The top 10 things I ate at San Diego restaurants in 2025

by Pam Kragen

This past year has been a busy one for new restaurant openings, so most of the time I spent dining out in 2025 was at relatively new spots. The dishes I was most drawn to were savory, umami-laden comfort foods, as well as bright acidic dishes that tickled my taste buds. Here are my top 10.

Ouefs & Eggs — Fleurette, UTC area

Callie chef-owner Travis Swikard opened this elegant and delicious French Côte d’Azur-meets-San Diego restaurant on Dec. 10 in the UTC area. I barely made a dent in Fleurette’s large menu when I dined there last week, but I’m glad I ordered this extraordinary dish. Soft-scrambled local farm eggs are stirred with San Diego-caught uni, black truffle and PX sherry sabayon sauce, and served warm in a spiny purple urchin shell. The creamy, decadent dish has umami, sweet and savory notes and the plating is spectacular. You can eat it with a spoon or spread it on the buttery, fresh-griddled slabs of buttery sourdough toast that are served on the side. 4727 Executive Drive, Suite 100, San Diego. fleurettesd.com, instagram.com/fleurettesd

Michelin-starred Lilo restaurant in Carlsbad opened the dinner section of its pre-fixe menu last spring with this chilled dish of sour gooseberries, Buddha's hand fruit, fingerlimes, spruce, sea buckthorn, yuzu and lime, served in an ice bowl on a bed of leaves and flower buds. (Pam Kragen / The San Diego Union-Tribune) — Michelin-starred Lilo restaurant in Carlsbad opened the dinner section of its pre-fixe menu last spring with this chilled dish of sour gooseberries, Buddha’s hand fruit, fingerlimes, spruce, sea buckthorn, yuzu and lime, served in an ice bowl on a bed of leaves and flower buds. (Pam Kragen / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Spot prawns with gooseberry sauce — Lilo, Carlsbad

Lilo (pronounced “LIE-low”) opened last April and earned a Michelin star just two months later. Executive Chef Eric Bost’s imaginative 12-course menu at the 22-seat tasting-menu restaurant celebrates the bounty of California produce, land proteins and local seafood in creative ways. My favorite course featured gently cooked seasonal Santa Barbara spot prawns in a chilled sauce of sweet gooseberries, buds of crunchy edible ice plant and a tangy but balanced bright orange sauce of muddled sea buckthorn, lime leaf, Serrano chiles and white soy sauce It was served in a bowl made of ice on a bed of leaves and flowers. 751 Roosevelt St., Carlsbad. restaurantlilo.com, instagram.com/restaurantlilo

Uni ice cream with Japanese sweet potato ribbons, mushroom gelee, rishin kombu threads and white soy. (Pam Kragen - The San Diego Union-Tribune) — Uni ice cream with Japanese sweet potato ribbons, mushroom gelee, rishin kombu threads and white soy. (Pam Kragen – The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Uni ice cream and sweet potatoes — Lucien, La Jolla

Chef Elijah Arizmendi opened this sea cave-inspired restaurant last July in La Jolla. He serves a 12-course tasting menu intended to surprise and delight his diners. My favorite course was the savory uni cream served with crispy ribbons of Japanese sweet potatoes, threads of salty-sweet rishiri-kombu seaweed, an earthy mushroom gelée and drizzle of white soy sauce. I was gobsmacked by the unexpected presentation, mix of textures and umami flavors. 7863 Girard Ave., Suite 308, La Plaza La Jolla, La Jolla. luciensd.com

The Smoked Beef Cheek Shanghai Noodle dish at 24 Suns restaurant in Oceanside. (Pam Kragen - The San Diego Union-Tribune) — The Smoked Beef Cheek Shanghai Noodle dish at 24 Suns restaurant in Oceanside. (Pam Kragen – The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Smoked beef cheek Shanghai noodle — 24 Suns, Oceanside

Chef-owners Nicholas “Nic” Webber and Jacob Jordan opened this Michelin-recommended Chinese restaurant last January. The chefs who met working at Michelin three-star Addison by William Bradley aim to explore the cuisines from all of China’s 35 provinces, while also updating their menu with new seasonal ingredients every few weeks. This wonderful Shanghai noodle dish highlighted Jordan’s house-made longevity noodle, stretching 17 feet in length (by Chinese tradition, the longer the noodle, the longer the diner’s life). It’s not on their winter menu, but everything they make is made with creativity and love. 3375 Mission Ave., Oceanside. 24sunsdining.com

Dora Ristorante's most fabulous dessert combines Meyer lemon mousse, passionfruit sauce, shards of sweet meringue and candy pearls. (Pam Kragen / The San Diego Union-Tribune) — Dora Ristorante’s most fabulous dessert combines Meyer lemon mousse, passionfruit sauce, shards of sweet meringue and candy pearls. (Pam Kragen / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Meyer lemon mousse and passionfruit dessert — Dora Ristorante, La Jolla

