Mission Valley’s freeways run North, South, East, and West.
Mission Valley is easily accessible. Every major freeway leading into San Diego County passes by or through the valley. Thus, many attractions and suburbs are less than 30 minutes away.
Accessibility to Mission Valley is easy with the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Green Line (511) or [sdmts.com]. This trolley line travels in an east–west direction through the heart of Mission Valley. It makes stops at Old Town, Morena/Linda Vista, Fashion Valley Transit Center, Hazard Center, Mission Valley Center, Rio Vista, Fenton Parkway and Qualcomm Stadium Renamed Dragon Fly Stadium) where the mighty San Diego State Aztecs play. The Trolley stops only a few blocks from Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá before heading up to the campus of San Diego State University and on to La Mesa, El Cajon and Santee. This historic mission is a “must see” historical site.
The big attraction in Mission Valley, these days is that centrally located Mission Valley, which is home to two huge malls and a handful of smaller ones now boasts TONS of sleek modern communities to reside in. They include the same amenities as classy resort. Recommendations include the Irvine Co. (844-762-6213), which boasts the most rental communities in San Diego County. Their amenities are awesome.
To aid residents and out-of-towners with an ever-changing Mission Valley, we have divided the chapter into regions. These areas are best identified by their main streets. Bold-faced numbers in the text correspond to their map location.
FRIARS ROAD
Fashion Valley (13) at 7007 Friars Rd. (619-688-9113) is the largest and ultimate shopping destination in San Diego County! It has more than 200 specialty shops and restaurants, an 18 screen theater and five department stores including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s.
Hazard Center is ideally located off the 163 Freeway at Friar’s Road. It’s home to a half a dozen memorable restaurants. The top attraction, which is destined for greatness, is the first San Diego location of Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill at 7510 Hazard Center Dr. 619-764-4411) [woodranch.com]. You’ll love their premium baby back pork ribs, sensational salads and homemade desserts. It’s open Sunday thru Thurs. from 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Price range is ($20-$30)Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. They also offer curbside take out and would love to cater your next event. It’s located next to the Doubletree Hotel in Hazard Center (see map).
Farther east on Friars Road is one of the newer shopping centers in the valley, Fenton Marketplace (16). Anchor stores include Costco, IKEA Home Furnishings and Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse. Complementing these stores is a host of places to eat.
CAMINO DEL RIO NORTH
This frontage road, which parallels Interstate 8, runs in an east-west direction. See map. Westfield Mission Valley (17), 1640 Camino del Rio North (619-296-6375) is a major shopping center featuring 120 stores, shops, a food court, and restaurants.
Also on Camino del Rio North tucked under the Interstate 15 freeway and next to the I-8 Freeway in East Mission Valley is the immensely popular Dave & Buster’s Restaurant Bar and Arcade (3) at 2931 Camino del Rio North (619-280-7115). You won’t find a better venue for fun and games and memorable parties. This unique bar and the game venue is perfect for people of all ages from kids to adults.
8,386 GOOD HOTEL ROOMS
Centrally located Mission Valley is 5 minutes from historic Old Town State Park, 10 minutes to the world famous San Diego Zoo and 15 minutes from Sea World. (See county map), making it an ideal place to stay. Highly recommended is the Town and Country Hotel at 500 Hotel Circle North Townandcountrysandiego.com featuring a recently remodeled venue offering 704 rooms ($150 and up depending on time of year) up from a meager 40 rooms in 1953. This high quality locally owned resort hotel features 73 great amenities and reduced rates if yoiu are in the military. Another locally owned local favorite is the two-story classic Kings Inn (kingsinnsandiego.com) at 1333 Hotel Circle South (619-297-2231) in the ($65 range depending on the time of year) featuring 3 restaurants with the most famous being The Waffle Spot. Locals eat here too. Staying in locally owned resort hotels offer visitors the local vibe that has made San Diego America’s most visited vacation getaway.
SAN DIEGO’S OLD MISSION
For a glimpse into the fascinating way of life of the Franciscan missionaries who first colonized San Diego back in 1769, visit the Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá (33), 10818 San Diego Mission Rd. (see map). Contact the Visitor Center (619-281-8449) or Parish Office (619-283-7319). An excellent mapped, self-guided tour of the grounds and building is available. Admissions are ($8) for adults, ($5) for students, active military and seniors 55 and over and ($3) for children 6-12 and 5 snf under are admitted FREE.
