San Diego Restaurant Week is back for its 10th year, starting this Sunday, September 21, and lasting through the week until Friday, September 26. Foodies have the option to dine on multi-course, price fixed lunch and dinner option all over town - from some of the hottest new restaurants in the city, to some of its most exclusive dining destinations, with many eateries creating their prix fixe menus to highlight their most popular items. We've rounded up some of the best Restaurant Week participating eateries from all over San Diego County, so keep reading and make your reservations today!
With lunch menus ranging from $10 - $20 and dinner menus running from $25 - $45, it's the perfect time to taste the amazing culinary variety San Diego has to offer. From the more than 200 restaurants participating in this year's San Diego Restaurant Week, we've chosen 14 to highlight!
CENTRAL SD
Similar to the original Pacific Beach location on Lamont St., The Patio on Goldfinch is a cozy, unique and fun place to enjoy craft cocktails, an extensive wine selection and excellent local beer paired with a thoughtful menu based on sustainability and farm-to-table ethics. The Patio on Goldfinch is not only pet-friendly like its Lamont counterpart but also features a menu focused on small plates and seafood, and boasts Southern California's only "cheese cave,” offering a hand-curated collection of cheeses from across the country and around the world. The Patio on Goldfinch is celebrating San Diego Restaurant Week with a special ‘Locals Who Lunch’ menu for $15, including any sandwich from the menu, a choice of either a French Market Vegan Salad or a delectable Compressed Watermelon Salad and topped off with a mini dessert. Delight in a special dinner menu for $35, complete with a choice of a Hummus Trio, Two If By Sea (two uniquely different crab cakes), an entree choice of Fish of the Day, a Petite Filet Mignon, or Linguine with Clams. The special dinner is topped with a choice of delectable Carrot Cake or Key Lime Cheesecake.
Little Italy's naughty boy - Monello - is offering up $20 lunch specials and $35 dinners for Restaurant Week patrons. Known for its fresh and traditional Italian offerings, you really can't go wrong at Monello. Created by the same family known for San Diego’s “best Italian restaurant,” Bencotto Italian Kitchen, the “100 percent honest Italian” menu celebrates Northern Italian street foods and Milan’s glamorous aperitivo culture, featuring expertly-crafted cocktails and complimentary “tastes from the cook.” Start with an antipasta of funghi fritti - lightly fried portabello mushroom with black truffle aioli, then maybe the lasagna Monello and a Pannacotta for dessert! Enter to win dinner for two at Monello by entering our SDRW raffle.
True Food Kitchen
True Food Kitchen is a nutrition-forward restaurant concept with a menu based on the principals of wellness guru Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet. In honor of San Diego Restaurant Week, True Food Kitchen in the Fashion Valley Mall will offer a three-course menu for just $25, allowing guests a chance to try some of the restaurant's most popular dishes, each inspired by the world’s healthiest populations and focused on wholesome, all-natural ingredients that are prepared simply to highlight natural health benefits and tastes. First course options include fresh and colorful salads such as the Tucsan Kale and the Mediterranean Chopped, entrees vary from Spaghetti Squash Casserole to Red Chili Shrimp, and sweet but guilt-free dessert selections include the delicious Chia Seed Pudding or Pomegranate Yuzu Sorbet, to name a few. True Food Kitchen also provides the perfect location for SDRW goers on any diet, with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options guaranteed to satisfy the most discerning palates.
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| Croce's ahi tuna crudo |
Croce’s Park West in Banker's Hill will offer an extended menu with wine flights, specialty cocktails, live music and events nightly during San Diego Restaurant Week. Their $35 prix fixe dinner features items like ahi tuna crudo, Jamaican jerk baby back ribs and squash blossom risotto for starters, and main courses like pan seared seabass, Bordeaux braised short ribs and wild-mushroom potato lasagna. Save room for dessert because items like vanilla lavender honey crème brulee and Fondant au Chocolat are not to miss. Want dinner on us? Enter our raffle for a chance to winner supper for two courtesy of SanDiegoVille.
