San Diego is as glorious as you are imagining. Great weather. Great Beaches. Great Beer.
San Diego Tips:
San Diego is massive. The county is quite spread out and encompasses multiple different cities within itself. I would recommend only a couple of days in the downtown area and then get yourself to a cute beach town and relax for a few days.
There are over 150 breweries in San Diego, so it can be quite overwhelming to start planning your San Diego trip. Don’t fret! A lot of those breweries have multiple taprooms throughout the San Diego area, so once you decide what areas you would like to visit you can narrow down your selection.
Expand your trip into the Los Angeles area! I loved getting to roam around SoCal and was surprised at how close the two cities are to each other because of their large sprawling sizes. Check out all of my LA recommendations here!
The airport in San Diego is central to downtown so it is very convenient to fly in/out of.
Doing a road trip? Check out my Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park guide here and my Las Vegas guide here!
Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations:
Pure Project: The best brewery in the San Diego area. Pure has several locations to check out—Vista, Miramar, Balboa Park, and Carlsbad. They also have a North Park location that will be opening soon. I visited Balboa Park and Carlsbad and thoroughly enjoyed them both!
Balboa Park: This location is, you guessed it, right off of Balboa Park in downtown San Diego. They have a cute patio, a biergarten across the street, and pizza onsite from Urbn Pizza.
Carlsbad: This location fully emits the chill, beach vibes of Carlsbad. They have a nice set-up with a fire table, casual seating, plants, and super friendly staff.
Mostra Coffee: An absolute must-visit while in the San Diego area! They have 3 locations—Banker’s Hill is the closest to central SD, Carmel Mountain Ranch is the original spot, and the 4S Ranch location has a great selection of craft beer. I loved the Crème Brûlée Latte and Choconana Cold Brew.
Eppig Brewing Waterfront Biergarten: A cute taproom directly on the marina. The seats are right along the ocean and you can see the San Diego skyline and surrounding mountains in the distance. The Lagers here were great. Eppig also has another location in Vista.
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Societe Brewing Company: A great brewery with delicious beers and an onsite food truck, Chachos Tacos, serving up really tasty eats.
Mujeres Brew House: San Diego’s first Latina-founded community brewing space. The beers here are tasty and they have the option to do a chamoy rim which I highly recommend. They also have a cute patio space and a food menu.
The Lost Abbey: This Belgian brewery has four tasting rooms in the San Diego area—The Main Tasting Room in San Marcos, The Church in downtown San Diego, The Sanctuary in San Marcos, and The Confessional in Cardiff-By-The-Sea.
I visited The Confessional that is housed in a shopping center with multiple food options around that you can grab takeout from and enjoy at The Lost Abbey. This taproom is quite small and has beachy vibes. Their Barrel Aged beers are great.
Get lost in the Miramar brewery scene: This industrial area has over 15 breweries within just a couple of miles. Many of these breweries have other locations as well.
AleSmith Brewing Company: This Miramar brewery is one of the older breweries in San Diego and one of the most popular. They are best known for Speedway Stout and the different variants they make of that beer. Their taproom is very large and commercialized with a full gift shop and tour buses frequently stopping in, but the beers are solid and worth checking out.
Pure Project Carlsbad
North Park:
North Park Beer Co.: A solid brewery with chill vibes. Their West Coast IPAs are top notch. Mastiff Sausage Company has a location inside for food.
Bottlecraft: A great beer bar and bottle shop with 12 taps and a plethora of cans and bottles to choose from. They are also home to Venissimo Cheese so you can enjoy charcuterie with your beers. Bottlecraft has several locations throughout the San Diego area.
The Original 40 Brewing Company: Another solid brewery with a wide selection of taps to choose from. They have a full food menu and their pretzel is particularly delicious.
Pariah Brewing Co.: Another brewery option a bit further north. The beers were tasty but the environment was a lot. Beer pong and staff getting drunk at the bar is not particularly a great look.
Rouluer Brewing Company: An average brewery with a full food menu.
Oceanside:
Bottlecraft: A great beer bar and bottle shop. This location is smaller than North Park but they still have a fantastic selection of beers. They also have a restaurant inside, Shootz, that specializes in fish tacos. Their back patio has great vibes, and from 4-6pm they have no corkage fee so you can enjoy a something from their can/bottle selection at list price.
Craft Coast Brewery & Taco Stand: A solid brewery that has a patio, a full food menu, and is quite popular.
The Buccaneer Cafe: A cute little shack right across from the beach that is a great spot to grab breakfast. I would not recommend their coffee drinks, but the food is delicious.
Booze Brothers Brewing Co.: An average brewery in the heart of Oceanside. You can order food from Rosewood, the restaurant next door, if you are hungry.
Kilowatt Brewing: I was super unimpressed with Kilowatt. They intentionally create a party vibe with their loud music, bright lights, and games, which might be fine, but there were several people that were absolutely trashed that the bartender continued to serve. The Sour I tried was tasty but the rest of the beers were not good.
Carlsbad:
Burgeon Beer Company: A great brewery with a wide variety of beers to choose from. This is one of the few spots in San Diego without outdoor seating, but the beers are worth leaving the sunshine behind for a little bit.
