Once home to San Diego's flourishing tuna fishing industry and generations of Italian families who made their living on the sea, Little Italy is now a lively neighborhood with cozy patio cafés, international restaurants, craft brew stops, urban wineries, art galleries, sophisticated shops, boutique hotels, and the festive Piazza della Famiglia.
San Diego's Dynamic Culinary Hot Spot
Today, San Diego's most dynamic food and drink scene is centered in Little Italy. It's a place where the past meets the present, where Top Chef alums have set up shop next to old-school eateries that remain treasured landmarks.
A slew of luminary chefs have gravitated to Kettner Boulevard, giving it the moniker of "Top Chef Alley" with distinctive eateries including , , Born and Raised, The Crack Shack, Herb & Wood and Kettner Exchange. India Street is lined with restaurants featuring cuisines of both Southern and Northern Italy, including the classic Filippi's Pizza Grotto, featuring an old-fashioned Italian dining experience.
No Little Italy neighborhood would be complete without a true Italian market and Mona Lisa Italian Foods fits the bill. The deli offers a selection of foods, wine and delicious deli sandwiches.
Since 1934, the Waterfront Bar & Grill has been a favorite local watering hole serving locally brewed ales and burgers. And the British-owned and -operated Princess Pub and Grille serves British and Irish beers, along with traditional pub fare such as fish and chips for patrons watching soccer and rugby via satellite TV.
Craft Beer is also in the spotlight here with establishments such as Ballast Point Brewingand Bottlecraft Beer Shop & Tasting Room. And for wine lovers, Carruth Cellars Wine Gardenand Pali Wine Co.are perfect places for local wine tasting.
The Heart of Little Italy
The central gathering point in Little Italy is a European-style piazza known at Piazza della Famiglia. The 10,000-square-foot plaza connects India and Columbia streets and features a dramatic tiled fountain. Enjoy an afternoon stroll across the cobblestone street while relaxing before dinner. The piazza, in the "heart" of Little Italy, is dedicated to the past, present, and future families of the Little Italy neighborhood.
Just steps from the plaza, savor the flavors of Italy in the Little Italy Food Hall. This new social dining concept offers six locally-driven food stations and a full bar with local beers and craft co*cktails.
Shopping and Farmers Markets
Little Italy also features some great local boutiques including Rosamariposa, Vocabulary Boutique, and Stroll where you can find fun women’s fashions and handmade local items, and the NoLi Art & Design District which encompasses a group of retail shops, design stores and art galleries. Klassic and Architectural Salvage are both worth a visit for home goods and unusual finds.
Each Saturday from 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM, several blocks of Little Italy are shut down for the weekly Little Italy Mercato—a dynamic farmers marketwhere locals shop for fresh produce along with gourmet goods, flowers, crafts and ready-made foods.
Events
Little Italy San Diego is also known for several fun festivals including the Mission Federal Artwalkeach Spring.
The aroma of fresh baked bread and Italian seasonings should be enough to get you close to Little Italy. But on a more practical sense, Little Italy is nestled between the downtown core and San Diego's glistening waterfront. If you're arriving from the North, exit on Front Street, and immediately turn right on Cedar. Welcome to the neighborhood! From the airport, take Harbor Drive to Grape Street (turn left) - you're in the center of Italian cuisine bliss. You could walk from downtown, or grab a pedi-cab for a romantic ride to your favorite Italian spot, but however you get there, save room for cannolis. Mangia!
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Restaurants
Where the culinary past meets the present
Once home to San Diego's flourishing tuna fishing industry in the early 1900s and generations of Italian families who made their living on the sea, Little Italy is a charming cultural hub that edges downtown and the harbor. Today, San Diego's most dynamic food and drink scene is centered in this bustling neighborhood, home to quaint cafes, al fresco 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.
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LGBT
Restaurants With a Welcoming Reception for all
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.
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Things to Do
The top openings and happenings
San Diego brims with so many unmissable things to see and experience that you could vow to stay up round-the-clock on a visit here and still barely make a dent in your must-do list. So it's only fitting that for 2024, San Diego will offer at least as many fantastic new happenings as there are hours in a day. Just ask the folks at AFAR Magazine, who have seen fit to list San Diego and Tijuana jointly as a "25 Best Places" honoree, hailing the cities' designation as the World Design Capital for 2024. Here's our own list of two dozen new things to look for here in the new year: Read on and then make plans to be in San Diego for all of this and more in '24!
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Sports
Check out our essential guide to America’s best ballpark, home of the San Diego Padres
"It's really difficult to imagine any stadium topping Petco Park — it's simply the best."
Those could well be the words of any fan who's had the pleasure of taking in a Padres game — or a pop concert, or a fireworks show, or college football's Holiday Bowl — at San Diego's beautiful downtown ballpark. But the quote happens to be from a sportswriter with USA Today, which has named Petco Park the nation's best MLB ballpark more times than any other stadium.
It's easy to see why: With stunning skyline views, proximity to the city's sparkling waterfront, awesome food and beverage options, inviting event spaces and much more, Petco is (as USA Today describes it) "the perfect ballpark."
Whether you've made the pilgrimage to the home of the Padres many times or are looking forward to your first visit, here's your complete guide to the Petco Park experience.
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