DOWNTOWN SD
Ideally located in the heart of San Diego’s downtown Gaslamp Quarter, BiCE Ristorante offers inventive dishes that are inspired by traditional Italian cuisine but executed with contemporary techniques and new flavors. Inspired by both Italian and locally sourced ingredients, the BiCE menu changes colors with the seasons. For Restaurant Week, BiCE Ristorante is offering a delicious three-course meal for $45. With a mouthwatering selection of multiple options per course, including thinly sliced Ahi Tuna served with zucchini, creamy shallot sauce and quail egg, lemon olive oil; Braised Rabbit Ravioli with kale and Mediterranean olives, creamy leek and thyme sauce; and a menu of decedent sweet selections including a Dark Chocolate Crostata with apricot and spicy mango tequila sauce. BiCE Ristorante also offers an upgrade to your entree for an additional $10, where options include the fan favorite Frutti di Mare Seafood Spaghetti baked in a parchment bag, Fresh Branzino cooked on a cedar plank and Strozzapreti with Truffle Essence.
Don Chido, downtown San Diego’s newest, authentic and stylish Mexican eatery in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter will celebrate its entry into the San Diego dining scene and the 10th Annual San Diego Restaurant Week with both a special lunch ($10) menu and a set dinner menu ($25). The Don Chido SDRW lunch menu will feature a choice of soup, salad or sopes, and entrees including Carnitas Torta, Tacos de Cordero (ancho-roasted lamb), or Huarache de Tinga (fried masa, topped with chicken thigh, black beans and queso fresco). The dinner menu will showcase savory, spicy and sweet menu favorites such as Carnitas Sopes with habanero aoili, avocado and pickled onion on fried masa, and the irresistible Abuela’s Chocolate Pudding with Mexican spices, dulce de leche, whipped cream and toasted almond brittle, but also special off-menu items including Cordero Barbacoa—ancho-roasted lamb, with cilantro, onion and tomatillo salsa, and served with rice and fresh, house-made tortillas.
Searsucker San Diego is well-known for their playful menu featuring unique twists on New American classics. The San Diego location is a bustling favorite, located in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter. As one of the finest downtown restaurants, the eatery focuses on local fare - including everything from seafood to local craft brews. For restaurant week, Searsucker San Diego is offering delicious "lunch boxes" for just $15! Included is a half sandwich or salad, two sides and a s'mores bar. Options include the Drunken Chicken Salad Sandwich, Heirloom Tomato Sandwich, Cobb Salad and so much more, with sides of Brown Butter Fries, Tomato Soup or a side salad. Full menu is available here. There's enough options to come back all week!
From the sumptuous surroundings - including classic mahogany wood, fleur de lis banquettes, and white linen-topped tables - to the ever-evolving seasonal menus, The Grant Grill carries a tradition of excellence since opening its doors in 1951. The culinary program sets the standard for San Diego fine dining with approachable epicurean elegance, acutely focused on highlighting only the freshest of ingredients, prime meats and Pacific seafood. In addition, The Grant Grill welcomes new Chef de Cuisine, Sam Burman. Burman brings more than 14 years of culinary and hospitality experience to one of San Diego’s premier dining destinations, known for its California cuisine, craft mixology and iconic setting. He's currently working on many exciting menus changes and implementing some fresh new concepts, including the launch of The Grant Grill's new menus. For this year's San Diego Restaurant Week, The Grant Grill will be offering their signature Mock Turtle Soup, Paella with wild shrimp, mussels, Venus clam, puffed rice and saffron, complete with dessert and more.
LA JOLLA
Nestled in the heart of La Jolla's Bird Rock seaside community, Beaumont's Eatery is an upbeat central meeting spot for locals to gather for excellent eats, hand-made cocktails and top-rate entertainment. Executive Chef George Morris whipped up a three-course prix fixe dinner menu at $35, including dishes such as Pan Seared Day Boat Scallops, with braised tiger beans, oyster mushroom, and cherry bomb pepper, Grilled Local Yellow Tail, made up of baby bok choy, blistered tomatoes, shiitake, and kafir lime-coconut broth, and to top it all off, a Baked Local Apple Cobbler, which comes with salted caramel ice cream.
