If shopping is on the docket for your visit to San Diego, this dynamic region has many neighborhood retail districts you won't want to miss.

Neighborhood boutiques are great places to find local artisans' clothing designs and accessories, as well as artwork, jewelry and household furnishings. They're also ideal spots to grab a bite to eat or enjoy a gourmet coffee, craft beer or craft cocktail while mixing and mingling with the locals.

Hillcrest has always been known for good food. The epicenter of the LGBTQ+ community could arguably be considered San Diego's first foodie neighborhood. Before the tide of craft breweries, artisanal doughnuts and design-conscious bistros, the area offered a wide variety of tastes, cultures and price points. Hillcrest — along with neighboring Balboa Park and Bankers Hill — keeps things fresh and exciting, welcoming adventurous flavors from all corners of the world.

From San Diego staples to new kids on the block bound for distinction, these neighborhoods are filled with so many top restaurants, you may never get to them all. But there's no reason not to try! Restaurants of every genre fill cozy corner spots, high-ceilinged expanses and mood-lit nooks — and finding the best is a worthy endeavor. Here are a few stars to point you in the right direction.

Just minutes from downtown, you'll find an amazing cultural center and beautiful botanic paradise right in the middle of San Diego.

Once home to San Diego's flourishing tuna fishing industry and generations of Italian-American families who made their living on the sea, Little Italy is now a charming cultural hub that borders downtown and the harbor. Today, San Diego's most dynamic food and drink scene is centered in this bustling neighborhood, home to quaint cafes, alfresco eateries, craft beer stops, urban wineries, and myriad restaurants. Colorful Little Italy is a place where locals dressed in white play bocce ball in Amici Park and Top Chef alums have set up shop next to old-school eateries serving authentic Italian fare.