San Diego Mini Trip Report October 2025

[Mr_Happy]

I went on a trip down to beautiful San Diego for a few days for TwitchCon. Here’s a report of some of the places I visited.

Queenstown Public House

I stayed in Little Italy and went to Queenstown Public House which was down the street from my hotel for dinner. It’s a restaurant serving food inspired by New Zealand cuisine.

New Zealand Meat Pies ($25)
New Zealand Wagyu + cheddar + puff pastry fatty fries + tomato chutney
I had the New Zealand Meat Pies, which had two beef and cheese pies filled with filling, encased in puff pastry. This was very good - the puff pastry was flaky and the filling was quite rich and beefy and cheesy. The tomato chutney that came with them was like a piquant tomato sauce, kind of tasted like meatloaf sauce of Worcestershire plus ketchup. There were also large steak fries that were pretty good too, they were dusted with some spices.

Pie cross section

And for vegetables I had a side salad of baby greens ($10), which was fine. It had sliced strawberries and was drizzled with a very sweet balsamic dressing.

I had some beer to drink - a Queenstown Hazy and a Queenstown Lager. Both were pretty good.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/TtVhGAeViPNEgmwQA

[Mr_Happy]

Ristorante Illando

I had a dinner at Ristorante Illando, also in Little Italy. It’s an Italian restaurant on a floor above Landini’s Pizzeria, which I believe is owned by the same owners.

Menus

CROSTINI NDUJA ($15.5)
toasted bread topped with spicy Calabrian pork sausage & stracciatella cheese
To start, I had the crostini with 'nduja, a spicy spreadable Calabrian sausage. This was very good, the cool milky cheese was nice with the sausage, which was quite spicy, and the toasted bread was very crispy.

FETTUCINE GAMBERI E PANCETTA ($29.5)
handmade pasta, shrimp & Italian bacon sauteed in a vodka sauce
For a main I had the fettuccine with shrimp and pancetta. This was also very good - the creamy vodka tomato sauce had a bit of a spicy kick to it. The fettuccine was al dente, and the nicely cooked shrimp with the chunks of pancetta were a great combination.

Cannoli ($12)
filled with sweet creamy ricotta & chocolate chips
For dessert, a nice cannoli with an espresso.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/g6c9m8Xm2CVzjWAi6

[Mr_Happy]

Mona Lisa Italian Foods

Next was a lunch at Mona Lisa Italian Foods in Little Italy. Mona Lisa is an Italian grocery and deli with an attached restaurant. I got a sandwich from the deli counter and ate it outside on their patio.

Deli menu

I had the #8 Deluxe Sub ($12.50), which was a combo of provolone, mortadella, salami, and ham. This was a great sandwich! It was on a long roll with sesame seeds that wasn’t too chewy nor oversized. There was shredded lettuce, tomato, onions, vinaigrette, mustard, and mayo - the last of which may not be traditional on an Italian combo sandwich, but I like it. There was just the right ratio of meat, cheese, veggies, and bread to my taste. It’s a very large sandwich (this may not be evident in the photo due to the angle) and a pretty good deal for the price.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/UdixeFL8bHDR7hqy5

[Mr_Happy]

Waterfront Bar & Grill

I had a late night dinner and a beer at Waterfront Bar & Grill in Little Italy. The Waterfront claims to be San Diego’s oldest tavern - it opened back in 1933. It’s a dive bar with a kitchen that opens late.

There’s free popcorn!

I had the Waterfront Burger ($11.95), one of several burgers on the menu. It’s a 1/3 pound burger with American cheese, a fresh baked bun, sauce, tomato, grilled onions, lettuce, and pickle, served with fries. It’s a solid all American burger. It was cooked to about medium and had a nice toasted bun. The fries that came with were fine.

To drink, a Mission Brewing Hazy IPA.

And a pretty good Margarita.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/xMZn3daKFUA46GiK8

False Idol

I also made a repeat visit to False Idol in Little Italy for a nightcap later. False Idol is co-owned by Martin Cate, who also runs Smuggler’s Cove here in SF. It’s slightly hidden - the entrance is inside the Craft & Commerce restaurant.

CORONADO LUAU SPECIAL ($16)
Blended lightly aged rum and black rums are combined with brandy, dry curacao, orgeat, lemon and orange.
An original from the long lost Luau Room, right here in San Diego’s famous Hotel Del Coronado
To drink I had a Coronado Luau Special, which was very nice - tropical, complex, and strong.

TROPIC THUNDER ($9)
Paradise in a glass. Tangy lime, orange, and passionfruit brightened with guava and effervescent seltzer. Dive into the refreshing taste of the tropics,
And a non-alcoholic Tropic Thunder, which was refreshing and also tropical.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/K8PhTumYqqBpQeN4A

[Mr_Happy]

Tacos Varios El Tigre Toño (Tijuana)

On Monday I went on a short day trip across the border to Tijuana for a late lunch. One can ride the Blue Line trolley south to San Ysidro to cross into Mexico. It was about a 45 minute trolley ride from the County Center/Little Italy station. The trolley stops right next to the pedestrian border crossing.

