Oh truly a top competitor for best bakery in San Diego!! I…read morevisited on a Thursday morning right at 8 to grab breakfast for my coworkers. there was already a line forming!!! So get there early. Service is great, they don't rush you at all. All of the pastries are laid out for whatever you want them to grab. I got regular croissants, chocolate croissants, and their seasonal raspberry croissant. I personally only had the raspberry one but my coworkers LOVED the others! I also got an iced vanilla latte and it was DELICIOUS - very bold and strong! I would definitely visit again.

I've had Relic Bakery on my radar for a while, and signed up to be notified when they do their…read more"drops". When I saw one that worked with my schedule, I clicked in to see what they had to offer. Prices are quite high, $7-9 per pastry on average, and they had a good mix of sweet and savory, classic and unique flavors. I ordered three pastries: charcuterie danish, Kenyan chicken stew croissant, and lamb rillette spiral croissant. There was a fast turnaround for pickup, as I could only select dates from the next day. Their kitchen is located in a more commercial part of Mira Mesa, and parking was easy. When I walked in, I was a bit confused by the setup, as I stepped straight into a room full of baking supplies. I located the cabinet with pickups and grabbed my goodies. Very quick in and out. Overall, the pastry dough itself was fantastic across all three pastries. I air fried my pastries to warm them up before sampling them. My least favorite was the charcuterie pastry. The cured meat on top was very tough, possibly from being over-baked. I didn't really like how it paired with the apricot on top. Additionally, the top layer of the pastry was adhered to the toppings, and came off when I tried to cut or bite into it. The cheese rosette on top was cute but didn't add much to the flavor for me. The Kenyan chicken stew and lamb croissants were absolutely stunning. Both were not soggy and suuuuper flavorful. The ground lamb was tender and buttery, Since it is rolled throughout the croissant, you get some in each bite, the distribution is perfect. The Kenyan chicken stew is bold and spiced. There is a good amount of stew in the croissant cup, and the chicken was not tough. Paired with the buttery pastry, this was incredible. Overall, I enjoyed the pastries I ordered at Relic! They are incredibly pricy, and definitely an occasional treat, but worth it in my opinion.

Dropped in on CBB for Juneteenth and my goodness did they live up to the hype. Place was packed as…read morecould be due to the holiday and it took probably 50 minutes longer to get the order than the online estimate, but when I tell you that that food absolutely SMACKED and I would do it again, there is not a lie to be found. The staff was very gracious in the face of the huge crowd and a mountain of orders. The location is spacious with plenty of room to line up and tables to sit and eat or wait on orders. The parking was easy too which was a bonus. For food we got two orders of the big greedy with yams, greens, baked beans and the new mushroom rice. I will stress that everything was excellent and we would get this exact order again, but a few particular standouts were 1) Fried Catfish. Our favorite protein by far. It was deliciously seasoned, perfectly fried, and succulently tender, 2) Candied Yams. They were sweet, tender and nicely balanced, 3) Mushroom Parmesan Rice. We only tried this because so many of the other sides were sold out and man are we glad we did. Our family tore this side up! The mushroom parm gravy was smooth and creamy with large chunks of mushroom. Definitely a great addition to the sides list. Our family can't wait to go back and try more of what CBB has to offer. So glad they've got a brick and mortar restaurant now!

The food was very good and came out fresh. The restaurant is clean and there are plenty of seats if…read moreyou want to dine in. They also have TVs in the dining area. The bathrooms were also very clean. They were out of Mac n cheese when we went but the wings, rice and gravy and cornbread were our favorites.

