Best Neighbourhood Gem Restaurants in Old Town

This is our favorite Italian restaurant in San Diego and it’s our favorite restaurant in Old Town. We are always treated like family when we go there. All the servers have been there for many years and take great pride in giving their best. The food of course is magnificent and is prepared perfectly. We always look forward to dining there when we are in the area.

We had a fantastic time at Herb & Wood. Since we were both busy on Valentine’s Day, we decided to celebrate on Saturday instead. From the moment we arrived, everyone at the restaurant greeted us warmly and made us feel truly welcome. Our reservation was at 5 PM, so the restaurant wasn’t too crowded yet, but even as it filled up, the level of attentiveness remained exceptional. Our waiter, Troy, was friendly, knowledgeable, and offered great recommendations. For appetizers, we had the Sicilian Crudo and one of Troy’s suggestions—a warm dinner bread served with butter, honey, and herbs. I don’t remember the exact name, but it was absolutely delicious! For our main courses, my husband had the Iberico Pork, and I had the Roasted Branzino. The Branzino was packed with herbs and flavors—I usually can’t finish a large meal, but I couldn’t stop eating it. We were too full for dessert, though I wish we had saved room! It was our first time at Herb & Wood, but it’s now on our list of favorite restaurants for special occasions.

Alberto took very good care of us and since we were celebrating my wife’s birthday, he made sure to focus on her and had a nice birthday cheesecake to help celebrate the occasion. Everything is top shelp at this fine restaurant and we highly recommend even if you’re not a tequila connoisseur.

My boyfriend and I came for an early Valentine’s Day dinner and we got a sangria and Old fashioneds which were great!!The food was AMAZING. The Parker house rolls, the mussels, the steaks 🤌🏼 The only negative thing I have to say is that because we had a later reservation (10:00) we felt pretty rushed to order our food, thus feeling rushed to leave. It didn’t negatively affect our experience too much because the food was so bomb but definitely expected a higher level of service (minus the bussers and food runners who were friendly and great).

Visiting our daughter from Chicago for the week. Mister As did not disappoint. The ambiance, food and service was exceptional. Izzy was engaging and attentive to assure our dining experience was extraordinary. We were seated w a beautiful view of the ocean. Everything was brought out at a timely manner and we never felt rushed. Best Caesar salad w every leaf laced w dressing . The king salmon Wellington was unlike any salmon I’ve ever tried. The braised short rib was flavorful n simply superb (not fatty). The rack of lamb along w lamb stuffed cherry tomatoes was also delicious. There r so many fine restaurants in SD, but this by far one to revisit for us.