care to look over our itinerary & maybe suggest restaurants?

hmnec

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 2, 2013
arrival day - flying into Burbank
hollywood sign griffith observatory, venice beach or malibu then drive south to carlsbad
day 2 - coronado island, old town for lunch, belmont park/mission beach, point loma/sunset cliffs
day 3 - zoo and balboa park
day 4 - la jolla & torrey pines
drive out to palm desert that night
day 5 - joshua tree national park & palm springs aerial tramway
day 6,7,8 - Disney
day 9 departure day lazy morning time for lunch somewhere

We’re a family of 7. 2 adults, Kids 12,11,8 & 3
Nothing super fancy but not too concerned about $. My kids are well traveled/good diners
Definitely authentic ethnic food
Looking for local favs
 
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Can you give us more information about your group (how many? adults? kids?) and about what kind of restaurants you like (budget? high end? low end? authentic ethnic -- yes or no? etc.)? More detail will help us give you better suggestions.
 
Can you give us more information about your group (how many? adults? kids?) and about what kind of restaurants you like (budget? high end? low end? authentic ethnic -- yes or no? etc.)? More detail will help us give you better suggestions.
I’ll add to the post but we’re a family of 7
Kids 12,11,8 & 3
Nothing super fancy but not too concerned about $. My kids are well traveled/good diners
Definitely authentic ethnic food
Looking for local favs
 
day 2 - coronado island, old town for lunch, belmont park/mission beach, point loma/sunset cliffs


That's A LOT to cover in one day.

I'd skip old town for Mexican food (I think it's a tourist trap) BUT there are a few decent places

Ceviche House ("raw" fish marinated in citrus). Super light and refreshing.
Harney Sushi (in the top 10 sushi bars of San Diego).

There is also an excellent edomae style sushi bar in Old Town which is the best in town in my opinion but very traditional (no rolls)

If looking for Mexican and coming from Coronado you have some options.

Las Cuatros Milpas (San Diego's second oldest restaurant) is legit Mexican food and delicious. You'll smell the lard from a block away.

Salud is in the Barrio Logan neighborhood next to chicano park (where the bridge from Coronado hits the freeway and has been turned into stunning murals) and offers the best of the best of mexican street food. Very good place. I've taken a number of celebrities here through my work and every thank you note I get mentions this place.

Between Coronado and Old Town Blue Water Seafood is excellent (try our seafood when in town).

Close to Point Loma is Point Loma Seafoods (I like it better than Blue Water).

There is also Liberty Station which has tons of great places to eat as well as Liberty Station Public Market which has great local food stalls.

day 3 - zoo and balboa park


Panama 66 is located in the park and is great.

The neighborhoods of North Park and Hillcrest are very dense with good places to eat and a five minute drive from the park.

day 4 - la jolla & torrey pines

El Pescador is a great seafood joint if you missed Blue Water or Pt. Loma Seafood... Protip, get it to go and picnic in the park by the cove.

Puesto is great Mexican a bit upscale with price point to match

Galaxy Taco is really good too.

Burger Lounge is a local chain and has a spot in La Jolla, great burgers.

Best burger is town is at the Lodge in Torrey Pines I think. Wonderful.

drive out to palm desert that night
day 5 - joshua tree national park & palm springs aerial tramway

In the town of Joshua Tree is Pie for the People, good inventive pizza.

Further down in 29 Palms is the Palm Kabob House which has some of the best Middle Eastern food I've ever had. (And I've eaten through Egypt and Israel). This place is way better than it need to be.

Palm Springs has too many places to mention, I'm partial to Sherman's because it is a decent Jewish deli and there are no good Jewish deli's in San Diego...

If there is a specific thing you are craving, let us know.
 
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I agree with Purrkins (also your post is really making me miss SD) that this itinerary sounds exhausting, especially with a little one. Day 1 is going to be a ton of driving with little time to enjoy the places you're visiting and Day 2 is at least two days worth of stuff. I'd make sure you look into how long it's actually going to take before you commit (Malibu to Carlsbad is 3 hours, 4+ with traffic). It's possible, but you'll be exhausted by the time you get to DL. For dining at DL, my favorite is Steakhouse 55, for other Anaheim we usually do Karl Strauss Brewery, Slaters 50/50, Umami Burger. In LA if you're heading straight to Griffith Park, Home has an amazing brunch. In Carlsbad Pizza Port is great for a late dinner with kids.
 
