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 Coronado to Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown and Encinitas / Del Mar. 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.
Greystone Prime Steakhouse & Seafood
4.3(13)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$$
Nobu San Diego
4.3(8)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$$
Glass Box
4.3(8)Del Mar / Solana Beach · $$$$
VAGA
4.3(4)Encinitas / Del Mar · $$$
Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine
4.3(4)Little Italy / Middletown · $$$$
Barbarella Restaurant & Bar
4.2(26)La Jolla · $$$
AVANT
4.2(26)$$$$
Quixote
4.2(23)Hillcrest / Bankers Hill · $$$$
Lala
4.2(22)Little Italy / Middletown · $$$
Serea
4.1(17)Coronado · $$$
Peohe’s
4.1(8)Coronado · $$$
Lilian’s
4.1(8)$$$
Roppongi Restaurant & Lounge
4.0(25)La Jolla · $$$
Il Sogno Italiano
4.0(17)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$
Nighthawk
4.0(5)Coronado · $$$
Old Hickory Steakhouse
3.8(11)$$$$
Humphreys
Shelter Island / Harbor Island · $$$
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 Greystone Prime Steakhouse & Seafood in Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown, rated 4.3 out of 5. Nobu San Diego and Glass Box round out the top 3.
- Which San Diego neighborhoods have the best special-occasion restaurants?
- Coronado (6), Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown (5) and Encinitas / Del Mar (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.