3 Best Restaurants in La Jolla, San Diego

Accolades continue to roll in for executive chef Jason Knibb—winner of an award of excellence by Wine Spectator every year since 2002—whose seasonal menus are magnets for travelers and San Diegans seeking a memorable meal like pan-roasted lamb loin or duck breast with chanterelle mushrooms. Located at La Jolla’s Grande Colonial Hotel, the space encompasses a cozy ground-floor dining room, bar, and ocean-glimpse covered terrace. At night deftly executed appetizers may include Jamaican jerk pork belly with plantains and black-eyed peas or porcini mushroom spaghettini with cured egg yolk. A prix-fixe six-course “Mercy of the Chef” menu is available for the whole table.

Bringing Paris to La Jolla, acclaimed chef Jean Michel Diot unveils cuisine bistronomique, a culinary concept that blends bistro favorites with gastronomie techniques. The airy dining room, lined with black-and-white photos of France, is comfortable, if not romantic, an ideal setting for the ever-changing menu that emphasizes fresh ingredients sourced from the Sunday farmers' market that holds court in front of the restaurant. Provençal classics like duck confit, coq au vin, and scallops Saint Jacques vie with more unusual fare like pike quenelles. Patrons-in-the-know always save room for meringue floating on crème anglaise topped with slivered almonds.

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.