Barbarella Restaurant & Bar

Blocks from the sand in La Jolla Shores, this bistro splits its dining room into smaller, moody spaces around a double-sided fireplace, with a patio and garden out front for al fresco seating. The kitchen crosses Italian dishes -- wood-fired pizza, house pasta -- with coastal seafood like oysters, Spanish octopus and lobster rolls, plus a weekend brunch built around dishes like smoked salmon benedict. Dogs get their own menu on the patio.