Little Italy
The old tuna-fleet quarter turned a dense downtown dining district.
Start here
23 in total
Neighborhood DiningThe 9 Best Restaurants in Little Italy, Ranked9
Neighborhood GuidesThe 5 Best Things to Do in Little Italy, San Diego, Ranked5
RestaurantsAll 20 CH Projects Restaurants and Bars in San Diego, Ranked20
Date NightThe 12 Best Private Dining Rooms and Big-Group Restaurants in San Diego12
Bars & NightlifeThe 10 Best Cocktail Bars in San Diego10
Bars & NightlifeThe 8 Best Wine Bars in San Diego, Ranked8
Every list that covers Little Italy
Updated as places change- 9 rankedNeighborhood DiningThe 9 Best Restaurants in Little Italy, RankedUpdated Jul 27
- 5 rankedNeighborhood GuidesThe 5 Best Things to Do in Little Italy, San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 27
- 20 rankedRestaurantsAll 20 CH Projects Restaurants and Bars in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 23
- 12 rankedDate NightThe 12 Best Private Dining Rooms and Big-Group Restaurants in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
- 10 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 10 Best Cocktail Bars in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
- 8 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 8 Best Wine Bars in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 27
9 rankedDate NightThe 9 Best Anniversary Restaurants in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
10 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 10 Best Beer Gardens in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
13 rankedMarketsThe 13 Best Farmers Markets in San Diego, by Day of the WeekUpdated Aug 2- 10 rankedDate NightThe 10 Best First-Date Bars in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
14 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 14 Best Happy Hours in San Diego, RankedUpdated Aug 2
10 current entriesRestaurantsThe Best New Restaurants in San Diego Right NowUpdated Aug 2
12 rankedPizza, Burgers & SandwichesThe 12 Best Sandwiches in San DiegoUpdated Jul 30
9 rankedArts & CultureThe 9 Best Live Music Venues in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 27
9 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 9 Best Sports Bars in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 27
10 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 10 Best Late-Night Eats in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 27
7 stopsItinerariesOne Perfect Day in San DiegoUpdated Jul 27
12 stopsItinerariesThe Perfect 3 Days in San DiegoUpdated Jul 27
10 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 10 Best Rooftop Bars in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 26
9 rankedSeafoodThe 9 Best Seafood Restaurants in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 24
7 rankedRestaurantsThe 7 Best Steakhouses in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 24
10 rankedMexicanThe 10 Best Fish Tacos in San DiegoUpdated Jul 19
12 rankedBreakfast, Bakeries & SweetsThe 12 Best Bakeries in San DiegoUpdated Jul 18
The neighborhood itself
27 verified places · 19 eat & drink and 4 things-to-do listsThe old tuna-fleet neighborhood kept its name, its church, and a few of its red-sauce institutions, then became one of downtown’s densest dining districts. The Saturday Mercato runs for more than four blocks, the piazza hosts free film nights in summer, and the neighborhood is compact enough to explore on foot.
If you only do 5 things
Know before you go
Parking: garages on Kettner and India — street parking is a lottery
Transit: the trolley’s County Center/Little Italy stop is two blocks in
Don’t miss: the Mercato, Saturdays 8am–2pm
Where they are — 27 verified places
The index
Ranked places pulled from all 23 listsThe soufflé pancakes are the whole reason, and the room they land in is theatrical and completely unembarrassed about it.
Dry-aged beef is the reason; everything else is staging.
Ask the raw bar to build your dozen rather than picking blind, and you get a spread instead of twelve of the same thing.
Take a number at the deli counter before you do anything else.
Rum is the whole argument here. False Idol keeps its door hidden and its room dark, and the drinks coming out of it are built by people who can walk you through…
Ballast Point Little Italy makes a mixed-needs gathering feel refreshingly easy.
At midnight in Little Italy this is the one still pouring.
One block here does five jobs: two bocce courts, a fenced dog run, a stepped amphitheater, a patch of lawn, and Nina Karavasiles' public-art tables set through the middle of it.