3 Best Restaurants in La Jolla, San Diego

The desserts are magnificent at this small, charming shop in operation for nearly 50 years, where dessertier Michele Coulon confects wonders, using organic produce and imported chocolate. Snack on cookies, cupcakes, brownies, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and mini-desserts, but this is not just a place for dessert: lunch is served 11:30–2 Tuesday through Saturday (the store is open 9 am to 3 pm), and the simple menu includes quiche and salads. Other irresistible treats found here are a chocolate lover's Torte Lion Belge, pear-frangipane tart, and Marjolaine Torte with layers of meringue, chocolate ganache, and buttercream.

A cozy beach cottage sets the stage for American comfort food with a California twist at this La Jolla staple, with sister locations in Encinitas and Del Mar. The restaurant serves lunch, but it’s the well-loved daily breakfast that has locals and visitors happily queuing—sometimes up to two hours on weekends. Egg dishes have unique fillings like soy chorizo and pork belly braised beef, and the sizable, shareable stuffed French toast is a can’t-miss. Post-surf or -hike, keep it healthy with the avocado smash and smoked salmon on rosemary bread. Lunch spans tuna melts and fish tacos, while the drink menu, with Bloody Marys and hard kombucha, will have you justifying, "it's five o'clock somewhere." It’s worth waiting for a patio seat that overlooks a charming stretch of downtown La Jolla. 

This trendy La Jolla restaurant “plays” tribute to the past with its location inside William Kesling’s historic piano showroom where live music still plays during cocktail hour. The casual yet refined menu features steelhead trout, pan-roasted chicken, and unconventional Caesar salads topped with jalapeño rings and Parmesan shavings; be sure to request a side of the creamy coconut rice pilaf. Its corner location offers patio seating as well as a mid-century-meets-tropical-style lounge with a magnificent mural by artist, Eva Struble, and a travertine bar where mixologists pour Oaxacan negronis and cocktails named after birds. Arrive by 5:30 to hear an hour set of live piano on Wednesday and Sunday and live saxophone on Thursday.