I freaking love this market, Sat & Sun only, 10-4…read more What did I want to do for Mother's Day? Lane Field market! Walk along the Embarcadero & get a freeze on a hot day, stop by Chilanga's (the best booth there) & get my huitlacoche on. Live music, shade, delicious vendors, right across from the water. I did have a little detour from Chilanga's - while I was waiting for my spouse to park, I sat at a shady table with a woman who was telling me about the poke truck (Island Mike's) & explaining that her coworker ran it as a side hustle, and that the poke was delicious because he had lived in Hawaii. I agonized a bit - get my Chilanga's huitlacoche huarache - or try the poke? I eventually decided: it's Mother's Day, you can have ALL the things, just like at a buffet! So I went to Island Mike's first. They advertised Broke Da Mouth poke - and I was a little suspicious at first - cuz Island Mike's didn't look like a Hawaii native but a mainlander who spent some time there. BUT... I got my poke "island style" (furikake, sushi rice, and the poke - not lots of distractions like seaweed salad or ginger like in the "mainland style") - and it really was off the hook. Really fresh & delicious and perfectly made. YUM & YUM. $12 for one scoop (the smaller size) & very worth it. Of course I still needed my Chilanga's so then I got the huitlacoche huarache (a vegetarian taste of heaven - shredded lettuce, huitlacoche, Mexican cheese on a huarache (masa dough) & tried the mango passion fruit agua fresca. The huarache is huge and I'd already had the little poke, so I took most of it home to eat later. But it was just as yummy as I remembered. And the agua fresca is amazing. I'll still crave Chilanga's but now I'll crave Island Mike's too. I need to get down here more often because it is a super fun outing that is too good to waste on tourists!

This was walking distance from Hotel Republic just past the Santa Fe Depot so before we started our…read moretrek back to OC 2 weekends ago, we decided to check out some of the vendors at Lane Field Park Market. There was live music and aa few food stalls. Good Eatz (filipino/hawaiian fusion) caught my eye mainly because they have a few Ube pastries (mochi, ube bar, etc). I first ordered the ube bar which passed the test so I went back to order the mochi. They also offer lumpia, spam musubi and chicken wing combo plates and pork dumplings.

It was delicious! The lomo saltado was so delicious I stopped talking to just eat. The aji verde…read morewas so so SO good it was so perfect with the rest of the things in my dish... Wedge fries is definitely the way to go the extra surface area soaked up so much sauce the entire dish was super yummy!!! Also the chicha morada was super refreshing, I've never had it before but I'd definitely try it again. Will be coming back with my brother in tow to eat again!!! Also also our server was super nice and he was the one who suggested the wedge fries. Sensational.

Ambiance is wonderful, pretty decor and spacious but full of plants in pots and hanging from the…read moreceiling. Service was fine, food arrived quickly and Bella, our waitress, was very friendly. I ordered the Ropa Vieja which was delicious, and I got the chicha morada that had a wide variety of flavor in one sip. It would be nice to see a few more things on the menu, but regardless would recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys Latin American fare and a culture-induced vibe!

Pop-up Christmas bars are all about aesthetics! And this spot had it all...located at Parq…read morenightclub, this place was transformed into a winter wonderland! Perfect for the holiday season. Santa's Lair is an immersive, over-the-top holiday bar that serves up some of the best festive cocktails around San Diego. Service was on point! Considering how packed it was inside. But with its elaborate decorations, holiday music, and over the top photo backdrops, this place truly embraces the holiday spirit. The evening concluded with a souvenir holiday cup- very cool! It's all about the details! Santa's Lair definitely lived up to its height! We can't wait for next year. My only critique would be a better location- downtown is a mess and there's absolutely no parking without having to break the bank!

They did such a great job with so many photo opportunities and really decorating this place to…read morechange the atmosphere of a club basement. I had the whiskey drink that was so tasty and my friend had the sangria and she enjoyed that. They brought out s'mores which was so perfect and cute getting to roast marshmallows right at our table! The service was attentive to our table, but I think it could depend where you sit. It can be hard to find seating even though a reservation is needed. I would recommend checking this Christmas pop up bar out!

Where did you go. I wear my T-shirt and miss you every time and your amazing delicious flavors…read moreespecially right now that I'm looking for a caterer

Oh my, this was good. It was hiding just off the beaten path. Ordering inside was fast and the food…read morehit the table within just a few minutes. I had the mishmash burger, it was fantastic! The beef was juicy and flavorful. The crispy onions on top were a great addition. The fries were next level, salted perfectly. Great food, great service.

