TIPS
Local know-how for San Diego — where to go, what it costs, what trips people up — checked against the agency, the dataset or the law that decides it, and dated so you can see how fresh it is.
16 tips · showing 1–15
Why are fish tacos such a San Diego thing?
Because Baja California is next door. Fish tacos came north from the beach stands of Baja, and Ralph Rubio made them famous here after opening the first Rubio's in Pacific Beach in 1983.
OriginBaja California
Liberty Station and its Public Market: what to know before you go
It's the former Naval Training Center in Point Loma, closed in 1997 and turned into shops, restaurants, an arts district and a park. Its centerpiece, Liberty Public Market, is a food hall in the base's 1921 commissary.
Base closed1997
Lobster season is open in San Diego: the rules, the costs, and where to buy one if you'd rather not dive
California spiny lobster season opened at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 2, 2026, and runs until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17, 2027. You can keep seven a day if they measure at least 3¼ inches across the body shell. Everyone needs a $12.70 report card, kids and pier hoopers included. If you'd rather skip all of that, local lobstermen sell them live at Tuna Harbor on Saturday mornings.
SeasonOct 2 – Mar 17
San Diego farmers markets, day by day
There's a certified farmers market somewhere in the county every day of the week — about 44 in all — with the biggest choice on Saturdays (Little Italy Mercato, 8 a.m.–2 p.m.) and Sundays (Hillcrest, La Jolla, Broadway Pier); weeknight favorites are Pacific Beach on Tuesday, Ocean Beach on Wednesday and North Park on Thursday.
Certified markets countywide44
Can I bring my dog to a restaurant patio in San Diego?
On the patio, often yes — California has allowed dogs in outdoor dining areas since 2015, but only if the restaurant chooses to. Inside, only trained service animals.
PatiosAllowed
Convoy Street: San Diego's Asian food district, explained
It's San Diego's pan-Asian food corridor in Kearny Mesa — Korean barbecue, ramen, dim sum, pho and boba in strip malls along Convoy Street. The city made it an official cultural district in 2020.
Official district2020
Dog-friendly restaurants, bars and breweries in San Diego: 187 spots, mapped
187 places across San Diego County let you bring your dog, from Ocean Beach brewpubs and bayfront patios with dog menus to Julian wineries. Here they are by area, each on a map, with where dogs can actually sit.
Places mapped187
How do you get to Valle de Guadalupe wine country from San Diego?
Cross at San Ysidro or Otay, take the Tijuana–Ensenada toll road to El Sauzal, then Highway 3 into the valley: about 1.5 to 2 hours plus the border wait. Driving needs Mexican auto insurance; a tour skips that.
Drive~1.5–2 hrs
How much to tip at San Diego restaurants
18–20% at a sit-down restaurant is the norm. Servers in California earn at least the full minimum wage before tips — $17.75 an hour in the City of San Diego — and the law says tips belong to the workers.
Sit-down norm18–20%
San Diego's MICHELIN-starred restaurants
Five in San Diego County after the June 2026 guide: Addison in Del Mar with three stars, and one star each for Soichi, Lucien, Jeune et Jolie and Lilo.
Starred restaurants5
The best San Diego neighborhoods for eating out
Little Italy for density, North Park's 30th Street for neighborhood spots, Convoy for Asian food, and East Village and Barrio Logan for newer places — Michelin's own San Diego picks cluster in exactly those areas.
Most choiceLittle Italy
The best sports bars in San Diego, by type: big-screen bars, dives, upscale lounges and the ones with good food
Novo Brazil and The Bullpen for giant screens, Bub's and Tom's Watch Bar by Petco, Harbor Town and Time Out for a neighborhood feel, Nason's for a nicer room, and Dirty Birds or Sandbar when the food matters.
Venues20
What's a California burrito, and where did it come from?
Carne asada, french fries, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo in a flour tortilla. It's San Diego's own invention from the 1980s, though which taco shop made the first one is still argued over.
InsideCarne asada + fries
Why are there so many "-berto's" taco shops in San Diego?
Because they're mostly one family. Roberto's opened in San Diego in the late 1960s, and relatives who opened their own shops were told to change the name — so Alberto's, Filiberto's and dozens more followed.
The originalRoberto's
Why did my restaurant bill have a surcharge on it?
Because California's hidden-fee ban carved restaurants out. They may add a mandatory percentage on top of menu prices — but only if it is clearly displayed, with its purpose explained, wherever prices appear.
The banSB 478
