San Diego's Best Restaurants for the Wine Lover.
With lists like this, it is inevitable that a lot of well deserving restaurants will be left off the list. Our city is large, and new restaurants pop up all the time. No one can be up to date on every dining establishment in the county. If you know of a restaurant that should be on the list, click here to email me the information.
The requirement for making the list is a well thought out wine list with a wide variety of exciting wines at a broad range of prices. Many of these restaurants are Wine Spectator award winners. This list is not necessarily the "best value" wine lists, although some of these restaurants do represent good value, and are so designated. "Standard restaurant mark-up" is generally considered to be in the range of 2 to 2.5 times the wholesale price of a wine. Restaurants with a lot of wines selling for less than the standard mark-up are considered to have "good value" wine lists. A new trend that is becoming popular is special "half price wine nights" offered by many restaurants during mid week. I do not have a comprehensive listing of restaurants that offer half price nights. If you know of any, click here to e-mail me the info and I will try to get it listed on the site. V.C.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NORTH COUNTY
Addison in Grand Del Mar Resort & Golf Club (California, French, Italian); Carmel Valley
Arterra (in Mariott Hotel); (mostly California wines); Off I-5 in Carmel Valley
Bernard'O (California and French wines); Rancho Bernardo
El Bizcocho (California, French, Italian Wines); at the Rancho Bernardo Inn
Mille Fleurs (California and French); Rancho Santa Fe
Rancho Valencia Resort (California); Rancho Santa Fe
3rd Corner (wine shop and Bistro/good value); Encinitas
Tastes Restaurant & Wine Bar (wide selection, bottles & flights/good value); Encinitas
Vincent's (California wines/good value); Escondido
Vigilucci's (California, Italian); Carlsbad and Encinitas
Sbicca (California); Del Mar (note Tuesday 1/2 price wine night)
Ruth's Chris Steak House (California); off I-805 Carmel Valley
Black Horse Grill (California); Del Mar
Pamplemousse Grile (California and French); Del Mar
Pacifica Del Mar (California); Del Mar
Meritage Restaurant and Bar (California); Encinitas (do not confuse with Meritage Wine Market)
Il Fornaio Cucina Italia (California and Italian); Del Mar
Great Oak Steak House (California and French); Temecula (at the Pechanga Resort and Casino)
Firenze Trattoria (California and Italian/ good value); Encinitas
Cicciotti's Trattoria Italiana (California and Italian/good value); Encinitas
Crosby Estates Country Club Restaurant (Private-Members only) (California, France, Italy/good value); Rancho Santa Fe
LA JOLLA
Sky Room (California, French, Italian); in the La Valencia Hotel La Jolla
The Mediterranean Room (California, France, Italy); in the La Valencia Hotel
The Whaling Bar (California, France ItalyO; in the La Valencia Hotel
Donovan's Steak and Chop House (California, France, Italy); across from UTC
Flemings Prime Steak House and Wine Bar (California); in the Hyatt Aventine plaza (2nd location downtown)
Fresh Seafood Restaurant (California); La Jolla
George's at the Cove (California, France,Spain,Australia, Italy); La Jolla
The Marine Room (California, France); La Jolla
Nine-Ten (California, France); La Jolla
Roppongi (California); La Jolla
Roy's (California); across from UTC in the Costa Verde Shopping Ctr
Sante (California, Italy); La Jolla
Tapenade (California, France); La Jolla
Top of the Cove (California, France, Italy); La Jolla
Jack's (California, France, Italy); La Jolla
A.R. Valentin (California, French); in the Lodge at Torrey Pines
SAN DIEGO
Wine Sellar and Brasserie (California, France/good value); Sorrento Valley
Bertrand at Mr. A's (California, France); Downtown 5th Ave.
Blue Point Coastal Cuisine (California); Gaslamp 5th Ave
Cafe Pacifica (California); Old Town
Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar (California); Downtown K Street
Greystone the Steakhouse (California, France); Gaslamp 5th Ave
Humphrey's By the Bay (California); Downtown by the airport (Shelter Island Drive)
Le Fountainbleu (California, France); at the Westgate Hotel Downtown/Gaslamp 2nd Ave
Lou and Mickey's at the Gaslamp (California, France); Gaslamp 5th Ave
Morton's the Steakhouse (California); Gaslamp at the Harbor Club J Street
Oceanaire Seafood Room (California); Gaslamp J Street
Osetra the Fish house (California, France, Italy); Gaslamp 5th Ave
Osteria Panevino (California, Italy); Gaslamp 5th Ave
Rainwater's (California); Downtown on Kettner Blvd.
Ruth's Chris Steak House (California); Downtown N. Harbor Drive
Star of the Sea (California/ good value); Downtown N. Harbor Drive
Terra Restaurant (California/ good value) Hillcrest, Vermont Street
Top of the Market (California); Downtown N. Harbor Drive
Laurel Restaurant (California, France); Downtown/Hillcres/Balboa Park area
Island Prime; Gaslamp (have not seen wine list but heard it was good)
The Palm Steakhouse (California, Italy); Gaslamp, J street
The Wine Vault and Bistro; India Street near Washington, Downtown by airport
The Wine Encounter (wine bar with extensive wine list, limited food menu); Hillcrest
Wine Steals (wine bar, retail sales, limited food menu/tapas/snacks); Hillcrest
CORONADO
Azurra Point (California, France); at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort
L'Escale (California); at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort
Prince of Wales (California, France); at the Hotel Del Coronado
