Hillcrest
San Diego's LGBTQ+ heart; also its brunch capital.
Start here
17 in total
Neighborhood DiningThe 8 Best Restaurants in Hillcrest, Ranked8
Breakfast, Bakeries & Sweets8 Brunches Without a 90-Minute Wait8
Pizza, Burgers & SandwichesThe 12 Best Pizzas in San Diego, Ranked12
Things to DoThe 12 Best Vintage and Thrift Stores in San Diego12
Breakfast, Bakeries & SweetsThe 12 Best Breakfast and Brunch Spots in San Diego, Ranked12
Arts & CultureThe 12 Best Bookstores and Record Stores in San Diego12
Every list that covers Hillcrest
Updated as places change- 8 rankedNeighborhood DiningThe 8 Best Restaurants in Hillcrest, RankedUpdated Jul 22
- 8 rankedBreakfast, Bakeries & Sweets8 Brunches Without a 90-Minute WaitUpdated Jul 24
- 12 rankedPizza, Burgers & SandwichesThe 12 Best Pizzas in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 27
- 12 rankedThings to DoThe 12 Best Vintage and Thrift Stores in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
- 12 rankedBreakfast, Bakeries & SweetsThe 12 Best Breakfast and Brunch Spots in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 31
- 12 rankedArts & CultureThe 12 Best Bookstores and Record Stores in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
13 rankedMarketsThe 13 Best Farmers Markets in San Diego, by Day of the WeekUpdated 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 rankedCoffeeThe 8 Best Coffee Shops to Work FromUpdated Jul 27
10 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 10 Best Late-Night Eats in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 27
10 rankedMexicanThe 10 Best Margaritas in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 24
12 rankedMexicanThe 12 Best Mexican Restaurants in San DiegoUpdated Jul 24
10 rankedCheap EatsThe 10 Best All-You-Can-Eat Restaurants in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 23
11 rankedGlobal KitchensThe 11 Best Middle Eastern Restaurants in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 23
12 rankedBreakfast, Bakeries & SweetsThe 12 Best Bakeries in San DiegoUpdated Jul 18
8 rankedSushi & JapaneseThe 8 Best Ramen in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 18
The neighborhood itself
27 verified places · 14 eat & drink and 3 things-to-do listsHillcrest has been San Diego's LGBTQ+ heart for fifty years and wears the job well — a Pride flag over Normal Street, rainbow crosswalks, and more bars per block than anywhere outside the Gaslamp. It is also, quietly, the city's brunch capital: Great Maple and Snooze anchor a morning scene worth building a Sunday around. Start at the farmers market, end at Trust's happy hour.
If you only do 5 things
Know before you go
Parking: metered and scarce — budget ten minutes, or arrive before 9am
Farmers market: moved to University Ave between Herbert & Park during Promenade construction — still Sundays 9–2
The neighborhood: San Diego's LGBTQ+ heart since the '70s — the rainbow crosswalks are the address, not decoration
Where they are — 27 verified places
The index
Ranked places pulled from all 17 listsThe maple-bacon doughnuts arrive warm and they are the reason people put their name down before they have looked at the menu.
The pancake flight is what this kitchen is for at 9 in the morning: a plate of different pancakes, and nobody has to commit to a single decision before coffee.
Order the vegetables first. Whatever went over the flame that week comes out charred at the edges and sweet underneath, and it resets what you expect from everything that follows it.
Mole is the reason to plan around this one.
Three floors on University Avenue is a lot of coffee shop, and the practical result is that there is almost always somewhere to sit.