For lunch I went to Tacos Varios El Tigre Toño. El Tigre Toño (Tony the Tiger?) has several locations in Tijuana. This one was in Zona Centro and within walking distance to the border crossing. They specialize in tacos de guisado - tacos filled with stew or stew like fillings. I had a couple of tacos, which were both 40 pesos each.

My first taco was the Milanesa, which had a thin breaded pork cutlet. They asked if I wanted rice and beans and also I think chicharron guisado / stewed pork rinds on it. I said yes to all three. I added some salsa macha and also some pickles with habanero. This was a delicious taco! The pork cutlet was tender and the breading still had a little crunch. The gelatinous and slightly spongy chicharrons were in a flavorful sauce and added another dimension. This was all on two large corn tortillas which were soft and pliable. As you might see from the picture, they don’t skimp on the fillings!

The second taco I had was a costilla de puerco / pork rib in salsa verde. This was also delicious. This was filled with a generous amount of very tender and flavorful bone-in pork ribs in a slightly tangy tomatillo based salsa verde.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/MZprxceujSsRh8Zr6

[Mr_Happy]

Caesar’s (Tijuana)

For a second lunch I walked over to Caesar’s on Avenida Revolución, the main tourist street downtown. Caesar’s is the birthplace of the Caesar Salad, which was purportedly invented by then-owner Caesar Cardini on July 4,1924 due to a lack of kitchen provisions.

Menus

Free bread

I had a Carajillo ($195 MN) to drink, which had espresso and Licor 43. It was a nice pick-me-up.

And of course I had to try the Caesar Salad ($220 MN), which is prepared tableside. My waiter walked me through the ingredients as he constructed the salad. There were anchovies, garlic, mustard, fresh squeezed lime juice, Worcestershire, raw egg yolk, and freshly ground black pepper. Olive oil was added and whisked in to form a thick dressing, and Parm, and then the large leaves of romaine lettuce to coat. The leaves were then dusted with more Parm and a couple of croutons were added. The extra dressing in the bowl was placed on top of the croutons. It was a delicious salad. The romaine leaves were crisp and cool, and the flavorful umami rich dressing and Parm coated the leaves evenly. The croutons were nice and crispy.

Lunch and a show

The original Caesar Salad

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/662gD1qgpHVgvd6W8

[Mr_Happy]

Tacos El Franc

I crossed the border back stateside in the early evening. Later that night I went on a mini taco crawl and visited two Tijuana based taquerias that have expanded north to San Diego.

My first stop was at Tacos El Franc in the Gaslamp Quarter. Tacos El Franc opened in Tijuana back in 1996 and opened their first U.S. location this year in National City. They were featured in Netflix’s “Taco Chronicles,” and are listed in the Michelin Guide for Mexico. They opened this Gaslamp location just earlier this month.

I had an adobada taco and a tripa taco ($4.75 each).

Taco condiments - radish, cucumber, and limes.

The adobada taco was delicious. Adobada is basically al pastor - the marinated pork sliced off of a trompo. The pork was tender, juicy, and flavorful with a sweet and savory marinade. They make their own corn tortillas at El Franc, and the tortillas were very good with a nice texture. There was cilantro and onion on top of the adobada, along with a healthy pat of guacamole.

The tripa taco was good. It’s listed as “tripe” as the English description but I believe its actually cow intestine. This was slightly funky and livery - you definitely know you’re eating offal. It was quite salty and had a mix of meaty and soft textures, and was covered with a tart salsa verde.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BExbJQoNkM4aZimD6

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Tacos El Gordo

My second and final stop of this mini taco crawl was at the Gaslamp location of Tacos El Gordo, which is just a short walk away from Tacos El Franc. Tacos El Gordo opened back in 1972 in Tijuana and expanded to San Diego back in 1998. They also have several locations in Las Vegas.

Not one but two trompos.

At El Gordo I had a adobada taco, a tripa taco, and a buche taco ($4.12 each).

I’ve had El Gordo’s adobada taco before a few times at their location on the Las Vegas Strip, but wanted to try it here again to compare with El Franc’s. El Gordo’s adobada is smaller, and instead of guacamole there’s a thinner crema like sauce that I think has avocado in it. The meat was good though not as good as El Franc’s. I’m going to give the nod to El Franc’s adobada for superior size, meat, and guacamole.

Next to compare - the tripa taco. This was quite good - In comparison to El Franc, El Gordo’s tripa was quite a bit more crispy and milder and less livery. I think I prefer El Gordo’s tripa taco over El Franc’s unless I was in the mood for something more offal-y.

And the buche taco was also quite good. Buche is pork stomach. The pieces of buche were soft with a little bit of bouncy chew and were mild tasting.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gJjmDbTgZdSroZCEA

[PedroPero]

One of the best subs I’ve ever had was from Mona Lisa, and I’ve had a few!

