining
Dining at the world-famous Marine Room Restaurant at La Jolla Shores is SUPERB.
Top 10 Best Best Burger Joints
Enjoy a delicious burger at this Outback Steakhouse.
Where Kids Eat Free Every Day 100 Places
Eat Free on your Birthday 72 places
San Diego is a great place to celebrate life be it your birthday or a special occasion. There are hilltop restaurants like Mr. A’s sitting atop of the Fifth Avenue Financial Center, which offers a sweeping view of the city while Commercial Airline glide by in route to landing at San Diego’s international airport. For a sunset Champagne Dinner Cruise on San Diego Bay, look no further than Hornblower Cruises & Events. Oh yes, romantic dancing is included and the cuisine is excellent!
Enjoy 1000 Best San Diego things to do with 50 Free maps and tours
Asian Restaurant Row Features 80 Best places to eat
Delicious Chinese
Cuisine Await.
Top 5 Mexican Restaurants are in Historic Old Town
Old Town is home to the 5 best Award Winning Mexican Restaurants.
Top 5 Seafood Restaurants feature Ocean & Bay Views
Superb Seafood Dining in Del Mar & at the Embarcadero Downtown
#1 Best German Food is Kaiserhof 36 years in a Row
Award Winning Food, and Beer are served at Kaiseroff German Restaurant in Ocean Beach.
100 Banquets Catering & Wedding Venues
Best 100 San Diego Restaurants Best 1000 Attractions Via
Free Maps
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(1) Click here for instant access to 50 suburbs & city walking & driving tours with maps. (2) Click on the Barry Icon at the top left corner of every page to return to the home page. (3) Click on the little box with the arrow in it in the right corner to instantly return to the top of any page. (4) SEE Today’s most visited Pages at Bottom of the Home page.
See the Attractions Residents Love
1000 FREE Things To Do
Shopping 6 Factory Outlets are Mega Attractions
San Diego has awesome factory outlet centers, where you can literally shop till you drop! Outlet Shopping is one of the TOP 100 San Diego Attractions and one of the 1000 fun things to do in San Diego by air, land and sea. We also showcase the major shopping centers, as they are glamorous major attractions too.
San Diego has awesome factory outlet centers, where you can literally shop till you drop! Outlet Shopping is one of the TOP 1000 best San Diego things to do w/50 maps making it easy two find. We also showcase the major shopping centers, as they are glamorous major attractions too.
Shop Till You Drop
Shop till you drop at 185 Outlet stores at the U.S. Border. Plus, buy French perfume and imported good in Tijuana, at duty free prices.
Best 100 San Diego Restaurants Best 1000 Attractions
Shop Tijuana. Park at Border. Take RT Bus Shuttle
Shopping in Tijuana includes $600 in duty free items like French perfume and liquor.
Park Safe at TJ Border Click Here
Park safe at Border Station Parking at the US Border. We provide easy-to-use maps and an extensive narrative foe finding this premiere lot. Taking your car into Mexico is a No-No as your insurance isn’t valid in Mexico
Tijuana Guide: Where to Eat, See, Shop, Explore
A visit to Tijuana must include an excursion to Rio Tijuana for shopping
#10 Tijuana see 65 Shops, 185 Outlets + parking safe
Getting to Tijuana is half the fun. But driving across the border is ill advised, because your American insurance is not valid in Mexico. If you get into an accident then you and your car will be detained until the guilty party pays for the repair. Park at Border Station Parking instead. Being a duty free port of entry, expect to buy French perfume at duty free prices. An extra bonus on the U.S. side of the border are literally hundreds of factory outlet stores housed in 4 mega malls, where you can shop till you drop.
Best 100 San Diego Restaurants Best 1000 Attractions
DIY Winery Tours
Mexico’s Wine Country is Just a Short Trip South of the Border + San Diego County wine country and Temecula to the north.
DIY Brewery Tour
Explore Top 10 Attractions – 1 in 3 attendees is a San Diego Resident
Here are the Local Favorites:
- Kid & Family Friendly Attractions
- San Diego Zoo: See 7000 animals
- USS Midway 1000 ft Aircraft Carrier
- Balboa Park: See Zoo & 17 Museums
- SEA WORLD: Aquatic Marine Park
- Cabrillo Monument: Historic site
- Old Town State Park: Free Adm.
