5 Places Worth Your Time in Mission Hills, Ranked

A wide open lawn under mature trees, with a playground, restrooms and tennis courts across the street, and it costs nothing. It was also one of San Diego's early cemeteries, and the City says tombstones and the graves of pioneers are still here, which puts an unusual weight under an ordinary picnic. People read, spread blankets out, bring dogs. Come with a chair and something to eat and give it a whole afternoon.

The nursery has been trading here since 1910 and traces back to Kate Sessions, which is about as much history as a working shop in this city can carry. There are chickens. There are plants, staff who can answer a real question about them, gifts worth taking to a dinner, and Through the Fold, a book-and-community space on the property. Go on a slow morning, ask what will survive your particular patch of light, and browse without a list.

A tiny room built for two people and a bottle. Steak tartare and yellowtail to open, then the carne adovada pork shoulder when you want the small plates to add up to a real dinner. Somebody here will talk you through the wine list properly, which is the difference between ordering and being looked after. Tables sit close together and reservations go early. Book for two or four, well ahead, and let them steer the pairings.

The dining room used to be a Ford dealership and the scale of it still shows. Live fire runs the kitchen, the lamb merguez kefta is the dish to build a meal around, and the cocktails get the same attention as the food. There is a raw bar. The cheaper way in is oysters and a drink at the bar or on the patio during happy hour, walk-in, nothing booked. Ask for the chef counter and watch the fire do the work.