From my 2017 trip to California, this was on a “crunch roll”(?) which is nowhere to be found in these parts

[GretchenS]

Great report, thank you!! I am pea green with taco envy!!

[honkman]

For a great late night (but also earlier) cocktail and burger snack try Lion’s Share downtown - some of the best cocktails in SD

[Mr_Happy]

@PedroPero

One of the best subs I’ve ever had was from Mona Lisa, and I’ve had a few!

Looks good!

@PedroPero

From my 2017 trip to California, this was on a “crunch roll”(?) which is nowhere to be found in these parts

I was wondering if “crunch roll” was Dutch crunch which is popular here in the SFBA, but from your pic it doesn’t quite look like it.

@GretchenS

Great report, thank you!! I am pea green with taco envy!!

Thanks!

@honkman

For a great late night (but also earlier) cocktail and burger snack try Lion’s Share downtown - some of the best cocktails in SD

Thanks for the rec, Lion’s Share was actually recommended to me by a host at Kettner Exchange one night when I got there after their kitchen closed, but it was a bit of a walk so I just went across the street to the Waterfront Bar & Grill for a burger. Will keep that in mind for next time.

[PedroPero]

Yes! Dutch crunch roll is correct, brain fart on my part. But you’re right, it doesn’t look like the Dutch crunch I see on the interwebs.

[Mr_Happy]

Noodle & Bun

I walked over to Noodle & Bun for lunch one day. It’s a Chinese restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter that opened recently and features hand made noodles.

Noodle making on display.

Menus

N-1 Lan Zhou Noodle Soup
蘭州拉麵
Rich beef broth, tender braised beef shank, vegetables, onions, cilantro and house-made sauce.
For lunch I had the Lanzhou beef noodle soup. You have a choice of hand-pulled noodles, knife-shaved noodles, and wide noodles, all of which are made in house. I had the hand-pulled noodles, which were medium sized with a toothsome texture. This was a good bowl of noodles. There was a slightly milky broth with lots of green onions and cilantro, which I doctored up by adding some chili oil from the table. There were also some neatly laid out thin slices of tender beef shank on top, and some bok choy.

Spicy Wonton (10 pcs) ($10.99)
紅油抄手
Pork wontons in a spicy chili oil sauce, topped with green onions and wonton sauce.
I also had some spicy wontons, which were pretty good as well. They were small pork wontons with a thin wrapper in a sauce that had chili oil, vinegar I think, and a dusting of Sichuan peppercorn.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZCrjR9jLpneg4Qnv7

[honkman]

I know SD is much more spread out than SF and doesn’t have great public transportation but you should try to get to Convoy Street for Asian restaurants- much better selection of restaurants and better overall quality

[Mr_Happy]

Nine-Ten

After lunch I took an Uber to La Jolla Cove to go see the sea lions.

After walking around La Jolla Cove and taking pictures of sea lions, I had an enjoyable dinner at Nine-Ten in the historic Grande Colonial Hotel in La Jolla Village, a short walk from the cove.

Menus

RUDEBWOY ($19)
Espresso, Smith + Cross Jamaican Rum, Banane Cordial, Espresso Banana Dust
To drink, a Rudebwoy cocktail, which was nice and tropical.

I had some house baked sourdough with butter ($6)

To start, I had a daily special appetizer ($20) - mussels prepared as in an aguachile - the ceviche-like Mexican dish of chilled seafood in a spicy citrusy sauce. This was quite good - the sauce was citrusy and spicy and tangy, and the mussels were nicely cooked and topped with radish, avocado, and some flowers for a fine dining touch.

GRILLED HALF JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN ($39)
confit Japanese sweet potato, broccolini, pickled green onion, Jimmy Nardello peppers, fresno chili sofrito
For a main course, I had the jerk chicken. This was a delicious piece of chicken! The chicken was deboned except for one part of the breast, which had a small drumstick like an airline chicken. I think the breast was butterflied as the chicken had a very uniform thickness. It had a very nice rub and may have been cooked over wood or something aromatic as it had a nice smoky grilled flavor. And it was cooked perfectly - juicy and moist even in the white meat parts, and with a nice crispy skin. It was topped with broccolini (one of my favorite vegetables), sweet grilled Jimmy Nardello peppers, and a “confit Japanese sweet potato” that kind of tasted like maduros / sweet plantain.

The chicken was quite a large portion. For dessert I just had a piece of cheese - the Brillat Savarin ($8), which was garnished with some truffle pepper honey and served with toasted bread rounds.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Vs9oML82w2M4oHif9

[Mr_Happy]

@honkman

I know SD is much more spread out than SF and doesn’t have great public transportation but you should try to get to Convoy Street for Asian restaurants- much better selection of restaurants and better overall quality

Good to know, thanks!