recommendation for restaurants in san diego

sea and story coloring their kids' menu at spaghetti factory in downtown san diego

i consider myself a "foodie"...it is a significant part of my identity...i've always loved food...mainly eating it, but also i was a server in several restaurants (most of them in the napa valley) for 16 years...i enjoy cooking food, learning about food, learning about nutrition, etc. i eat a LOT of food...often...fast metabolism...i "live to eat" instead of "eating to live" as my dad would say...very few foods i dislike...i love the social nature of eating with friends/family...

one of my friends sent me a fb message asking for a recommendation for a place to eat dinner here in san diego this coming saturday night...somehow i couldn't just throw her out one or two ideas...i feel like i need to figure out her values, factors she is considering, etc. analysis to come up with the perfect fit (i spend way too much time on details)...her request was "fun, yummy and kid friendly"...

the criteria i usually use to find a place to eat is 1) participants' requirements 2) location
3) ambiance/cool factor 4) food 5) service 6) cost

i usually get about two of these things in any dining experience...especially with kids...

so looking at her requirements, i'm not sure what qualities make dining fun...not sure what type of cuisine she typically likes...but i have two rambunctious children so i can definitely speak to how "kid friendly" many places are...

so i'll start with her location. she is going to be at qualcomm stadium which is right near where we live. if i was visiting san diego, i would make location a very high priority in the restaurant i chose...either to be reflective of "san diego" and all this town has to offer (beach locations, cool downtown, etc.) or in her case she may just want to be close to where she will be...will have to clarify that...so the major areas i would consider as far as location are 1) la jolla (looking out over the the ocean and near seals, shopping, etc.) 2) coronado (another beach location) 3) downtown (usually busy and lots to see) 4) old town san diego ("fun" criteria met here)...

next i would look at type of cuisine her family usually enjoys. we often eat thai/vietnamese/asian, italian or mexican. actually, unless someone is visiting and makes a recommendation, we usually choose a restaurant based on low cost and/or easy (close to where we are/kid friendly)...so as much as i consider myself a "foodie" have by no means eaten my way around san diego...i will share some of the places we often go to give an idea of suggestions i would make...

for "location" or at least an awesome view i would go to brockton villa overlooking the la jolla coast line. i especially like this location for breakfast but you can get their coast toast (orange flavored souffle-like french toast) all day...this might be a nice place at sunset...not necessarily "fun" or particularly kid friendly but there are always families there and it is right across from the seals...service will only be fair and cost is a little overpriced but probably worth it for the view...this is where we took my dad for his 65th birthday right before he passed away...

another location i would consider is coronado. it is an awesome self-contained "island" just on the other side of a bridge from downtown san diego. lots of places that are within walking distance. we like to eat at village pizzeria...GREAT pizza, if you like garlic i'd highly recommend asking for a side of their garlic oil and pouring it all over whatever pizza you order. the location of the restaurant itself is not awesome but it is right near the beach and right on the main street with all the shops and i would fit coronado or a beach town in if you are in san diego...i just found out on yelp there is another location which might be better because it actually has a view of downtown san diego...i would say the service here is good, ambiance just ok, definitely very kid friendly (lot of kids/families here)...

next, for location, i would consider old town san diego. there are a LOT of mexican restaurants in close proximity up and down the main street and throughout this whole area...we like to go to casa de reyes because it is right in a colorful courtyard with shops, live music playing on a nearby stage, great outdoor tables (you HAVE to eat outside if you go here), fountains, lots of people and overall "fun" i would say...the food unfortunately is just average and the service probably even less so with prices too high...but they have HUGE what some call "bird bath" margaritas which can help a lot of those other variables...this was actually the last place we eat the night my dad died...i couldn't bring myself to post photos from that day, so here is one from when his family came out years later...
and sea dancing in front of the stage next to the restaurant...
spaghetti factory allows you to get the downtown san diego scene and still be kid friendly, reasonably priced and decent food. i'd pay the $15 for valet parking (or pay a nearby lot) to avoid driving around and around for close to an hour to find street parking.

another family friendly choice would be filippi's located in little italy near our old house in banker's hill and also near downtown san diego. it was the first san diego restaurant we found when we moved here...line out the door (but the line moves quickly)...family owned, huge portions, great price, good food, lots of families here...

i've left off several of our favorite thai places...lotus thai and taste of thai both in hillcrest...i really enjoy their food and we usually get great service but the cost is high, not a great location and not kid friendly so i left those off...

my sister is visiting tonight and we are using a groupon to go to indian food...maybe i'll add that to my quick overview of san diego favs...