SAN DIEGO’S BEST MICROBREWERIES
Outstanding microbreweries abound that even an out-of-towner can easily find. Here is a list of award winning breweries within a 4 mile radius of Mission Valley. The numbers in the text correspond to their location on the map. As always, each brewery has been personally reviewed.
Ballast Point Home Brew Mart & Brewery is at the foot of Linda Vista Rd (see map) at 5401 Linda Vista Rd. (619-295-2337). Open Sun. & Mon. 11a.m.–9 p.m. Tue. – Thurs. 11 – 10, Fri & Sat 11-11.
Coronado Brewery (11) at 1205 Knoxville St. (619-275-6700). Enjoy freshlybrewed been in their 22,000 sq. ft. facility with a nice comfortable beer tasting rooms and a patio. They are open daily (11 a.m.– 9 p.m. It’s also aa dog friendly spot . So bring your pouch. Across the street is the world famous City Lights Christmas store. So while you’re having a brew your sweetheart can be buying those hard to find Christmas ornaments.
North Park (see map) is home to TONS of microbreweries and brew pubs including Mike Hess Brewing Company (14) at 3812 Grim Ave. (619-255-7136). Open Su. thru Fri . noon to 10 pm and Sat. till 11 pm
Another winner is The Belching Beaver Tasting Room (14) at 4223 30th St., which is the main thoroughfare in North Park (619-282-1062). It’s open from 3 p.m.–10 p.m. Mon.–Thurs. and noon to midnight Fri. and Sat., Sun noon till 9 pm.
Then in Liberty Station there is the world famous Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens (25) at Liberty Station. See the Liberty Station Map. They are open Sunday thru Thursday 11 a.m.–9 p.m. and Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m. till 10 p.m. Nice extras are the Bocci Ball Courts, a stream running through the. restaurant and a huge outdoor beer garden.
In nearby Ocean Beach are a host of micro brewers and brew pubs near the beach. How cool is that? Pizza Port at 1956 Bacon St. is a must as is another location of Mike Hess Brewing at 4893 Voltaire St. (619-795-1095).
Then on Newport Ave., which is the main street of Ocean Beach are no less than 5 breweries. So once you park all you have to do is discover them on foot. Plus, at 5010 Newport Ave. is Hodad’s (619-224-4623), World Famous for their burgers. And last but not least is Kaiserhof German Restaurant, which has a nice beer Garden and awesome Germain food venue for 45 years. It is at 2253 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. (619-224-0606). They are open Fri thru Sun. noon – 9 p.m. Closed Mon and Tues. and open Wed and Thurs 4 p.m. till 9 p.m. See Kaiserhofrestaurant.com for details. They are a top 100 best restaurant in San Diego.
MISSION TRAILS REGIONAL PARK
Mission Trails Regional Park (27) (619-668-3281) is truly one of the ten wonders of the world. It is in fact, larger than Mission Bay and Balboa Park combined. And at 5,800 acres, it is the largest open space urban park west of the Mississippi River. And the spectacular, panoramic view from their 4,000 sq. ft. Visitor Center Terrace is nothing less than breathtaking.
This unique offering includes two lakes, a scenic stretch of the San Diego River and Old Mission Dam; a day-use campground for picnics; and Cowles Mountain, which is the tallest mountain in the city and from the summit offers panoramic views of the city clear to the Pacific Ocean. Plus, there are over 40 miles of trails, which easily accommodate hikers, mountain bikers, rock climbers, birders, and equestrians. There are also 600 different types of plants within the park, including over 300 varieties of wildflowers. Plus, they offer daily interpretive walks and have a Park Ranger on staff. The hub of activities takes place at nearly 15,000 sq. ft. Visitor and Interpretive Center, which is open from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily except New Years, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The park itself is open every day of the year. The Center features a fascinating display of exhibits of animals and foliage in their natural habitat as well as rotating exhibitions of works by local award-winning artists. Don’t miss this unique glimpse of nature, which is only five minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Mission Valley.