Cori Trattoria Pastificio chef-owner Accursio Lota opened his second restaurant, Dora, in La Jolla on Nov. 20. I can’t wait to try more dishes on a second visit to this coastal Italian eatery in January, but in the meantime I’m still savoring the best dessert I had all year. Clouds of Meyer lemon mousse, shards of sweet meringue and sweet, tiny candy pearls were served in a tangy passionfruit sauce. If you like tart, lemony desserts, this is for you. 9165 Theatre District Drive, La Jolla. doralajolla.com

Chef Seth Tuma's top-selling dish at Little Fawn Kitchen + Bar in Oceanside is his roasted butternut squash with salsa macha and honey Greek yogurt. (Alex Malik) — Chef Seth Tuma’s top-selling dish at Little Fawn Kitchen + Bar in Oceanside is his roasted butternut squash with salsa macha and honey Greek yogurt. (Alex Malik)

Roasted butternut squash — Little Fawn Kitchen + Bar, Oceanside

One of my favorite winter vegetables is butternut squash and I love how it’s served at Little Fawn, a petite restaurant-bar that Jon Rhinerson opened in October at the Fin Hotel in Oceanside. Chef Seth Tuma’s recipe, which showcases the sweet and earthy notes of the dish, has a caramelized brown sugar glaze, honey Greek yogurt, salsa macha and sprigs of fresh mint. Fin Hotel, 131 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. instagram.com/little_fawn_oceanside

A double pain au chocolat croissant and cappucino at Relic Bakery & Kitchen on Sunday, Oct. 26. (Pam Kragen - The San Diego Union-Tribune) — A double pain au chocolat croissant and cappucino at Relic Bakery & Kitchen on Sunday, Oct. 26. (Pam Kragen – The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Double pain au chocolat — Relic Bakery & Kitchen, East Village

After running their sweet-and-savory bakery business as a pop-up for five years, partners Samantha Bird and Derek Hadden opened their first brick-and-mortar space Oct. 15 in East Village. Within two months, it was named the No. 2 bakery in the world by users of the Beli restaurants app. Pretty much everything coming out of their kitchen is wonderful, but I especially love Bird’s crispy, airy and fudgy croissant, with cocoa-laden dough and extra chocolate batons (bars) wrapped inside. 845 15th St., San Diego. relicbakery.com, instagram.com/relicbakery

Dishes on the mezze menu at newly opened The Lounge at LuckyBolt in Sorrento Valley. For $35, diners get an all-inclusive meal service. Some additional a la carte dishes are shown here. (Pam Kragen / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Mezze — The Lounge at LuckyBolt, Sorrento Valley

In November, Kris Schlesser introduced a mezze dinner service on Friday and Saturday nights at his LuckyBolt kitchen, bakery, pizzeria and lounge. This isn’t just one dish but a Mediterranean-style, prix-fixe grazing menu with fresh-baked pita, vegetable crudités with dips, hummus, tabouleh wraps and more. It’s a feast of great-tasting food. I recommend ordering one of the a la carte dishes on the side, the Perennial Pastures beef sausage (grass-fed, regeneratively raised) ground in house with Merguez spices and herbs. 10920 Roselle St., Suites 104 and105. exploretock.com/luckybolt

Pistachio, left, and coffee macaron cookies at the new Christophe Rull Patisserie in the North City community of San Marcos. (Pam Kragen / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Macarons — Christophe Rull Patisserie, San Marcos

French-born pastry chef Christophe Rull, who won the U.S. Chocolate Master crown in 2021 and starred on Netflix’s “Bake Squad” competition series, opened his first bakery-café in San Marcos in September. Everything I’ve tried there is wonderful, but I especially love his zesty and flavor-packed macaron cookies, which are made with fruit purées from Les Vergers Boiron, a third-generation Parisian business that grows, picks and preserves fruits at their peak of season. 251 N. City Drive, Suite 121, San Marcos. instagram.com/christopherullpro

The House Special, a beef spare rib pho noodle soup, at PHOnomenal restaurant in National City. The family-owned restaurant has been named to the No. 4 spot on Yelp's 2025 list of the Top 100 Places to Eat in America. (Pam Kragen / The San Diego Union-Tribune) — The House Special, a beef spare rib pho noodle soup, at PHOnomenal restaurant in National City. The family-owned restaurant has been named to the No. 4 spot on Yelp’s 2025 list of the Top 100 Places to Eat in America. (Pam Kragen / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Beef spare rib pho noodle soup — PHOnomenal, National City

Back in February, Yelp named National City’s family-owned PHOnomenal restaurant No. 4 on its list of the top 25 pho spots in the U.S. The Chhoum family’s beef noodle soup recipe was created by family matriarch Thatsany Som, who passed away in 2024. Family members say the secret behind her pho (the Vietnamese word for “noodle soup”), is the quality of the slow-stewed beef and the freshness and generous portions of the vegetables and rice noodles they serve. The pho at PHOnomenal is aptly named and worth the wait in line. Hours are limited and many diners pre-order for pickup to avoid a sellout, so plan your visit in advance. 811 K Ave., National City. instagram.com/phonomenal_sd