When I first started researching restaurants in San Diego, I was honestly overwhelmed. There were so many great options – and we had so little time! After some intense menu stalking, I was able to narrow it down to a handful of restaurants. While all of the meals that we had in San Diego were outstanding, there were a few that really stood out amongst the others. Whether it was the food, the cocktails, or the amazing service, these restaurants had it all.

Animae is a Wagyu steakhouse located in Downtown San Diego – but I argue that the rest of their menu, which is comprised of Asian-fusion dishes, is actually the star of the show. The dining room itself is a spectacular space, filled with lush velvet curtains and art deco furnishings. The cocktail menu is quite inspired and you must try the Three for Tea, which features genmaicha infused whisky, pamplemousse, matcha, cold brew tea, mint, and lavender.

The waitstaff is top notch and our waitress gave us such amazing recommendations. I truly love when you ask for recommendations and they give you their personal favorites or crowd favorites. I actually picked my entree based off of our waitress’s recommendations and it was one of the best dishes I have ever had. The kabocha squash sauce in the Ginataan was so luxurious and paired so well with the rice cakes and I almost licked my bowl clean. Our meal at Animae was fantastic and I’m actually dreaming about my return trip to San Diego later this year so I can dine here again!

Kingfisher was one of my absolute favorite restaurants in San Diego. Serving up French-influenced Vietnamese dishes, their fusion menu was innovative but also filled with comfort foods. My waitress was absolutely amazing and gave me such good recommendations. There were dishes I wasn’t even considering and she was spot-on. I ended up loving every dish I had at Kingfisher.

The Grilled Broccolini was so delicious – umami, flavorful, and just a little funky from the fermented bean curd. The Wild Mushroom Congee was honestly the best congee that I’ve ever had – and I’ve had a lot of congee in my life. It was so smooth, and honestly so comforting after a long day of work. If you only go to one restaurant in this post, I really think you need to make it Kingfisher.

Mabel’s Gone Fishing focuses on showcasing local seafood by blending Californian and Iberian cooking styles. Their menu features tapas-style dishes that are meant to be shared between the diners. As per their recommendation, we opted to split a few dishes between us and almost everything was very tasty. We really enjoyed the mussels as well as the charred spring onions. Both are very similar to Guatemalan staples from X’s youth, so they both went down a treat. The beets were also quite delightful, if you’re a fan of beets. Dessert was delightful, as a Basque Cheesecake always is.