San Diego Convention Center – Foodie Guide

San Diego’s flourishing culinary scene makes it an incredible destination for foodies. You’ll find amazing Mexican food, thanks to San Diego’s proximity to the border. Upscale restaurants are all around the area, making it easy to try award-winning cuisine. Meanwhile, dessert eateries have the most Instagram-worthy items.

There’s a reason San Diego’s Food + Wine Festival is one of the largest culinary events in the country. Visitors to the San Diego Convention Center are in the perfect location to access amazing food, luxury dining, and photogenic treats.

Donut Bar

A seven-minute walk from the San Diego Convention Center is Donut Bar. This eatery’s donuts are innovative and photogenic, making Donut Bar an ideal destination for foodies. Their pastry chefs take the simple dessert to the next level by creating funky flavors with locally sourced ingredients. Donut Bar’s menu changes daily and even features vegan options.

Flavors include Nutella Overload, Strawberry Cream Cheese, Strawberry Split, Spiced Chai, and Birthday Cake Oreo. But above all, Donut Bar’s most famous dessert is the Big Poppa Tart Donut. This enormous donut has an entire Kellogg’s Pop-Tart baked inside it. The Big Poppa Tart Donut is stuffed with filling, and topped with cake batter glaze, sprinkles, and an icing drizzle.

Other creations include donut ice cream cones and donuts cut in half with strawberries and cream inside. Due to its popularity, lines for Donut Bar regularly extend out the door. But this popular foodie heaven is worth the wait. Any visitor to the San Diego Convention Center with a sweet tooth will love Donut Bar.

The Taco Stand

San Diego’s proximity to Mexico is what makes the Mexican cuisine in the San Diego area so outstanding. Tacos are must-try for any foodie visiting the city. This is especially true for The Taco Stand. It’s one of the highest rated taco stands in San Diego, and their prices are a fraction of other restaurants in the area.

The Taco Stand’s traditional Mexican dishes feature tortillas made to order and guacamole and salsas made from scratch daily. Try the spicy shrimp taco, which contains grilled shrimp, cheese, avocado, cabbage, tomato, and chipotle sauce, all wrapped up in a soft, handcrafted shell. The Taco Stand is only a seven-minute drive from San Diego Convention Center.

CUCINA urbana

Just 11 minutes from San Diego Convention Center is CUCINA urbana, an acclaimed restaurant that foodies will adore. This open-concept eatery fosters a welcoming ambiance with a communal table and cozy decor. CUCINA’s menu is inspired by seasonal and organic ingredients available in California, and all of their contemporary dishes are made from scratch. CUCINA’s goal is to create the ideal dining experience by combining exceptional food, superior service, and a stunning interior.

For an appetizer, try the mussels served with melted leeks, Castelvetrano olives, capers, and smoked tomato broth. Customers have commented on how the broth is finger-licking good. CUCINA offers half a dozen pizza options, including burrata and rapini pesto with olives, chili, and lemon. If you’re in the mood for pasta, the strozzapreti is a great choice. This dish is topped with mushrooms, mustard greens, Mimolette cheese, and rosemary porcini breadcrumbs.

Juniper & Ivy

One of the most celebrated restaurants in San Diego is Juniper & Ivy. San Diego Magazine featured the restaurant in their Best Restaurants Awards in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Wine Spectator awarded Juniper & Ivy the Restaurant Award of Excellence because of their outstanding wine list. In addition, the award-winning magazine Condé Nast Traveler named it one of the 20 Best Restaurants in San Diego. These are only a few of the many accolades Juniper & Ivy has received.

Juniper & Ivy was founded in 2014 by Top Chef: All-Stars winner Richard Blais and his business partner, Michael Rosen. Their menu is constantly changing depending on what’s in season and what fresh ingredients are available. One popular dish is the In-N-Haute Burger. The patty in this burger is a custom blend of short rib, brisket, chuck, and dry-aged beef fat.

Juniper & Ivy is located in a formerly abandoned warehouse in Little Italy. This refurbished building gives the restaurant a modern yet down-to-earth feel, with beams in the ceiling, exposed brick, and smooth, concrete floors.

Upscale and incredibly popular, Juniper & Ivy is always in-demand. The restaurant regularly has a long wait time of diners looking to experience award-winning food and service. Juniper & Ivy is only 12 minutes from San Diego Convention Center.

Cookie Monster Ice Cream

Foodies looking for something Instagram-worthy to photograph and eat should check out Cookie Monster Ice Cream. Their colorful creations take ice cream to the next level.

Customers can choose from bright pink, green, and orange cones. There is an almost limitless amount of toppings, including caramel popcorn, various cereals, chocolate pieces, and fresh fruit. In addition to massive cones, their photogenic ice cream sandwiches need to be seen to be believed. Instead of cookies, they use giant, colorful macaroons, squares of cookie dough, or donuts. Next, the outer rim is dipped in fruity pebbles, fruit loops, or rainbow sprinkles. The signature Cookie Monster ice cream is an eye-popping blue. Try it in a bright blue cone with Cookie Crunch cereal pieces dotted onto it.

One of their most unique desserts is the toasted marshmallow ice cream bar. A giant, toasted marshmallow serves as the outer layer of the ice cream inside, and resembles a huge s’more.

This outstanding ice cream shop is a 23-minute drive from San Diego Convention Center.

Addison Restaurant

The most refined dining venue on our list is Addison Restaurant. At Addison you’re getting more than a meal; you’re going on a fantastic culinary journey. Addison is abound with luxury, reminiscent of Michelin Star-winning restaurants. The restaurant has maintained multiple accolades for the past decade. These include Forbes Travel Guide’s Five-Star Restaurant award, AAA’s Five Diamond Restaurant distinction, and Wine Spectator’s Grand Award.

The modern plating of the food involves small portions painstakingly arranged to make the food as visually appealing as it is delicious. Patrons choose between the Chef’s Tasting or Four-Course Menu. The meal is a journey through some of the best cuisine available in the area. Chefs plan each dish in advance and pace them perfectly to create an unforgettable dining experience.

Their spring, four-course menu features dishes unlike any you’ve tried before. For the first course, try the sake cured kampachi fish with citrus, red radish, and coriander. Mussels a la Nage with green curry, coconut, and lime is a great second course. For your main dish, you can’t go wrong with the orange duck, with pistachio, beets, and endive blanquette. Finish off your amazing meal with a chocolate tart with passion fruit and goat’s milk ice cream.

Addison is a 30-minute drive from the San Diego Convention Center, and is well worth the trip for dedicated foodies.