Thanks so much for your reply! Can’t wait to look into your recommendations

day 2 - coronado island, old town for lunch, belmont park/mission beach, point loma/sunset cliffs


That's A LOT to cover in one day.

I'd skip old town for Mexican food (I think it's a tourist trap) BUT there are a few decent places

Ceviche House ("raw" fish marinated in citrus). Super light and refreshing.
Harney Sushi (in the top 10 sushi bars of San Diego).

There is also an excellent edomae style sushi bar in Old Town which is the best in town in my opinion but very traditional (no rolls)

If looking for Mexican and coming from Coronado you have some options.

Las Cuatros Milpas (San Diego's second oldest restaurant) is legit Mexican food and delicious. You'll smell the lard from a block away.

Salud is in the Barrio Logan neighborhood next to chicano park (where the bridge from Coronado hits the freeway and has been turned into stunning murals) and offers the best of the best of mexican street food. Very good place. I've taken a number of celebrities here through my work and every thank you note I get mentions this place.

Between Coronado and Old Town Blue Water Seafood is excellent (try our seafood when in town).

Close to Point Loma is Point Loma Seafoods (I like it better than Blue Water).

There is also Liberty Station which has tons of great places to eat as well as Liberty Station Public Market which has great local food stalls.

day 3 - zoo and balboa park


Panama 66 is located in the park and is great.

The neighborhoods of North Park and Hillcrest are very dense with good places to eat and a five minute drive from the park.

day 4 - la jolla & torrey pines

El Pescador is a great seafood joint if you missed Blue Water or Pt. Loma Seafood... Protip, get it to go and picnic in the park by the cove.

Puesto is great Mexican a bit upscale with price point to match

Galaxy Taco is really good too.

Burger Lounge is a local chain and has a spot in La Jolla, great burgers.

Best burger is town is at the Lodge in Torrey Pines I think. Wonderful.

drive out to palm desert that night
day 5 - joshua tree national park & palm springs aerial tramway

In the town of Joshua Tree is Pie for the People, good inventive pizza.

Further down in 29 Palms is the Palm Kabob House which has some of the best Middle Eastern food I've ever had. (And I've eaten through Egypt and Israel). This place is way better than it need to be.

Palm Springs has too many places to mention, I'm partial to Sherman's because it is a decent Jewish deli and there are no good Jewish deli's in San Diego...

If there is a specific thing you are craving, let us know.
 
We did Joshua Tree then on to the Tram ... summer maybe not an issue, but make sure you get to the tram before sunset. While it was pretty going up, it got dark fast. It’s a LOT of driving on roads with not a lot of services. Make sure your gas tank is good & not near empty, don’t let the kids drink too much in the car!

Also, it takes a long, long time to get out of the park & back on the road, just an FYI.

We discovered Dickey’s bbq in town before entering Joshua Tree - it’s a chain but it is FAB!! And funny enough, we found out there’s a Dickey’s in my hometown near Chicago ... had tk go to Joshua Tree to find this out!!
 


arrival day - flying into Burbank
hollywood sign griffith observatory, venice beach or malibu then drive south to carlsbad
day 2 - coronado island, old town for lunch, belmont park/mission beach, point loma/sunset cliffs
day 3 - zoo and balboa park
day 4 - la jolla & torrey pines
drive out to palm desert that night
day 5 - joshua tree national park & palm springs aerial tramway
day 6,7,8 - Disney
day 9 departure day lazy morning time for lunch somewhere

We’re a family of 7. 2 adults, Kids 12,11,8 & 3
Nothing super fancy but not too concerned about $. My kids are well traveled/good diners
Definitely authentic ethnic food
Looking for local favs
Just beginning planning a trip like this here--if I can ask where are you lodging? I would love to stay with Disney during our Disney days...but I suspect there is more affordable ways to lodge during the non Disney days?
 

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