As I noted above, Pure Project Carlsbad is a fantastic brewery with a great vibe. They have a nice set-up with a fire table, casual seating, plants, and super friendly staff.
Carlsbad State Beach: The large beach that runs through Carlsbad! There are volleyball courts and it is a great spot for dolphin watching.
Café Topes: A cute spot for breakfast/lunch but overall I would say the food was average at best.
Pizza Port Brewing Company: One of the OG’s of the San Diego beer scene, Pizza Port now has 6 taprooms in the area: Solana Beach, Carlsbad, San Clemente, Ocean Beach, Bressi Ranch, and Port Side in Carlsbad. My intent was to visit the Carlsbad location but it was an absolute madhouse when I visited. The wait for one small pizza was an hour and 45 minutes and the line for beer was winding through the entire restaurant.
La Jolla Cove
The Classic Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting:
Mission Beach: A great beach to lounge at and watch the surfers. I enjoyed the Ocean Front Boardwalk Trail for a morning stroll. There are several access points to the beach so you can make your walk as long or as short as you’d like. I saw a plethora of dolphins from the shoreline which is always fun. They also have beach volleyball and free parking at this beach.
Children’s Pool at La Jolla: You can see seal pups here December-May or the beach is open the rest of the year. There were a ton of seals in the area when I visited in January, it was awesome to see. Heads up if you wander onto the little bridge you may get soaked by a wave!
La Jolla Cove: So. Many. Sea. Lions!!! Extremely cool spot to check out. This is again seasonal, but highly recommended if you are in the area in the winter/spring months.
Windansea Beach: Not actually a beach, but instead a cool rocky area where waves smash into the coastline.
Cowles Mountain from Big Rock Trail: Cowles Mountain is the highest point in the San Diego area so the views from the top are fantastic. There are a few different trails that can lead you to the top, but this one was quiet until you joined the other trails at the top. The last section is very steep, but overall it was still moderate. Overall this trail was 5 miles and 99 flights up. As a forewarning if you do this hike from this starting point there is no bathroom at the trailhead.
Explore Balboa Park: This massive greenspace is home to the San Diego Zoo, several museums, walking/hiking trails, a golf course, Japanese gardens, and so much more!
Ocean Beach: A cute little beach town to explore. There a fun little cafes like The Template and a large fishing pier. They’ve also got a solid beer scene with Pizza Port Brewing Company, California Wild Ales, and OB Brewery.
Sunset Cliffs: It’s recommended you visit at sunset for awesome views, but it is still a cool sight to see anytime of day. There is also a hiking trail you can follow along the cliffs—Sunset Cliffs Trail.
Torrey Pines State Reserve: There are a lot of different hikes in this park to explore, but be aware that it is either $20 to park inside the park or you can park on the road but then for most trailheads you have a long uphill walk to the trail. I enjoyed the Torrey Hills State Beach and Broken Hill Trail Loop. It was a 3.3 mile/28 flights up hike that was quite popular. It was a beachy hike with nice overlooks.
The Cedros Design District in Solana Beach is a cute area to explore!
Drive the Coronado Bridge to Coronado Beach. The bridge has great views of downtown and the ocean. The beach is pretty and the sand is very soft here. There is free street parking throughout the area.
Point Loma Tide Pools and Cabrillo National Monument are two popular spots to check out as well, but be aware that the road closes after 5pm. It is $20 to access the area unless you already have a National Park Pass.
Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala: A beautiful old mission established in 1769. There is a $5 entrance to access the interior.
Mostra Coffee
Other ideas:
Et Voilà!: A French Bistro in a cute part of town worth hopping around. They have a great Happy Hour, a cute back patio, delicious food + drinks, and fantastic service.
Blind Lady Ale House is also in this neighborhood but had shortened hours when I was in town.
California Wild Ales: An interesting brewery specializing in Sours. Their original taproom is near Torrey Pines and their second spot is in Ocean Beach. I think they have the potential to make some great beers but they did not have a great tap list when I visited.
Panchita's Kitchen and Bakery: A quick stop for delicious breakfast burritos.
Border X Brewing: A brewery focused on community, culture, and Mexican craft beer. They also have a food menu.
Abnormal Beer Co.: A restaurant-style brewery with a cute patio and a full food menu.
Half Door Brewing Co.: An average brewery in downtown San Diego. The space is super cute in a converted house-style setting with a porch and upstairs balcony. It is right by the baseball stadium and has food as well.
Best Pizza and Brew: A brewery, beer bar, and pizza spot with a bit of ocean views in Cardiff-By-The Sea.
Spill The Beans: A cute coffee shop in the heart of downtown with tasty food
Harland Brewing: An average brewery with several locations in the San Diego area. The Bay Park location has a cute patio but there is very limited parking and the beers are just okay.
Chicano Park: An area under the freeway filled with street art.
Resident Brewing: A brewery in the heart of downtown San Diego housed inside The Local. Overall it had restaurant vibes and a full food menu. The Stouts were great but other beers didn’t quite hold up.
Duck Foot Brewing: An average brewery in the Miramar area with a variety of beers to choose from.
Torrey Pines Gilderport: A spot on the coast to watch the hang gliders. Overrate in my opinion, but some people really enjoy it. There is a little cafe onsite as well.
