San Diego’s food is inseparable from the border. Baja California is a short drive away, and the influence runs deep — the fish taco, battered and fried, with cabbage and crema, is the city’s defining dish and is done well at everything from beach shacks to sit-down restaurants.
Barrio Logan and City Heights are where the Mexican and Southeast Asian food communities are most concentrated, and both reward wandering. Old Town trades more on history than cooking.
Craft beer is the other pillar. San Diego County has one of the highest concentrations of breweries anywhere in the United States, and the West Coast IPA was largely defined here. North Park and Miramar hold the densest clusters.