Bankers Hill
Balboa Park's western edge, best used for dinner, jazz, wine, and a canyon bridge walk.
Start here
12 in total
Neighborhood DiningThe 10 Best Restaurants in Bankers Hill10
Pizza, Burgers & SandwichesThe 12 Best Burgers in San Diego, Ranked12
Sushi & JapaneseThe 12 Best Sushi Restaurants in San Diego, Ranked12
Date NightThe 9 Best Anniversary Restaurants in San Diego9
Bars & NightlifeThe 10 Best Beer Gardens in San Diego10
Bars & NightlifeThe 14 Best Happy Hours in San Diego, Ranked14
Every list that covers Bankers Hill
Updated as places change
10 rankedNeighborhood DiningThe 10 Best Restaurants in Bankers HillUpdated Aug 2
12 rankedPizza, Burgers & SandwichesThe 12 Best Burgers in San Diego, RankedUpdated Aug 2
12 rankedSushi & JapaneseThe 12 Best Sushi Restaurants in San Diego, RankedUpdated Aug 2
9 rankedDate NightThe 9 Best Anniversary Restaurants in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
10 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 10 Best Beer Gardens in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
14 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 14 Best Happy Hours in San Diego, RankedUpdated Aug 2
8 rankedSushi & JapaneseThe 8 Best Omakase in San Diego, RankedUpdated Aug 2
9 rankedThings to DoThe 9 Best Spas in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
8 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 8 Best Wine Bars in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 27
10 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 10 Best Rooftop Bars in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 26- 12 rankedDate NightThe 12 Best Date Night Restaurants in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 24
8 rankedBreakfast, Bakeries & Sweets8 San Diego Brunch Spots You Can Plan AheadUpdated Jul 24
The neighborhood itself
12 verified places · 11 eat & drink and 1 things-to-do listsBankers Hill works best as an evening beside Balboa Park. Cross the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge or walk in from the park via Laurel Street, then settle into the Fourth-and-Fifth Avenue dining stretch. Choose CUCINA urbana for pasta made from scratch, Azuki for sushi, or Parc for steak frites if you are starting earlier.
After dinner, Books & Records adds live jazz on Friday and Saturday, WetStone covers wine, and Extraordinary Desserts makes the final stop easy. Most kitchens open around 4 or 5, so daytime plans are better built around Parc or the heated patios at North Park Beer Company.
If you only do 6 things
1CUCINA urbanaeat2Mister A'sthe view3Books & Recordsjazz4Extraordinary Dessertsdessert5Parc Bistro-Brasserielunch6WetStone Wine BarwineKnow before you go
Parking: meters on the blocks below Laurel and a self-park garage in the Manchester Financial Center at 2550 Fifth — park once and walk the rest
Timing: most kitchens on Fourth and Fifth open at 4 or 5 PM; Parc opens at 11 AM on weekdays and 9 AM on weekend mornings, and WetStone is dark on Mondays
Don't miss: Laurel Street runs east from Fifth over the Cabrillo Bridge and drops you in the middle of Balboa Park
Where they are — 12 verified places
The index
Ranked places pulled from all 12 listsThe best way to eat at CUCINA urbana is to think in boards before you think in courses.
Start with the uni toast. At Azuki Sushi, on Fifth Avenue in Bankers Hill, it comes topped with sea urchin, chopped toro, prosciutto and truffle aioli, which is…
Escargots, steak frites, beef bourguignon, lobster thermidor.
When San Diego Magazine singled out one thing to order at The Balboa, it picked the Original Balboa Burger: lettuce, tomato, onion, American cheese and a zesty aioli.
WetStone Wine Bar is where Bankers Hill goes to graze.
Yes, the name says North Park. This is North Park Beer Company's Bankers Hill location on Fifth Avenue, and it's the easiest group dinner in the neighborhood: s…
Books & Records is the Bankers Hill dinner that comes with a soundtrack.
Twelve floors above Fifth Avenue, Mister A's has a terrace that looks out over the downtown skyline, and that view is the defining feature of the place.