It's hard not to relax over a delicious meal at Brockton Villa while gazing at the gorgeous La Jolla Cove. This historic building maintains a casual, cottage feel reminiscent of dining at a quaint beach home. Known for impeccable views, friendly service and unparalleled culinary offerings, Brockton Villa will offer a prix fixe menu for both lunch and dinner. Guests can choose from a variety of dishes, from Brockton Villa's "Epic Chowder," composed of sea clams, blue crab, bacon, yukon potatoes and saffron cream, Ginger Chili Glazed Atlantic Salmon, which comes with coconut cilantro rice, baby bok choy, baby carrots, cooked in a citrus butter emulsion, or the Whiskey & Grana Padano Crusted Filet, a petite filet loaded with mashed potatoes, broccolini, port demi and a balsamic glaze. Be sure to indulge in the local favorite, "World Famous" Coast Toast, a unique soufflé-inspired french toast dish that makes the perfect dessert when served with a side of gelato. Lunch is $15 per person and dinner is $35. Regular dinner menu items are also available a la carte.
Boasting a quintessential Southern California vibe and featuring a creative 'fish meats field' cuisine with ocean specialties from around the world and a variety of surf and turf dishes, Herringbone La Jolla is, understandably, a local favorite. Herringbone La Jolla offers diners an elegant dining experience, set beneath 100-year-old olive trees, just blocks from the ocean. This Restaurant Week, Herringbone La Jolla is offering a three-course dinner tasting menu for for just $45, complete with wine pairings for $65. The tough part is choosing between delicious items such as starters: Stone Fruit Salad and Yellowtail Tartare or entrees: Slow Cooked Short Rib and Summer Squash Fettuccine. Don't forget to save room for mouthwatering dessert options like the Chocolate Hazelnut Bar with delicate Raspberry Gelato or the Dulcey Tres Leches with Salted Caramel Froyo. For the lunch crowd, Herringbone is offering a delicious menu for $20 that includes either a soup or salad, choice of sandwich and delectable dessert. As an added bonus, Herringbone SDRW dinner patrons will receive complementary gift cards as a "thank you” for dinning at Herringbone during restaurant week.
BEACHES
Located in the seaside community of Pacific Beach, The Patio on Lamont is also celebrating San Diego Restaurant Week with a special ‘Locals Who Lunch’ menu for $15 including any sandwich or half flatbread from the menu, a choice of either a small soup, small pea salad or endive salad and topped off with a mini dessert. Locals can delight in a special dinner menu for $35, complete with a choice of a Hummus Trio, Roasted Beet Bruschetta or Seasonal Vegetables, an entree choice of Ribeye Cap Steak, Fish of the Day, a Braised Pork Shank or a Pappardelle Summer Squash. The special dinner is topped with a choice of delectable Carrot Cake or Key Lime Cheesecake.
NORTH COUNTY COASTAL
Searsucker Del Mar matches its' coastal location with a playful, fun menu featuring the famous unique twist on New American classics. With a gorgeous outdoor patio, fire pit and a pond where kids can feed the koi fish, Searsucker Del Mar is a North County favorite and is perfectly designed to cater to both families and date nights. This Restaurant Week the Del Mar location is offering a special 3-course dinner tasting menu for $35. The menu spotlights fresh summer ingredients such as Ahi Poke, Stonefruit Salad, Seasonal Vegetable Risotto and Searsucker Cioppino. Please call 858.369.5700 for reservations. For lunch, don't miss out on the upgraded lunch box for just $15 with Tomato Soup, choice of Caesar, Cobb or Field Green Salad, and choice of half sandwich. Sandwich options include Grilled Cheese, Short Rib, Black Bean Burger, Salmon Sandwich and more! A delicious s'mores bar will be included for a sweet treat to end the meal. Full menus available here. As a "thank you" for dining at Searsucker, gift cards will be given out to guests who dine off of the Searsucker Restaurant Week Dinner menu.
NORTH COUNTY INLAND
This restaurant week, AVANT is celebrating turning one with a birthday - and menu - to remember. Guests should come hungry, as Executive Sous Chef Tomas Baistrocchi will be serving a mouth-watering 3-course menu. Growing up in a traditional Argentinean home, Chef Tomas enjoys highlighting seasonal ingredients. From calamari bites with house-made sauce to AVANT's signature Mary's Chicken dish with fresh grown garden squash (from the AVANT garden!) and a pistachio macaron for dessert, the menu will satisfy diners' cravings for authentic, fresh from the garden cuisine. Each 3-corse menu will be $45 a plate.
