Top 10 Spanish Restaurants In San Diego, California

spanish restaurants in san diego
Aarti
Aarti 
Updated
| 4 min read

San Diego, a California county with a stellar appeal, is the first-ever city that Europeans settled in. It is popular for its laid-back vibe, best year-round weather, and surfing destinations. People arriving here usually check out several attractions such as Balboa Park, Point Loma, USS Midway Museum, and Cabrillo National Monument. If you want to go on a food trip, San Diego has restaurants that serve a variety of cuisines, one of which is Spanish. If you want to try out the Spanish food here, check out some of the best Spanish restaurants in San Diego, California that you can stop by for either breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

1. Cafe Sevilla

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account


Immerse in the Spanish culture with music and delightful fares at Cafe Sevilla. Established in 1987, this restaurant is nestled in San Diego’s Gaslamp District. Featuring an authentic Spanish environment, Cafe Sevilla is renowned for being a nightclub and a tapas bar and restaurant. The restaurant cooks up tasty fares and serves small plates of signature tapas. In addition, you also get to taste curated local cocktails and delicate Spanish wines. You can also enjoy a flamenco show and salsa dance while dining in over the weekend.

Cafe Sevilla

Address: 353 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101, United States

Website: Cafe Sevilla

Opening hours: Mon: 4pm - 1am; Tue - Fri: 4pm - 1:30am; Sat - Sun: 11am - 1:30am

Visited this place?

2. Costa Brava

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Posted by Costa Brava Spanish Cuisine on Saturday, February 13, 2021

Believed to be a hole in the wall by most residents of San Diego, Costa Brava is a restaurant famous for serving Spanish-style tapas and sangria on a busy street of Pacific Beach. This quaint restaurant with modern decor features a rustic patio and live entertainment session on most nights. This place is great for a friend’s night out or a family dinner. Enjoy a variety of tapas dishes here such as tortilla española, spicy potatoes, and more.

Costa Brava

Address: 1653 Garnet Ave, San Diego, CA 92109, United States

Website: Costa Brava

Opening hours: 11am - 12am (daily)

Visited this place?

3. Casa Guadalajara

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account


Do you want to have a great time with your friends or family while indulging in some sumptuous delicacies? Check out Casa Guadalajara and see what it offers. Known for serving Mexican fares, expect a wonderful burst of authentic flavors in your mouth after every bite. The place features an outdoor patio and is decorated in a vibrant manner. You can enjoy listening to mariachi music while you eat your favorite Mexican snacks. For a more memorable food trip here, try out some of the restaurant’s best-selling dishes such as Mexican shrimp cocktail, chicken tortilla soup, chopped Mexican salad, and fiesta fajitas.

Casa Guadalajara

Address: 4105 Taylor St, San Diego, CA 92110, United States

Website: Casa Guadalajara

Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 11am - 9pm; Sat: 10am - 10pm; Sun: 10am - 9pm

Visited this place?

4. Bar Bodega

Editor’s note: establishment is permanently closed

If you are looking for a date-night spot, Bar Bodega is the perfect place for you. This little Italian spot has a unique way of serving Spanish tapas along with a fine selection of craft beers and wines. The cozy and romantic venue boasts a sidewalk patio and offers a variety of cheese plates that goes perfectly with the wine collection. Most of the wines served here are organically sourced.

Bar Bodega

Address: 1980 Kettner Blvd Ste 30, San Diego, CA 92101, United States

Website: Bar Bodega

Opening hours: Mon - Wed: 4pm - 10pm; Thu: 11:30am - 10pm; Fri: 4pm - 10pm; Sat - Sun: 11:30am - 10pm

Visited this place?

5. Berta's Latin Cuisine

Editor’s note: establishment is permanently closed

Berta’s Latin Cuisine is a beautiful spot to hang out with your family, friends, and even your date. The quaint restaurant offers a menu of classic dishes from three regions: Mexico, El Salvador, and Spain. Berta’s has been operational for over 25 years. It specializes in both classic and modern recipes of Latin American cuisine, which makes this place like no other in San Diego. Some of the crowd favorites include Chilean empanadas, papas choriadas, jicama salad, and Mexican mole poblano.

Berta's Latin Cuisine

Address: 3928 Twiggs St, San Diego, CA 92110, United States

Website: Berta’s Latin Cuisine

Opening hours: Tue - Sun: 11am - 9:30pm (closed on Mon)

Visited this place?

