Dining

Indulge in Velvet Garlic Soup at Soleil @ K and fresh oysters from New Zealand to Nova Scotia at Oceanaire Seafood Room. For some hands-on action, the Gaslamp Strip Club puts you behind the grill. For those who'd rather leave the cooking up to the professionals, Monsoon serves traditional Indian cuisine, and hush-hush Confidential serves delicious tapas.

More restaurants:

Laurel
Address: 505 Laurel Street, San Diego, CA 92101
Laurel Restaurant promises a stunning dining experience. The luxurious menu presents a contemporary twist on traditional French and Mediterranean fare, delightfully intertwining flavors and textures. Delicate combinations of unique ingredients prevail, with everything from butternut squash baklava to tangerine champagne appearing on the menu. Main courses range from creative takes on the classic to truly unusual dishes, with elk, rabbit, and venison each making an appearance. For the truly adventurous table, Laurel offers a seven course tasting menu with wine pairings; for those in a hurry, there is a three course pre-theater prix fixe and a complimentary shuttle to the theater.

The Fleetwood
Address: 639 J Street, San Diego, CA 92101
The Fleetwood sets itself apart from its Downtown neighbors. The modern, versatile space is part restaurant, part nightclub, and part sports lounge, with a menu to suit all occasions. Chef Mark Bolton marries classic comfort food with premium ingredients, offering a menu that runs the gamut from down-home comfort to gourmet elegance— you’ll find fried chicken with mashed potatoes and creamed corn next to grilled filet mignon with chanterelle mushrooms. The large, luxurious corner space offers an array of seating options, including communal tables, traditional banquettes, and lounge-style seating for happy hour or late night noshing. With an extensive bar that includes bottle service and a separate sports room that morphs into a posh, late-night lounge, be careful—you may come for dinner and end up staying all night.

Greystone the Steakhouse
Address: 658 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
Located in downtown’s old Bijou Theatre, Greystone the Steakhouse shows the American infatuation with beef at its finest, with USDA prime-aged meats in the leading role. Many stars play alongside the gourmet steak specialties, with rival roles filled by fresh seafood dishes and pastas that hearken to American, European, and Pacific Rim influences, but with a twist. An award-winning wine list and deliciously naughty desserts complete the final acts and will leave you wanting an encore. The curtain rises nightly for dinner, and Greystone’s elegant dining room can be reserved for banquets as well as smaller groups.

Donovan's of Downtown
Address: 570 K Street, San Diego, CA 92101
Following the success of its flagship La Jolla location, Donovan’s has opened a new outpost downtown. Now the renowned service, quality, and setting that put Donovan’s of La Jolla on the map can be found just steps away from the convention center, the ballpark, and the Gaslamp Quarter. As with its La Jolla counterpart, the menu showcases a variety of cuts of succulent USDA Prime steak, while offering a variety of other options such as Australian rack of lamb and North Atlantic Salmon. Appetizers and salads offer to tantalize the palate before the main course, while potatoes and vegetables—always complimentary—accompany each entrée.

Cafe Sevilla
Address: 555 4th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
Cafe Sevilla provides authentic Spanish tapas and fine cuisine combined with gorgeous décor and a casual, relaxed ambiance. Three different dinner shows showcase the passion and romance of authentic Flamenco, Tango or Salsa dancing. Live Flamenco and Rumba guitarists perform every night in the Tapas Bar.

Bertrand at Mister A's
Address: 2550 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103
Impeccable service, excellent cuisine, and an extensive wine list are to be expected at any Bertrand Hug establishment and Bertrand at Mr. A’s lives up to the highest of expectations. Perched atop a skyscraper on the brink of downtown, the restaurant offers one of the most outstanding dining experiences in San Diego. Modern American cuisine elegantly compliments the cosmopolitan backdrop, with a menu that offers awe-inspiring “glimpses” of both land and sea. The seasonal menu incorporates the utmost quality meats, fish, and accompaniments, resulting in a fresh and tantalizing selection of dishes. The main dining room offers a premier dining experience, while a more casual, although no less sumptuous, selection of dishes is available in the patio and bar.

Osetra - The Fish House
Address: 904 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
For seafood and wine lovers, Osetra is like heaven, complete with “Wine Angels” who fly to retrieve your fine wine selection from their extraordinary three-story collection. The restaurant’s eclectic split-story design features an impressive Oyster Bar with a large and rotating choice of briny delights and an Ice Bar with an extensive collection of vodkas, providing both gustatory and visual enjoyment in the lounge-like first floor and the fine dining area above. Osetra offers fresh seafood, steak, pasta, and exceptional service for all occasions, from intimate happy hour pairings to banquets.

Trattoria La Strada
Address: 702 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
La Strada’s prime location at the crossing of Fifth Avenue and G Street makes it a place to see and be seen, with patio dining and walls of windows facing the hippest corner in the Gaslamp. A warm interior suggestive of an Italian villa extends to an open kitchen where Master Chef Roberto Bernardoni prepares the Tuscan specialties that put La Strada in the top ten of Italian restaurants in the U.S. Add to that an excellent selection of Italian wines, moderate prices, and an enthusiastic staff, and it’s easy to see why La Strada is booked daily.

De Medici
Address: 815 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
Step into de’Medici in downtown San Diego and you will immediately sense a welcoming ambience reminiscent of old world Italy. Renaissance décor adorns the walls above plush, inviting seating, while gentle music fills the air. The impressive menu allows you to imagine yourself worlds away, as de’Medici boasts one of the most extensive selections of authentic Northern and Southern Italian cuisine in San Diego. Whether selecting one of Chef Ricardo Macias’s seafood specialties, rich pasta dishes, or aged prime steaks, a deliciously authentic meal and delightfully memorable experience awaits.

Candelas
Address: 416 3rd Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
Candelas offers a delightfully inspired menu, with an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients, innovative cooking techniques, and flavorful combinations. The sophisticated dishes have roots in Central Mexican cuisine, yet Chef Eduardo Baeza strays from the traditional in innovative ways. He skillfully pairs authentic Mexican ingredients with surprising counterparts, resulting in a creative menu that is sure to delight taste buds in surprising new ways. The atmosphere mirrors the menu, placing patrons in a warm and creative space both rooted in authenticity and inspired to depart from it.

Blue Point
Address: 565 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
Blue Point was the first seafood and oyster bar to open in the Gaslamp over a decade ago, and it remains one of the very best. Executive Chef Jonathan Hale pays special attention to interpreting seafood classics in fresh ways that delight all the senses. Specialties extend to a selection of steak and chops, so that both the menu and interior call to mind an old fashioned supper club with nautical flair. A striking and impressively well-stocked antique bar completes the relaxed elegance that keeps Blue Point on the Gaslamp’s favored list.

The Palm - San Diego
Address: 615 J St, San Diego, CA 92101
While just a few blocks shy of the Gaslamp District in San Diego, The Palm seems worlds apart from other restaurants. For one thing, it is steeped in tradition, as part of the oldest family-owned “white tablecloth” restaurant groups in the country. For another, the service is extraordinary and welcoming, making guests feel as if they are dining in the home of a good friend. Then there’s the menu, with a famous array of USDA Prime Steaks as well as fresh fish and seafood, classic Italian specialties, and oversized family-style sides meant for sharing. Dine here just once and you’re bound to return.