- La Jolla: Sightsee, Shop, Dine
- Coronado: Tour Hotel Del
- Embarcadero: Maritime Museums
- Tijuana: Duty Free Shopping
- Harbor Champagne Dinner Cruise
- Cultural insights: 56 museum Tours
Hotel & Resort Recommendations are Non-Paid
If you’re NOT planning to stay in an oceanfront resort hotel, then stay in centrally located Mission Valley. It’s where everyone stayed before downtown’s mega convention center was built. Thus, the rooms and amenities are good and Mission Valley includes great restaurants, the #1 luxury shopping center, a golf course, and many nearby sights to see. For the best waterfront all inclusive resort hotels in San Diego stay in Mission Bay, Shelter Island or La Jolla. We reviewed (3) rooms & amenities at each hotel we recommended.
Best 100 San Diego Restaurants Best 1000 Attractions
Free Maps
Top 10 Attractions Residents Love
- Kid & Family Friendly Attractions
- San Diego Zoo: See 7000 animals
- USS Midway 1000 ft Aircraft Carrier
- Balboa Park: See Zoo & 17 Museums
- SEA WORLD: Aquatic Marine Park
- Cabrillo Monument: Historic site
- Old Town State Park: Free Adm.
- La Jolla: Sightsee, Shop, Dine
- Coronado: Tour Hotel Del
- Embarcadero: Maritime Museums
- Harbor Champagne Dinner Cruise
- Cultural insights: 56 museum Tours
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#1 Attraction is a Day at the San Diego Zoo
- San Diego Zoo October 2 is Founders Day, when Kids 12 and Under are admitted FREE.
#2 Attraction: USS Midway Tour (4 hours)
A million Newcomers, visitors and residents visit the USS Midway air craft carrier annually to explore this HUGE aircraft carrier, which saw military action in WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The photo illustrates available parking , which is most often correct, Allocated excursion time 4-5 hours. Plus, sightseeing the Embarcadero attractions & dining.
#3 Balboa Park Museums, Galleries & the Zoo
Both visitors and residents alike love visiting the over a dozen museums annually. It’s so popular that residents are offered FREE admission every Tuesday on a rotation basis visit balboapark.org.
#4 SeaWorld
#5 Cabrillo Monument is a Spectacular Attraction
The spectacular 360-degree view of San Diego’s majestic harbor and the lay of the land for 30 miles in all directions will give you the layout of San Diego. Cabrillo Monument is one of the 1000 Best San Diego things to do w/50 maps.
#6 Historic Old Town is home to Great Places to Eat
Festive Old Town San Diego is an Historic Treasure worth seeing. It offers FREE admission with FREE parking. After visiting Cabrillo Monument Old Town is just down the road. (see Pt. Loma map).
#7 La Jolla
La Jolla is world famous for its breathtaking ocean view dining and gourmet cuisine. No less memorable is a walk on its pristine La Jolla Shores Beach (see map) and strolling along Girard Avenue”s enticing shops and stores. Be sure to visit world famous La Jolla.
#8 Coronado
#9 Embarcadero
#10 San Diego Harbor Dinner Cruise
Take A Harbor Cruise for a remarkable dining and sightseeing adventure, second to none.
#11 Beach Towns are Great Gertaways
With 52 miles for shoreline and the renowned Highway 101, which hugs the coastline, its popularity has never lessoned. From North to South our beach towns are Oceanside, Carlsbad, Lucedia, Encinitas, Cardiff-by-the-sea, Solana Beach, Del Mar (home of the Del Mar Racetrack), La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Coronado, and Imperial Beach.
#12 City Breweries offer food
San Diego Microbreweries have more Blue Ribbons than any other city in Americas. Taking this easy-to-navigate brewery tour of 13 must-visit breweries is a click away. Microbrewery hopping is one of the 1000 Best San Diego things to do w/50 maps.
