Vegan San Diego Food Tour

My trip to San Diego was a symphony of flavors and taste sensations. Best of all, I was able to eat vegan at every restaurant that I went to, and there were only limited menu modifications that I had to request. It was wonderful to be able to walk into any establishment and know that I would be served a great vegan meal. I only had one terrible meal in SD, and it was at the convention so it isn't San Diego's fault by any means. I will now share some food reviews, chronologically, of the lovely downtown San Diego restaurants. I know that most of my friends don't live there, but if you are ever visiting, these places are totally worth it. I have eaten a lot of food in San Diego over the years and this trip gets the top prize for awesome food. And it was vegan, let's not forget that folks!

The Yard House: Corner of 4th and Broadway

This place is a dream come true. First of all, they have over a 100 beers on tap, and the two I ordered were delicious. Of course I can't remember the name of the best one, but the other one was Hoegaarden White, and it was a wonderful, citrusy brew. I ordered the edamame for an appetizer which we all shared (and the omnis LOVED) and I had the lettuce wraps with tofu and mushrooms for my main course. It was so delicious and wonderful, with its smoky tofu and tasty dipping sauces. One of the other ladies (Julie) got the same thing, and she loved it as well. Shelly enjoyed the four cheese pizza, and it did look delicious. We were all so happy after this meal and returned to the hotel completely content.

Sogno Divino: 1607 India Street, Little Italy

Not only did this place offer Italian eye/ear candy, the menu items were delicious as well. Although the menu options were very limited for me, I ordered the Endive and Celery salad, and was very happy with the choice. The endive was so good, and the mustard vinegarette was divine. I happily scarfed that up and was only slightly envious of my dinner companion's meals. Tim got a very yummy antipasta plate, Shelly enjoyed the Quattro Frommagio Panini (notice a trend) and Julie had the Panini al Bosco. The best part of the meal was the wine that we enjoyed. I am hoping to find it here, and have a call in to our local speciality wine shop in the hope of enjoying some for my birthday. Note: I am not a red wine fan and this was stellar!

Pappalecco Gelato: Corner of Cedar & State, Little Italy

I've already reviewed the gelato, but I had to mention it again. This place was so good that I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. We all loved it so much and the owners were just so great and wonderful. All the fruit flavors are vegan, and from what my fellow gelato lovers said, their flavors were wonderful as well. It was reasonably priced and so delicious. It was a perfect end to our Italian dinner and it was even worth the long walk back two days later from my hotel. They also serve sandwiches and salads that looked delectable. Unfortunately their website isn't complete, but if you google it you can get more info. Don't worry, it's so worth it!

W Hotel Beach Bar: West B Street

Their drinks were spectacular. But their "sexy fries" were so freakin' sexy I couldn't believe it. I feel that it is necessary to order these delightfully sinful items, even if you aren't three sheets to the wind at 1 am. The fries are very simple. They your standard french fry, but they are seasoned with garlic and sea salt. TO DIE FOR. My friends went back a second time for them, but I didn't have any room left in my belly for french fries. I tried so hard, but I just couldn't hack it. I was elected as the one who had to duplicate this recipe, so I will be sharing some french fry recipes over the next couple weeks and hopefully I will get this flavor down perfectly. And hopefully I won't get too fat in the process. (I realize that the fries may have been fried in oil that had animal residue in it, but it doesn't appear that the W has a lot of fried chicken or stuff like that so maybe there was a chance. Living in Southern Maryland, you don't get a lot of options other than fried, so I've had to look the other way on that a little bit.)

Sushi Deli 2: 339 West Broadway (near Horton Plaza)

They don't have a website and I went by myself at the suggestion of several locals, but this place was good. And it was dirt cheap and there was a huge line to get in, but since I was a party of one, it wasn't too long a wait. The service wasn't all that great, but my avacado rolls were excellent and everyone in the place seemed to love their meals. I talked to the lady next to me and she said that this was her favorite sushi place in town, and it seemed like others thought the same thing. They have a great happy hour with 99 cent sake and 1/2 price hand rolls, so this is a necessary stop before an evening on the town.