Overview: San Diego Restaurant Week
Bring your friends with you, for as you know, delicious food is a great way to connect with others and bring people together.
San Diego Restaurant Week is back, offering eight days of edible extravaganzas from Sept 14-21.
This is a great opportunity to grab tasty bites at multiple restaurants in “America’s Finest City,” with choice offered by more than 100 restaurants.
Dine in a favorite restaurant or try a new one (or two) with options for each course.
La Mesa and Mission Valley will shine with city favorites showcasing their finest menus.
Each restaurant will offer a prix fixe menu ranging from $30- $60 per person. Generally, the menus will be either three-course or four-course. Some restaurants will offer both a lunch and a dinner menu. Some will provide dinner only.
Some even provide cocktails as a course.
Each restaurant will have its special menus posted on its website to help you decide where to dine.
Here is a sampling, by category:
Mexican cuisine
Casa Gabriela in downtown La Mesa features chef Gabriela’s unique fare.
Offerings include jalapeno and white corn Lasagna, pescado a la plancha (adobo-glazed white fish), or crispy carnitas.
Blanco Cocina & Cantina, a fun rooftop restaurant in the Fashion Valley Shopping Center, will offer an extensive lunch and dinner menu. The shrimp tacos or braised short rib “machaca” tacos are perfect for a late-summer meal.
Casa de Pico in Grossmont Shopping Center is also a San Diego favorite. Enjoy some mariachi music there while you dine on either carnitas, fish tacos, or pico enchiladas suizas.
Italian cuisine
Aromi Italian Restaurant in La Mesa invites you to immerse yourself in the flavors and charm of Italy.
They will offer two pasta dishes: tonnarelli cacio (cheese) and pepe (black pepper), and spicy rigatoni vodka. For a slight upcharge, you can have your pasta stirred in an authentic parmigiana reggiano cheese bowl. This tableside experience delights everyone in the restaurant.
If you’re not in the mood for pasta, there are four other options on the special menu, including salmon, steak, or chicken.
North Italia in Fashion Valley Shopping Center will have an extensive special menu, including stromboli and giardino (garden) sandwiches as well as pasta, salad, and pizza.
Antica Trattoria in La Mesa features cuisine from Sicily in southern Italy. You have the excellent option here of having a drink as a course. The cuisine of this trattoria is also excellent, highlighting the use of fresh vegetables, fish, and beef.
Some highlights include mussels, calamari e gamberi (shrimp), and saltimboca (a veal scaloppini). Gluten-free diners, you are in luck here. For a slight upcharge, you can enjoy their gluten-free pasta.
American and barbecue cuisine
Dels’ Hideout in the Mission Valley/College Area features BBQ favorites such as the BBQ sammie with your choice of brisket, pulled pork, chicken, hot link, or vegan chicken. Be sure to try the onion rings; they’re a meal in themselves.
The bourbon apple crisp featured for dessert sounds like a perfect end to a delicious meal.
Smokey and the Brisket on Lake Murray Boulevard in La Mesa is another choice.
Bring your appetite for this meal. Choose a protein such as brisket, pulled pork, or spare ribs and two side dishes such as mac ‘n cheese, creamy corn, or mashed potatoes. But the caramel churro for dessert – oh my!
If you’re dining in, they will offer a special price for wine or beer.
Japanese cuisine
Benihana in Mission Valley will delight guests with its usual flair.
Three courses, including entrees of Rocky’s Choice, consisting of hibachi steak and chicken, or the unique Benihana delight of colossal shrimp and chicken.
Whether you are looking for a deal or want to try some new restaurants or trending foods, this is the perfect opportunity.
Bring your friends with you, for as you know, delicious food is a great way to connect with others and bring people together.
For a complete list of restaurants, go here. Reservations are not mandatory but are recommended.
