The Lion’s Share is neither pet nor animal “friendly.” It doesn’t concern itself much with vegans either. Delightful and unabashed, TLS is a cocktail lounge claiming the “best bar food” in all of America. With décor reminiscent of a hunting den or natural history museum, this place is lined with real bear skin rugs and taxidermies of deer, elk and other animals including a whole peacock. 

From (non-faux) leather chairs  patrons gobble grilled oysters in coconut curry, gem salads with wild boar bacon bits, chicharrones, venison sliders, truffle fries and even frog legs.  Mains include Duck & Rabbit Terrine, Bone-in Elk Chops (rubbed in sumac and served with eggplant puree and sweet potatoes) or Boar Bolognese. Pairs might divvy up the Wagyu steak frites with chimichurri butter. 

Mixed up in mixology, their bartenders swirl new twists on traditional libations. try the tamarind mezcal and fresno chile Cheeto Fingers which has a delightful, slow-burn kick. 

629 Kettner Blvd. SD 92101  

A 25-minute ride from Downtown, a personal family favorite for generations, Anthony's hasn't changed much since it first opened nearly 80 years ago. Itself the last outpost in a family business, guests enter this La Mesa restaurant though a huge clam shell-shaped portal past a rock grotto with a waterfall and are greeted by a series of nautically-themed mosaics and frescos. 

Dining beside a private lake with bocce ball courts with plenty of room to roam, although the decor of their "Star of the Sea" room clamors for an update, the seafood menu in this "best kept family secret" simply never goes out of style. 

9530 Murray Drive, La Mesa, CA

91942

This immersive restaurant includes a bar built inside a beautifully decorated rotating carousel built in 1881. 

Moving at a relaxing pace, customers can dine on French bistro dishes, such as cheese plates, escargots, mussels, and steak frites made with Australian wagyu. 

Kitchy, silly and a little bit cosmopolitan, this outlier on the edge of Little Italy, is one of those places that we always seem to visit when friends come in from out of town.  

2401 Kettner Blvd. Suite B

San Diego, CA 92101

A block from the ocean in Pacific Beach fronting the Crystal Pier stands a quintessentially stylish upscale beach bungalow known as the Hideaway. 

Offering equally stylish vittles and cool concococtions for local surfers and gremmies alike, the owners of this popular hot spot are lifelong friends of the author.  

4474 Mission Blvd, San Diego, CA 92109

Epic among the epicurean, Addison by chef William Bradley is Southern California’s first and only three-star Michelin restaurant. 

A brisk 27-minute limo ride from downtown to the Fairmont Del Mar and you can be transported away to paradise.

A gastronomic overload, all of the dishes on the $355-per-person seasonal tasting menu are expertly executed, whether chicken liver churros, a crispy potato cube layered with black truffle and Iberico ham, or sashimi with kiwi and melon. 

Beyond the food, Addison has an extensive, (if not expensive),  excellent wine and cocktail list, plus bottles of rare champagne.

If you are a lucky lottery winner or other generous tycoon planning to host a splurge on your entire table's dinner, please be so kind as to remember to invite me. 

5200 Grand Del Mar Way, San Diego, CA 92130

A rare place to eat raw fish, the tiniest "private" sushi bar in town is Sushi Maru. 

In a hidden spot on Third Avenue between Ash and A streets on the ground floor of the Stanza Little Italy apartment building, chef Tsuyoshi Maruyama has opened his namesake sushi bar with only two prearranged dinner seatings each evening.

Once inside, you are welcomed to a calm and comfortable private Sushi bar, a Japanese “和 (WA)” time away from everyday life. 

No menus needed. What you get is 20 courses served over two hours. The omakase is $180 per person, and customers can add non-alcoholic beverages, beer, wine, Champagne, sake, and shochu. Customers can also reorder the chef-select items.

The sushi counter seats 12 people, and a large table seats eight. The restaurant is reservation-only. Wednesday through Sunday. Seatings at 5:30 and 8 p.m.

310 A Street, Suite 2, SD 92101

The long-running outpost of the iconic Nobu restaurant was launched by one of the world's most famous "celebrity" chefs. 

The Tanoshi hour runs every day from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. with deals on cocktails and bar bites. 

Otherwise, if your Rolls-Royce is in the shop and you'd waste money in the Gaslamp rather than call for a private car, this is the place for you. Try the signature dishes like the yellowtail jalapeno or black miso cod.  

Fun fact: Nobu has acting credits in four major films: 

Casino   (1995) alongside business partner Robert De Niro;  

Austin Powers in Goldmember      (2002) as Dr. Evil's henchman "Mr. Roboto,"

Memoirs of a Geisha    (2005),  and 

The Girl from Nagasaki    (2013).

207 5th Ave (at Hard Rock Hotel)

The most wildly popular and likely the very best breakfast joint in the area, BR has such an extensive menu of simple, highly elevated and perfectly executed meals that you won't be able to quickly decide what to order.  

Being a place that does not take reservations, you may have time to think (and salivate) over the possibilities. 

Also, in most cities, a foodie's "breakfast" place probably wouldn't have a bar, beer taps, and a cocktail menu. 

But this is San Diego. 

707 G Street, San Diego 92101 

(w/ other locations)

This is the place for chilaquiles, excelentes platos de desayuno, y bebidas para empezar el día. 

1435 6th Avenue, San Diego 

(for an even more authentic experience, try the one in Barrio Logan)

Start a fantastique day in the sun with plenty of Joie de Vie  at Coronado's chic and charming streetside corner bistro/wine bar). 

Near the famous beach made even more famous by the Hotel Del Coronado, Little Frenchie is the perfect place for petit princes and princesses. 

Neophytes order simple favorites like omeletes, quiche, onion soup gratinée, Nicoise salad, the signature Beef Dip or just Le Burger. 

More continental diners, however, trend deeper into their Michelin-starred menu, finding mussels with fries, a superb duck confit cassoulet, burgundy snails with herb garlic butter, or perhaps their duck poutine with mozzarella, gravy, hen egg and confit. 

1166 Orange Ave., Coronado 92118