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The San Diego List*
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An overhead spread of Asian dishes — steamed fish, dumplings, rice and a pot of tea
Neighborhood guide · 13 of 59

Convoy District

Two miles of Kearny Mesa plazas for ramen, dim sum, hand-pulled noodles, soju, Asian groceries, and karaoke.

23 lists53 ranked placesWeeknights 6–9; late Fri–Sat

Every list that covers Convoy District

Showing 23 of 23

The neighborhood itself

Convoy is San Diego's choose-your-own-menu district: ramen at Menya Ultra, dim sum at Jasmine Seafood, hand-pulled noodles at Shan Xi Magic Kitchen, or Korean home cooking at Friend's House. Pick the meal first; the best rooms are often tucked inside Kearny Mesa plazas.

Then add one more stop. Browse 99 Ranch or Nijiya for groceries, get boba and a bubble waffle at Happy Lemon, or sing in a private karaoke room at HIVE. Parking lots tighten from 6 to 8 p.m., so arriving early is a more useful strategy than circling your first-choice plaza.

Know before you go

Navigation: the best rooms hide inside strip-mall plazas — trust the address, not the storefront

Parking: free lots, but they jam 6–8pm — park at the next plaza over and walk

Tipping: check the bill first — some rooms add a service charge (Nishiki adds 15%)

Nearby

Kearny Mesasurrounds Convoy
Clairemont5 min drive
Miramar breweries10 min drive

Where they are — 53 verified places

Ranked locations · Linked to the guide
Boundary map · every numbered pin links to its entry
Focus spotsHover, focus, or tap

The index

EAT5 ranked
1
Menya Ultra
Bib Gourmand · $$

Menya Ultra's shop on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard in Kearny Mesa comes with a serious pedigree.

2
Hidden Fish
18-course omakase · $$$$

In September 2018, a sushi chef named John Hong opened a room of about a dozen seats in a small Convoy Street retail plaza and served exactly one thing: omakase.

3
Shan Xi Magic Kitchen
hand-pulled biang biang noodles · $$
4
Dumpling Inn
the XLB institution · closed Mon–Tue · $$

Dumpling Inn is a big part of why Convoy became San Diego's Chinese-food street.

5
Friend's House Korean
Korean home cooking · $$
DRINK4 ranked
1
Common Theory
craft-beer gastropub · open til 1am Fri–Sat · $$
2
Zzan Sushi & Soju
soju til 2am · $$
3
Shanghai Saloon
whiskey + 30 taps inside Dumpling Inn · $$
4
Happy Lemon
late-night boba + bubble waffles · $
DO5 ranked
1
HIVE Karaoke
private rooms up to 20 · KBBQ on site
2
99 Ranch Market
the anchor Asian grocery · daily 8–10
3
Nijiya Market
Japanese groceries · bento run

Every Nijiya Market in California and Hawaii traces back to this Japanese grocery on Convoy Street.

4
Melody Karaoke & Cafe
karaoke + Taiwanese cafe
5
Min Sok Chon
karaoke rooms · Korean pub grub