MORENA BOULEVARD SHOPPING AND DINING
A really delightful must-see store is City Lights Year-Round Christmas Gifts, Collectibles and Emporium (11) at 1212 Knoxville St. (619-275-1006). Imagine 40,000 sq. ft. of everything you could ever want for Christmas and more. The moment you walk in the door you’ll be mesmerized with glittering ornaments, holiday decor and jolly Santas. Mention their online ONLINE AD, for a FREE San Diego ornament.
For an interesting review of this area and where to dine refer to the Bay Park chapter.
NEARBY KEARNY MESA SHOPPING AND DINING
A fabulous dining destination near Mission Valley is Kearny Mesa’s Convoy Street Asian Restaurant Row, which is San Diego’s answer to Chinatown in other cities. See Kearny Mesa on the Mission Valley map. Here you’ll find fabulous cuisine from China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Plus, you’ll find some of San Diego’s favorite American restaurants here, too.
A great restaurant on the dining scene is China Max (1) at 4698 Convoy St. (858-650-3333) in Kearny Mesa. They had a fire abd only recently reopened. They serve outstanding Cantonese seafood cuisine and outstanding dim sum.
For fantastic pancakes served daily, look no further than The Original Pancake House (5) at 3906 Convoy St. (858-565-1740). Their name says it all! Here you can enjoy house specialties like the oven-baked apple pancake with a cinnamon glaze or the Dutch baby which is served with butter, lemon and powdered sugar. Also featured are wonderful crêpes, waffles and omelets made with farm fresh grade AA eggs. See Restaurants.
Another local favorite is Sunrise Buffet (5) at 3860 Convoy St. (858-715-1608). They offer more than 100 entrées. Diners come for their great food, and come back because of their affordable prices.
A few blocks north is Phuong Trang Vietnamese Restaurant (4) at 4170 Convoy St. (858-565-6750), which is the most recommended Vietnamese restaurant in San Diego. They have received accolades from the Channel 10 News A-List and the San Diego Union-Tribune, as well as praise from San Diego Magazine, The New York Times and Fodor’s. Their specialty is delicious-tasting Vietnamese cuisine with an emphasis on fresh seafood and healthy vegetarian entrées. See Restaurants.
With a ton of things to do in this neck of the woods, it makes good sense to live in this centrally located area as well. Newly built Broadstone Corsair (10) offers 360 luxury apartments at 8583 Aero Dr. (844-289-3533) [BroadstoneConsair.com]. And if you love Asian cuisine, nearby Convoy Street is teeming with one great restaurant after another.
NORTH PARK
You’ll find one of the best breakfast spots in the city at 2801 University Ave. It’s The Mission Restaurant (619-220-8992). This is where hungry diners come for simple, healthy, great-tasting food. A popular breakfast selection is their blueberry cornmeal pancakes which are decorated with a tart berry purée, powdered sugar and fresh fruit. Also delicious are their Latino breakfast plates, like the pappas loco which are rosemary potatoes served with grilled jalapeños, black beans, cheese, avocado and sour cream. They also have locations in Mission Beach and East Village. See Restaurants.
SPORTS ARENA AREA
The big attraction here, is the Valley View Casino Center (1), formerly the San Diego Sports Arena, at 3500 Sports Arena Blvd. (619-224-4171). It is a year-round local attraction in more ways than one. Yes, it’s home to touring attractions like the ice follies, sports events, rodeos, family shows and rock concerts.
Before the show, a nice place for bite and a drink is the world famous Phill’s BBQ at 3750 Sports Arena Blvd. (619-226-6333) Open daily 11 a.m. –10 p.m. you are a barbecue officinado be sure to dine here. It’s definitely everyone’s favorite. Brazil by the Bay, located behind the arena at 3676 Kurtz St. Authentic Brazilian food and great prices!
Yet the biggest attraction is Kobey’s Swap Meet (1) (619-226-0650), which is located in the parking lot of the Sports Arena. This swap meet is the largest in the county. So don’t miss it! It is held every Fri.–Sun., 7 a.m.–3 p.m. Admission is ($3). for adults and ($2) for seniors. Many vendors accept credit cards. See Shopping.
MISSION VALLEY WALKING AND DRIVING TOUR
