City Heights
A focused eating trip through Little Saigon, Little Mogadishu, Mexican guisados, and Saturday market stops.
Start here
18 in total
Neighborhood DiningThe 10 Best Restaurants in City Heights, Ranked10
MexicanThe 9 Best Tacos in San Diego9
MexicanThe 12 Best Mexican Restaurants in San Diego12
Arts & CultureThe 12 Best Bookstores and Record Stores in San Diego12
Pizza, Burgers & SandwichesThe 12 Best Burgers in San Diego, Ranked12
Bars & NightlifeThe 6 Best Dive Bars in San Diego6
Every list that covers City Heights
Updated as places change
10 rankedNeighborhood DiningThe 10 Best Restaurants in City Heights, RankedUpdated Jul 19
9 rankedMexicanThe 9 Best Tacos in San DiegoUpdated Jul 27
12 rankedMexicanThe 12 Best Mexican Restaurants in San DiegoUpdated Jul 24
12 rankedArts & CultureThe 12 Best Bookstores and Record Stores in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
12 rankedPizza, Burgers & SandwichesThe 12 Best Burgers in San Diego, RankedUpdated Aug 2
6 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 6 Best Dive Bars in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
6 rankedMarketsThe 6 Best Middle Eastern Markets in San Diego, RankedUpdated Aug 2
15 rankedRestaurantsThe 15 Best Restaurants in San Diego Right NowUpdated Jul 31
12 rankedPizza, Burgers & SandwichesThe 12 Best Sandwiches in San DiegoUpdated Jul 30
12 rankedRestaurantsThe 12 Essential San Diego Dishes, RankedUpdated Jul 30
10 rankedCheap EatsThe 10 Best Cheap Eats in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 27
9 rankedArts & CultureThe 9 Best Live Music Venues in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 27
10 rankedCheap EatsThe 10 Best Vegan Restaurants in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 27
12 rankedCoffeeThe 12 Best Coffee Shops in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 24
9 rankedSeafoodThe 9 Best Seafood Restaurants in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 24
10 rankedMexicanThe 10 Best Fish Tacos in San DiegoUpdated Jul 19
10 rankedSeafoodThe 10 Best Mariscos in San DiegoUpdated Jul 19
8 rankedGlobal KitchensThe 8 Best Dim Sum Restaurants in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 18
The neighborhood itself
17 verified places · 16 eat & drink and 2 things-to-do listsCity Heights is the place to choose a cuisine, then come back for the ones you missed. Start along El Cajon Boulevard in Little Saigon with Minh Ky's roast duck egg noodle soup, Hoài Huế's bún bò Huế, or vegan Vietnamese cooking at Thanh Tinh Chay. University Avenue adds Red Sea's Ethiopian kitchen, while Super Cocina's rotating guisados make a strong separate lunch.
On Saturday, pair the Wightman Street farmers market with Park de la Cruz, or head to Azalea Park for its mosaics and Manzanita Canyon trailhead. Bring cash for A Chau, and remember that several Vietnamese counters close Wednesday.
If you only do 5 things
1Super Cocinaguisados2Thanh Tinh Chayvegan3Minh KynoodlesKnow before you go
Spines: El Cajon Blvd and University Ave carry everything — Little Saigon on the Boulevard between Euclid and Highland, Little Mogadishu at University and 50th
Parking: easy — street spots plus small plaza lots; no strategy required
Cash: A Chau is cash-only and other counters move faster with it — hit an ATM before you line up
Where they are — 17 verified places
The index
Ranked places pulled from all 18 listsSuper Cocina has been cooking on University Avenue since 1988, and the idea behind it is simple: home cooking from all over Mexico, with a different lineup of stews every day.
Thanh Tinh Chay on El Cajon Boulevard in Little Saigon runs an entirely vegan Vietnamese kitchen, and the menu is long enough to need a game plan: more than 200 dishes, every one of them meat-free.
Bring a group to Red Sea Ethiopian Restaurant on University Avenue, because the whole meal comes together on one shared platter.
Minh Ky is a Chinese-Vietnamese noodle house in the plaza at 4644 El Cajon Boulevard, and its reputation rests on one bowl: roast duck with egg noodles.
Central Vietnam is the whole focus at Hoài Huế, a Little Saigon kitchen on El Cajon Boulevard that has been part of City Heights since 1993.