Takobar catered my wife's birthday party this past weekend. Jorge, Raphael and crew cooked,…read moreprepared, and served the food onsite for our 45 guests. You can tell that Jorge and Raphael are proud of the food they are serving. Our guests not only appreciated the delicious appetizers (quesadillas, elote cups and chips/guacamole) and mains of tacos, rice and beans, they enjoyed the service from these personable gentlemen. Several guests asked me, "Where did you find these guys?" I would not hesitate to have Takobar San Diego at our next event.

I have no idea what to think of this place…read more With all of the high praise I've seen in their reviews, including a number of Yelp Elites, I had very high hopes for a top experience from an established food truck. What I got was terrible on multiple levels. How was Takobar this disappointing? So, full disclosure on how my wife and I came across this place. Takobar was parked at my daughter's Multi-Cultual Festival, serving dinner, at Paloma Elementary in San Marcos. They were there selling entrees alongside a Hawaiian Ice and Sushi Burrito spots. My better half didn't want to risk getting raw fish from a food truck, so we opted for a Carne Asada Tacos Plate. Visually, our food was plated well and had a good spread. There was a good amount of food, plenty of beef, a side of chips and a cup of beans on the side. The onions and cilantro had a nice hand chop to them. And there was a healthy spoonful of guac on each taco. It was a very appealing start. As for taste, the carne asada itself was very dry, as if it had been cooked without any marinade, making the meat loose and crumbly. The cut of the beef was thin, I'm assuming they used slices of flank as opposed to a thicker skirt steak. And it had an overall feel like it had been cooked, then placed into a warmer to further dry out until it was served. The end result was somewhat bland, mealy, and unlike what Carne Asada really should taste and feel like. The Guacamole glopped on top was very thin, almost pureed, and didn't have any of the salt or lime flavors you'd expect from a good guac. I'm under the impression that what little avocado they had had been tossed into a blender and cut with a few cups of water to bulk up the volume to help it last through the entire evening of orders. At most, the best thing I could say was that it was 'somewhat' edible. The chips felt and tasted like they had come from a bag as opposed to being freshly cut and fried in the truck. And those refried beans. Growing up, I had been taught that there were three stages of cooking and serving refried beans. From the final stage of drier beans with scraped pan bits of Manteca concentrated flavor, all the way up to the initial stage of runnier beans where all of the ingredients have been blended together. The Takobar beans didn't even come close to that first stage and were more like a soup. The flavor was ... kind of okay, but I'm pretty sure they had also been mixed with a lot of water to help them go further that night. The thin and liquid end result was something I could easily do a shot of out of their plastic cup. So, yeah ... Takobar was pretty terrible. I am really hoping that this was an off-night, caused by the pressures of catering an entire school's worth of kids and parents. Or maybe a new cook working with too little behind the counter. Regardless, as it was, I have to believe that the bulk of these high marks from people with just a few reviews under their belts are from friends and family. Going to have to go the tastier route and brave the street sashimi next time. A very low two stars from me.

This was the absolute best brunch I've ever had. We collectively got the gluten-free French toast,…read morea breakfast bowl, and their house-made gluten-free bagel, and it was divine. We also took home some baked goods. It's so hard to find gluten-free French toast and baked goods that are actually good, and these were UNBELIEVABLE. You would never guess they were gluten-free. The vibe was cute and laid back and the service incredible. Despite the fact that it was very busy, the food came out really quickly. I will absolutely head back down to IB just to come here again. 10/10 recommend.

I tried their farmer's sandwich and chose a jalapeño cheddar bagel. On it was sausage, bacon, egg,…read morecream cheese and red onion, and it was awesome. The egg was perfect! They also have a young man who plays jazz piano there every Sunday, so the ambiance is pretty awesome along with the nice weather. Sometimes it can get windy so bring a sweater, but otherwise, it's usually a really nice day to hang out with friends and family. I also had a matcha ginger thyme latte with oat milk which was just tasty since ginger is a rare flavor in coffee drinks. I loved it, and it was so good that I took an extra one home. The service is amazing, and on busy days you may have to wait a bit, but it's worth it. If you have any questions about a dish, don't hesitate to ask!