#14 City’s Many Street Fair Events
In San Diego it’s never what to do, but how much time do we have. So ,finding 1000 Best San Diego’s best things to do using our 50 map is easy. Which is one reason why 1 in 3 attendees to a city attraction is a local. As lots of residents were once visitors, who cherished the idea of visiting their favorite attractions multiple times a year
#15 Explore 195 Factory Outlets at the Border
You can literally shop till you drop at Las Americas. They feature 185 factory outlet stores.
# 16 See San Diego By AIR – LAND – SEA
#17 Neighborhoods: Explore your city
Downtown consists of many suburbs within the city making it a great fun things to do town for city tours.
# 18 DIY Winery Tours
Mexico’s Wine Country is Just a Short Trip South of the Border + San Diego County wine country and Temecula to the north.
# 19 San Diego is a Military Town
A tour of the USS Midway will make you proud to be an American. We are a Navy town and like to show our guests fun thingss to do.
Free admission for active military and their family to attractions.
#20 California’s Historic Churches
Click on Churchfinder.com for an extensive and informative list of over 100 places of worship. Since San Diego is Paradise on Earth, it should come as no surprise that locals love to worship God. Also, unique to San Diego and the state of California were the establishment of the 21 Missions founded by Father Serra as the… Read more »
SEE Best OF San Diego Via CONTENTS PAGE
Enjoy 1000 Best San Diego things to do on w/50 maps with ease using this contents page.
Best 1000 San Diego City Tours via 50 maps
Tours of Downtown always include a walking tour of the romantic waterfront.
San Diego Coupons for where to Eat, See, Explore Best 1000 San Diego things
Enjoy major discounts for major attractions and high-end shopping. No less wonderful are the host of restaurant discounts. We are also top ranked on Google for Eat FREE on your birthday and where kids eat FREE.
Eat See Explore Best FREE 1000 San Diego Things–Hot Linked
San Diego’s Ocean Beach is home to incredible sunsets.
Best 1000 San Diego Bike Getaways w/maps
Explore San Diego’s Awesome Regional Getaways
Not far from San Diego is Catalina Island a romantic getaway.
Being visited by 32 million visitors annually, San Diego is a perfect vacation getaway. But when locals really want to get away their favorite destinations include romantic Catalina Inland, the nearby gold rush town of Julian, the desert getaway of Borrego Springs, the wineries in Temecula and Baja California, Mexico. Each destination has its own chapter with a map featuring where to stay, dine and what to do, which we independently researched and paid for ourselves. Plus, Romantic Getaways is one of the 1000 Best San Diego things to do w/50 maps.
Find Your New Home with 50 City Maps
A San Diego Must Have is a subscription the San Diego Union Newspaper Reader’s Poll 40 page, which is an annual tabloid showcasing the best of San Diego from A to Z. It’s a useful tool for understanding the likes of San Diegans.
San Diego Skyline from Harbor Island.
Finding Your Dream Job in San Diego
With 36 million visitors a year, many fall in love with the city & relocate here to enjoy living in Paradise, and so can you.
Home Buying + Apartment Living
Our NEWCOMER’S SECTION along with exploring the city via the 50 FREE DIY city tours is a good start for how to find your slice of paradise. A high percentage of San Diego residents were once visitors, in the military or college students. Thus, the need for an online relocation chapter arose out of the necessity for where to live, find a job and navigate the city with ease arose to find and enjoy the 1000 fun things to do in San Diego by air, land and sea. We personally research our recommendations before we recommend them including best places to live near each military base and military housing with personal inspection of multiple units and apartment complexes. Thus, SanDiegan.com is a trusted resource.
#17 Neighborhoods: Explore your city
Downtown consists of many suburbs within the city making it a great fun things to do town for city tours.
San Diego is a Military Town
A tour of the USS Midway will make you proud to be an American. We are a Navy town and like to show our guests fun thingss to do.
Free admission for active military and their family to attractions.
Wedding, Banquets Catering Events
Winery weddings are special.
Tour the Wineries
San Diego is freeway close to more fun things to do with local and regional wineries. Both Temecula and Baja California, Mexico are great day or weekend getaways.
Hot Linked are Todays Most Viewed Pages
