The Best Mediterranean Food in San Diego
Sections
- Eat , on. Can't turn off the last section 277
- Drink , off. Turn on 26 Only Drink
- Stay , off. Turn on 30 Only Stay
- Do , off. Turn on 6 Only Do
Tap another section to add it. All sections
The best Mediterranean food in San Diego, according to the experts: Wine Enthusiast, Michelin Guide, and Esquire have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Callie comes out on top.
More Less
Herb & Wood and Bandar Restaurant hold the next two places. AAA shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with Michelin Guide next.
-
Rank 1. Callie
Mediterranean
A warm chocolate chip tahini cookie arrives at the end of a meal that was never really about restraint. This boisterous Mediterranean restaurant in San Diego's East Village was opened by a chef who spent years running kitchens for Daniel Boulud in New York before heading home. Vegetables and seafood share the menu with enough spice and char to keep things interesting. The Michelin Guide awarded it a Bib Gourmand.
The awards
- Wine Enthusiast Wine Enthusiast: Forward 50 Restaurants
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- Esquire Esquire: #27 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Wine Enthusiast Forward 50 Restaurants
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Esquire #27 · The Best New Restaurants in America
-
Rank 2. Herb & Wood
California Mediterranean
A converted warehouse in Little Italy with barrel-vaulted ceilings and enough candlelight to make everyone look good, Herb & Wood is a wood-fired New American restaurant where the menu swings from blistered pizzas to venison over buttermilk polenta without losing its footing. The PB&C dessert, chocolate-whiskey cake with peanut butter mousse, has its own following. The Michelin Guide has it on their list, and the room tends to fill early with people who look like they come here often.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- San Diego Magazine San Diego Magazine: Top 5 Restaurants · The Best Restaurants in San Diego
- Eater Eater: The 38 Best Restaurants in San Diego
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Diego Magazine Top 5 Restaurants · The Best Restaurants in San Diego
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in San Diego
-
Rank 3. Bandar Restaurant
Mediterranean
The awards
-
Rank 3. Beeside Balcony Del Mar
Mediterranean
A second-floor Mediterranean restaurant in Del Mar with just enough ocean peeking through to feel intentional. The menu runs from Spanish octopus to braised osso buco and lamb chops, with creative vegetarian options keeping things from feeling too carnivore-coded. Lunch, brunch, and dinner are all on offer, and the churros filled with vanilla cream are the kind of dessert that makes you order one more round of wine to justify it.
The awards
-
Rank 3. Beeside Balcony La Jolla
French Mediterranean
The awards
-
Rank 3. Yanni's Bar & Grill
Mediterranean
A neighborhood Mediterranean grill in Scripps Ranch where the wine list runs from rare cellar vintages to a house label the owner bottles himself in Fallbrook. The menu moves through steaks, lamb, fresh seafood, and chicken, and the service team treats tables like a dinner party they threw. The kind of place where regulars have a standing order and out-of-towners wonder how they've never heard of it.
The awards
-
Rank 7. The Rooftop Bar
Mediterranean
The awards
-
Rank 8. The Kebab Shop
New-School Mediterranean
The awards
- San Diego Magazine San Diego Magazine: Best Cheap Eats · The Best Restaurants in San Diego