With more than 70 eateries, cocktail lounges and fine dining options, this San Diego locale is known for its sterling culinary scene. But Little Italy is more than just a place for foodies — this hotspot is filled with tons of options for entertainment, culture and more.
Home to a coterie of celebrity chefs as well as rising culinary stars, Little Italy is a strong candidate for status as San Diego's hottest foodie neighborhood.
Once home to legions of Italian tuna fishermen, this historic neighborhood walks the line adroitly between honoring its past and basking in the contemporary. If you’re looking for handmade pasta or other delicacies of authentic Italian heritage, look no further. But if you’re looking for creative suds from a Danish brewer, ultra-hip coffee shops, fashion boutiques, and ice cream that’s developed a cult following — well, you’ve also come to the right place!
Read on for highlights:
Where: West Date Street, between India and Columbia
This 10,000-square-foot, European-style piazza is the centerpiece of Little Italy. A beautiful fountain and outdoor seating provide a relaxing break from a day of strolling and shopping along the cobblestone street and the rest of Little Italy. Stop by Amici Park with your four-legged friends, where you can enjoy performers who often entertain at the built-in amphitheater, or watch — or better yet, join — a game of bocce ball.
Where: 2228 Kettner Blvd.
Those looking for exquisite molecular gastronomy will find it at this renowned “left-coast cookery,” with an ever-changing menu of seasonal ingredients. Powered by all-star chefs, the kitchen at Juniper and Ivy turns out dish after dish that proves how this restaurant has continued to stay relevant and rack up awards for years on end.
Styling itself as a “Japanese social dining experience,” Cloak & Petal beckons with a collection of unusual touches, from graceful cherry-blossom trees to the underground bar lounge, inspired by those in the Shibuya district of Japan. The food is creative Japanese fusion, served amid vibrant Japanese street art.
Where: 2215 Kettner Blvd.
This local winery sources grapes from Northern California and Oregon, then does every other aspect of production in San Diego. The spacious garden patio at Carruth Cellars Wine Garden is a relaxing spot to sample their white, red, rose and blends by the glass, bottle and flight. Pair those with an ample selection of cheeses that can be made into gorgeous custom cheese boards.
The fruit of the vine is also the star of the show at Pali Wine Co., a family-owned winery focused on the wine-growing region of California’s Central Coast. Pali’s three labels encompass everything from delicate pinot noirs to bold Tower 15 wines and satisfying natural cuvées.
Where: 2305 India St.
Inspired by drinking emporiums in Europe, Nolita Hall invites guests to enjoy craft cocktails and gourmet pizza inside a spacious, inviting location bathed in sunshine from floor-to-ceiling windows. Watch sports on flat screens or try your hand on the massive shuffleboard court.
Where: 1909 India St.
The decadence of this steakhouse would make the Great Gatsby blush. There’s more to Born & Raised than its grand wooden ceiling, white tuxedo-clad waiters and gold flourishes, though. The restaurant's cocktails (prepared tableside on wheeled carts), luxurious cuts of grass-fed beef, bone marrow, foie gras, and steak tartare are all next-level.
Where: 2355 India St.
This airy indoor mini-mall houses James Coffee Co., a menswear boutique, eyeglass shop, a barber shop and other retail shops. It’s a one-stop-shop for everything from an oat milk chai latte, to trying on shades, to getting clipped and getting hip.
Where: 621 W. Fir St.
Jewelry, gifts, and fragrances of the fun, cheeky and sometimes risque variety abound inside a cute Craftsman house. You’ll find coffee mugs and houseware with inspirational or just plain funny curse-laden expressions, as well as edgy and stylish home accents for sharp-eyed and sharp-tongued shoppers.
Where: 750 W. Fir St.
Enjoy handcrafted, organic pasta, Milanese-style, for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Order a cheese-wheel pasta dish and watch as the dish is prepared inside a huge cheese wheel, tableside
Where: 1670 India St.
Save some room — and some time for the out-the-door-line — for this craft ice cream joint that has amassed a cult following. Such flavors as honey lavender, wild-foraged berry slab pie, and smoked sea salt and chocolate crack have converted devotees up and down the West Coast.
Where: 2266 Kettner Blvd
The “crack” in the name refers to the menu of reinvented chicken-and-egg classics. Only local, free-range birds are sourced here, and the cooking incorporates a secret spice blend. The Crack Shack's specialty of crispy fried chicken that's ground into patties and grilled and smoked to succulent perfection has attracted a devoted following here in Little Italy and at the restaurant's other San Diego-area outposts. And with its lawn games and other fun touches, The Crack Shack is also a family favorite.
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