Best special-occasion restaurants for a date in San Diego
For the anniversary, the birthday, the big news.
74 spots · Jump to the list
For the anniversary, the birthday, the proposal. Every restaurant here sits at the top of the price range and treats dinner as the whole event. Book well ahead, mention what you're celebrating when you do, and plan for a longer meal than usual.
This guide ranks 74 special-occasion restaurants in San Diego, from Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown to Coronado and Balboa Park. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Jack & Giulio’s Italian Restaurant
4.2(17)Old Town · $$$
Water Grill San Diego
4.2(15)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$
Mr. A's
4.2(9)Hillcrest / Bankers Hill · $$$$
Crown Landing
4.1(22)Pacific Beach / Mission Beach · $$$
Provisional Kitchen
4.1(22)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$
Rei Do Gado
4.1(18)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$
Old Hickory Steakhouse
4.1(11)$$$$
STK San Diego
4.1(9)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$$
ARTIFACT
4.1(9)Balboa Park · $$$
The Prado at Balboa Park
4.1(8)Balboa Park · $$$
Greystone Prime Steakhouse & Seafood
4.0(13)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$$
Nobu San Diego
4.0(8)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$$
Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine
4.0(4)Little Italy / Middletown · $$$$
Quixote
3.9(23)Hillcrest / Bankers Hill · $$$$
Lala
3.9(22)Little Italy / Middletown · $$$
Roppongi Restaurant & Lounge
3.7(25)La Jolla · $$$
Humphreys
Shelter Island / Harbor Island · $$$
By The Sea
Coronado · $$$
The Baby Grand
Coronado · $$$
Veranda
Coronado · $$$
The Waverly
Encinitas / Del Mar · $$$
Kinme Omakase
Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$$
Zuma
Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$$
Piper
Oceanside / Carlsbad · $$$
Showing 49–72 of 74 spots
Good to know
- What's the best special-occasion restaurant in San Diego for a date?
- Our top pick is Jack & Giulio’s Italian Restaurant in Old Town, rated 4.2 out of 5. Water Grill San Diego and Mr. A's round out the top 3.
- Which San Diego neighborhoods have the best special-occasion restaurants?
- Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown (8), Coronado (3) and Balboa Park (2) have the most spots in the top 24.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a big night out: drinks first, then the big dinner, then something sweet. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.