6. La Salsa

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account


Since its establishment in 1979, La Salsa has gained massive popularity throughout Los Angeles City. It gained its reputation from the food they served. La Salsa uses fresh and local ingredients to make mouth-watering fares like burritos, tacos, tapas, and more. Due to its popularity, Las Salsa started opening up branches everywhere, including San Diego. This quick-service Mexican restaurant is famous for its best-selling dishes such as Baja grilled fish tacos, tacos la salsa, and overstuffed grilled burrito.

La Salsa

Address: 1360 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118-2917

Website: La Salsa

Opening hours: 9am - 9pm (daily)

Visited this place?

7. El Zarape

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Posted by El Zarape Restaurant ( oficial ) on Sunday, February 7, 2016

Looking for a good place to eat great Mexican food? El Zarape will be the right spot for you to get together with your friends or family. This lively venue is known for cooking up some traditional Mexican dishes including seafood tortillas, tacos, and burritos. The folk art and indoor and outdoor seating areas make it a perfect venue for an afternoon meeting. Make sure to try out some of the dishes here like shrimp enchilada, fish tacos, steak fajitas, BBQ chicken burrito, and wasabi burrito.

El Zarape

Address: 4642 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92116, United States

Website: El Zarape

Opening hours: Sun - Thu: 8am - 11pm; Fri - Sat: 8am - 2am

Visited this place?

8. Polanco Kitchen and Bar

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Posted by Polanco Kitchen & Bar on Thursday, December 4, 2014

On the hunt for Latino-style food in San Diego? Well, you are in luck. Polanco Kitchen and Bar offers Latin American cuisine, especially Mexican food with a bit of Baja-flavored twist to it. Prepared from authentic and local ingredients, the food here is lip-smackingly good. When you plan a visit here, try the homemade guacamole and tajin-crusted salmon along with margaritas and other craft cocktails.

Polanco Kitchen and Bar

Address: 901 Camino del Rio S, San Diego, CA 92108, United States

Website: Polanco Kitchen and Bar

Opening hours: 6am - 11pm (daily)

Visited this place?

9. Havana 1920

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

What’s your favorite #havana1920 Bocadito?? Can you even choose just one

Posted by Havana 1920 on Wednesday, June 23, 2021

If you want to experience Cuban life with the most authentic fares, entertainment, and all that jazz, head to Havana 1920 right away. Nestled in San Diego’s Market Street, this restaurant is known for offering Cuban cocktails while surrounded by live music and exposed brick walls. During your visit here, go for empanada vegetariana, Cuban breakfast, and tropical tacos. Just keep in mind that due to COVID-19, this restaurant is temporarily closed until further notice.

Havana 1920

Address: 548 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101, United States

Website: Havana 1920

Visited this place?

10. Curadero

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account


If you’re looking for a restaurant that serves up a filling breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Curadero is the place to be. The restaurant is temporarily closed due to Covid-19, but you can still check it out once it resumes operations. The place lets you experience authentic Mexican flavors through the dishes they serve. While here, you could order some of the chef’s specialty dishes including torta de chilaquiles, coctels, tacos, corn tortillas, and more. To complement the tasty servings, Curadero also offers a variety of cocktails and other Mexican beers.

Curadero

Address: 1047 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101, United States

Website: Curadero

Opening hours: Tue - Thu: 7am - 10:30am, 11am - 9pm; Fri: 7am - 10:30am, 11am - 10pm; Sat: 7am - 10pm; Sun: 7am - 2pm (closed on Mon)

Visited this place?

Try out the best Spanish restaurants in San Diego

Paella de marisco 01 (cropped) 4.3
Source: Photo by Wikimedia Commons user Manuel M. Vicente... used under CC BY 2.0

If you are craving Spanish food while in San Diego, consider yourself lucky. Whether you’re looking for finger food or a hearty meal, this area will surely never run out of choices. While here, don’t forget to include these Spanish restaurants in your itinerary.

Visited this place?
Any must-sees we missed? Tell us about them in the comments section or write a post here to help out fellow travelers!
Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

History


Get Trip101 in your inbox

Unsubscribe in one click. See our Privacy Policy for more information on how we use your data

Born in Mumbai and brought up in Bangalore, India, Aarti is a full-time freelance writer by profession. She is a lover of everything the ‘blue dot’ offers—world cultures, off-the-beaten tracks,...Read more

 Want to contribute as a Local Expert?
Explore San Diego
Looking for accommodation?
x
Good things are meant to be shared!
Back to top
Visited any of these places? Click this button to activate our "Add a Tip" feature to share your experience.