Hi Y’all! Welcome back and thanks for being here! :)

Writing a blog post on San Diego was something I have wanted to do for a long time! We first visited San Diego about 4 years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. We try to go and visit at least once a year. Every time we go, it feels like a true relaxing vacation. Our trip usually involves eating at our favorite places, walking on the ocean walk, drinking coffee, and sitting outside our Airbnb people watching!

Where we stay

There are a lot of places to stay when visiting San Diego, but our favorite is Pacific Beach area. I think to get the true laid back, San Diego beach vibe, this is a must! We always rent an Airbnb that is right on the ocean walk. This is perfect for multiple reasons, but my favorite is that I can head right out the door in the morning for my run and have a sidewalk and ocean views. We also love to walk to our favorite places to eat. Walking a mile or two to dinner goes by very quickly when you have ocean views and passing lots of people. If you stay at the very end of the Ocean Walk, it is right around 3 miles to the other end. At the North end (closer to La Jolla) there is a great grassy cliff area that has beautiful views. It is perfect for a stationary workout or bringing some lunch or dinner for a sunset dinner. If you head the complete opposite direction at the south end, there are LOTS of sand volleyball courts. I will say, I enjoy sand volleyball, but these courts seem to be more for serious players. I have always been too intimated to go play over there. In between the south and north end there is lots of restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, boutiques, and even a small theme park in Mission Beach.

Restaurants

It is no secret that my husband and I are big foodies. No really, most of our vacations are planned around food! :) So this is what I am most excited about, sharing with y’all. My favorite places to eat at!

Better Buzz Coffee- I am what some people call a coffee snob ;) and this place lives up to expectations! I walk here EVERY morning to get a delicious iced vanilla latte. I love their vanilla powder that they use. It is the perfect amount of sweet and creamy. I also usually get their 3 seed avocado toast for breakfast. It is made on some fresh thick toast.

Oscar’s Mexican Seafood- This is our favorite taco shop around! Their fish tacos are literally the best we have ever had. The fish is so fresh and they cook it just perfect! My favorite taco to get is the smoked fish. It has great flavor. I also love the toppings they put on their tacos. They put plenty of avocado and then some cilantro and cabbage. The tacos are a normal size in my opinion. We usually get 2 each AND then head across the street to La Perla to split a California Burrito!

La Perla- I never thought I would be a fan of California burritos.. I mean who puts French fries inside of a burrito?! Well let me tell you, it is DELICIOUS! I don’t know how La Perla does it, but their french fries are cooked perfectly crispy and put inside the burrito. The skirt steak that they use is always full of flavor and tender. The tortillas are fresh and homemade, and their green sauce is to die for! Ok I am about to hop on a plane to get one of these!

Arslan’s Gyros- I could write forever about this restaurant and the owner! First off, let me say that this is the best greek food we have ever had. The gyro meat is sliced thin off of the rotisserie and then crisped up just a bit on the grill. Everything at Arslan’s is very fresh. The feta cheese is not the processed grocery store feta, but real imported feta cheese! The veggies on the salad are fresh and picked locally. The Baklava is the absolute best. I could eat a pound of it! Arslan introduced us to squeezing a bit of fresh orange juice on the baklava, I had my doubts, but it added so much flavor to it! Ok so now to Arslan. We found his restaurant our second time to San Diego. Once we tried it and raved to him how amazing it was (and came back 2 more times that same trip) we formed a friendship with him. Him and his wife are so kind and we have loved getting to know them. Now every time we come back, he is excited to see his “Texas Friends’ :)

Canon Ball Sushi- We found this restaurant on one of our more recent trips. First off, the views are AMAZING! Whether you decide to go for lunch or a sunset dinner, you will not be disappointed. The drinks are all fresh and beachy tasting. We have not tried much else here besides the sushi, but it is really good. We are not a fan of the types of sushi that are loaded with crunches, cream cheese, and mayo sauces. This place does it right with lots of fresh fish and ingredients!

(These next few are not in pacific beach area)

Northside Shack- This is our favorite place for Açaí bowls! They have different bases that you can choose from that are all delicious. My favorite part is that it comes WITH all of their toppings and you jus tell them what you don’t want :) So I always load mine up!!

Civico 1845- I have never been to Italy, but I would imagine this is what the pasta taste like there! They homemake their noodles and sauces. I don’t think I have ever tasted better noodles and I couldn’t believe how much flavor the sauce had.

Eclipse Chocolate and espresso bar- I didn’t eat here, but let me tell ya.. their drinking chocolate is delicious! I had the salted dulce de leche and it was heavenly! They also have house made vanilla bean marshmallows that were a perfect addition. We loved the drinking chocolate so much that we got 2 bags for ourselves and one for a white elephant gift exchange!

Lobster West- This is in Coronado Island and is has bomb lobster rolls. If you haven’t ever had a lobster roll, do yourself a favor and visit this place!I get double meat and extra butter ;)

Other things to do in the area

Sunset cliffs- This is a BEAUTIFUL place to visit! You can walk along the cliffs with the most amazing views. You can also go to Point Loma University and park in the Sunset Cliffs parking lot and start from there.

Point Loma Track- This may not be for everyone, but I love to run on the track, so going for a run at the Point Loma University Track is a must for me! You can see the ocean from the track, so you can get in a good speed workout and have the best views.

Coronado Island- This is a short drive from Pacific Beach and is a must if you have never been. Coronado hotel is really neat to walk through and see all the history. There is a lot of little shops and boutiques, but my favorite things to do is rent bikes and bike around the Island.

La Jolla- Another very short drive and a cool place to visit. They also have a lot of fancy shops. There is a nice walking area by the ocean and the cliffs have hundreds of Sea Lions out sunbathing on the rocks. It is really fun to watch them. We also usually find a nice restaurant to eat at here that has ocean views. Dukes is a fun place with a great atmosphere.

Torrey Pines- This is a State Natural Reserve, so it does cost to get in, but it is totally worth it! The beach was so pretty and unique. There is a lot of little trails and places to hike/walk around.

I would love to be a resource if you have any other questions about San Diego!

Thank you for being here!

xoxo Lindsey