The 8 Best Restaurants To Celebrate Your Birthday in San Diego, CA
No city holds a candle to San Diego when it comes to great birthday spots! This city is full of restaurants that range from classic to eclectic. You can even get a little bit wacky with some indoor tent or trailer dining if you know the right spots! These are eight of the best places to celebrate a birthday in San Diego.
One Door North
3422 30th Street, San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 618-1285
One Door North is a chef-owned, farm-to-table extravaganza of a restaurant that boasts craft cocktails, craft beer, and meals brimming with locally sourced ingredients. Book one of the restaurant’s famed private indoor tents for the whole birthday crew to make it a memorable occasion. You can huddle together to enjoy a starters list full of mini cornbread muffins, house-cut truffle fries, spinach artichoke dip, and a giant Bavarian pretzel. The entrées list thrills with flat iron steak, Scottish salmon, grilled octopus salad, and artisan flatbreads.
Kettner Exchange
2001 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 255-2001
Kettner Exchange is often described as being outdoorsy and intimate. This restaurant integrates a beautiful outdoor space with an open-concept, airy indoor space like few restaurants in the city can. Renting a rooftop cabana here is a great idea for celebrating a birthday in San Diego! For birthday drinks, enjoy a wine list, cocktail list, and bottle service. Shared plates dominate the menu at Kettner Exchange. The list of shareable delights includes Japanese river crabs, whipped buttermilk ricotta, Szechuan frog legs, pork belly steam bun, duck meatball, Asian pear and cucumber salad, and so much more. The molten chocolate lava cake is a great option for dessert.
C Level Lounge
880 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 298-6802
C Level Lounge is a great place for a birthday dinner on the water in San Diego. Offering views of both the San Diego Skyline and Coronado, C Level Lounge is a classy spot that scores big on ambiance. The calamari, artichoke fritters, and pepita with sesame-crusted brie will send you to heaven before your entrée even gets to the table. There’s a great blend of fresh catches, from-the-market meat cuts, and pasta dishes to be enjoyed on the menu. The cocktails, wines, and beers are enough to impress anyone with good taste.
King & Queen Cantina
1490 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 756-7864
There’s nothing like some upscale Mexican food when celebrating a birthday dinner! King & Queen Cantina delivers a 10-page menu full of flavor-infused Mexican favorites that have been updated for bold, boundary-breaking culinary expressions. There’s also a drink menu featuring everything from classics to spunky cocktails with cotton candy. In addition to offering a flavor experience like no other place in the city, King & Queen Cantina offers a setting with party vibes baked all the way through!
Huntress
376 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 329-4868
Huntress turns the concept of a traditional steakhouse on its head. Enjoy artisan touches that make every bite memorable when digging into prime flat iron steak, filet mignon, New York strip, lobster curry soup, day boat scallops, and caviar. This restaurant offers a case where the sides might just be as impressive as the main dishes! Who can resist whipped Yukon potato puree, parmesan truffle steak fries, blue-cheese-topped wild mushrooms, or charcoal-roasted carrots with truffle yogurt? Huntress also offers a perfectly curated list of cocktails, wine, and draft beers that ensures guests can enjoy variety without getting lost in the weeds with a dizzying selection.
Trailer Park After Dark
835 5th Avenue (Lower Level), San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 236-1550
What makes Trailer Park After Dark one of the best restaurants for celebrating a birthday in San Diego is that you can actually reserve a kitschy trailer to dine in during your visit! The menu here is full of classic American comfort food with some upscale updates. Enjoy grilled cheese sticks, meatloaf, dry-rubbed chicken wings, “messy” tots, ice cream sandwiches, and many more dishes you might remember from your childhood. There’s also a great drink list featuring oddly named cocktails, wines, cans, bottles, and on-tap selections.
LAVO Italian Restaurant
611 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 762-5286
Where can you take the person who will settle for nothing less than an incredible Italian dinner on the town for their birthday? LAVO was made for this! The menu shines with help from baked clams, mussels, truffle ricotta cavatelli, veal saltimbocca, rack of lamb, brick-oven pizzas, and incredible garlic bread. What you’ll really want to save room for is the 20-layer chocolate cake made with devil’s food cake and peanut butter mascarpone. Zeppole, gelati, tiramisu, rainbow cookies, and Nutella budino complete the dessert list. The menu for cocktails, wine, and beer also impresses!
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