Restaurants and Bars

With numerous establishments perched on cliff tops overlooking the famous La Jolla Cove, this city's restaurants are well known for unforgettable views. That being said, the cuisine is not too shabby either. Many La Jolla restaurants have had great success combining spectacular ambience with creative culinary innovations. La Jolla pleases all types of travelers with a gang of restaurants throughout the city, offering formal dining, trendy nightlife and quiet views of the ocean.

Business District Several top-notch eateries shine in the business district of La Jolla. Donovan's Steak & Chop House pleases customers with an elegant dining room, vast wine list and premiere red-meat entrees. Bully's is another sure bet for great steaks, fine wines and a true taste of old La Jolla. For a dining experience both more modern and more laid back, hit Rock Bottom, a restaurant and brewery popular for its eclectic pub-grub menu, house-made beers and a lengthy Happy Hour.

To cash in on the epic ocean views throughout the city, hotels in La Jolla tend to house top-notch restaurants, bars and clubs on their upper floors. Humphrey's La Jolla Grill, located on top of the Radisson features dramatic panoramas, sumptuous cuisine and live entertainment. Clay's, perched on the 11th floor of Hotel La Jolla, has full-length windows overlooking the city and the Pacific, as well as upscale American entrees and live jazz.

The Village Known to locals as 'the village', La Jollas downtown hosts some of the finest eateries in Southern California. This section of town is most trendy, ranging from quirky cafes to happening nightlife. Only in La Jolla would one find artwork for sale in a coffee shop. Harry's offers exactly that, welcoming the morning crowd with homemade breakfast specialties and innovative works of art. Mission Coffee Cup is another informal diner, also praised for its fresh-cooked American breakfasts. While the ambience is not particularly notable, it's always crowded with locals for one simple reason: the food is just plain delicious.

The following trio of cafe-style lunch spots is all about gourmet versatility. Whether you crave a hearty panini or a sweet little tart, they've all got you covered. Go to Girard Gourmet and grab a luscious salad, an inspired sandwich or a decadent dessert. Or go on in to Come On In, a delightful bakery styled to evoke the French countryside, which is popular among the daytime village crowd thanks to its coffeecakes, scones and muffins (and meal-sized lunch plates). The Living Room Coffeehouse serves a nice mix of pastries and lunch items as well, complete with a lively atmosphere of eclectic decor and jazz music.

In the evening hours, Roppongi sets the standard as one of La Jolla's most notable trend-setting storefronts, offering a cutting edge menu of Asian fusion meals. Other favorite Asian restaurants include Yen's Wok On Pearl and Royal Thai Cuisine. For something less exotic but perhaps more relaxed, stop at The Spot. Serving steak and ribs, this establishment draws a huge thirty-something crowd on weekends. If you like your meaty dinners preceded by a serving of chips and salsa, look no further than Su Casa, home to everyone's traditional south-of-the-border favorites.

Shoreline Although La Jolla Village boasts the city's most trendy eateries, dining along La Jolla Cove is a memorable experience for travelers of every stripe. Several restaurants line the cove, each offering spectacular views of the Pacific. Trattoria Acqua offers gazebo dining, with modern pizza and pasta entrees. George's At The Cove and the Crab Catcher, both perched on the cliff above the water, feature splendid views from their respective terrace-dining facilities (as well as fresh seafood entrees).

When you tire of old seafood standbys, Azul La Jolla's brand of Mediterranean cuisine might fit the bill—and with yet another breath-taking view of the ocean. Perhaps the most sophisticated venue along the shoreline is Top of the Cove, where contemporary French cuisine, live piano music and elegant decor attract the most discriminating of La Jolla locals.

For something a tad cozier, grab a table by the fireplace or out on the front patio at Cody's, a neighborhood favorite whose simple charm does not detract from the elegance of its cuisine. Finally, if you've had a long and active day and crave nothing more than a big gut-busting burrito, pop into Alfonso's, a classic Mexican restaurant well-known for its icy-cold margaritas and grill-fresh carne asada.