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A fancy dessert. — A dessert course at Jeune et Jolie.

20 San Diego Restaurants With Tempting Tasting Menus

Trusting your meal to the expertise of talented chefs can lead to thrilling food adventures

by Helen I. Hwang Apr 5, 2023, 11:08am PDT

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A dessert course at Jeune et Jolie.

| Elodie Bost

by Helen I. Hwang Apr 5, 2023, 11:08am PDT

In recent years, tasting menus have proliferated throughout San Diego’s food scene, either as a way to sample a restaurant’s best dishes or as the main centerpiece of the dining experience. Tasting menus provide chefs with ways to exercise their creativity, changing things up with seasonal ingredients or playing with thematic elements, and encourages diners to put their trust in the kitchen.

With options for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, this curated list also includes some multi-course menus inspired by Japanese omakase. For more tasting menus dedicated to the art of Japanese cuisine, see our essential sushi map.

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Valle

Chef Roberto Alcocer of Malva in the Guadalupe Valley transports his cuisine stateside, showcasing his approach to Baja and Californian ingredients in a four or eight course tasting menus, with optional wine pairings that spotlight Baja’s wine region.

Open in Google Maps

222 N Pacific St, Oceanside, CA 92054

Visit Website

A colorful painting of the Valle de Guadalupe hangs above dining tables at Valle restaurant.

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Seek Out These Outdoor Dining Spots in San Diego

Matsu

The modern Japanese restaurant in Oceanside has been making a splash with its 10-course omakase that includes more than just typical sashimi. Currently, you can find clarified turnip chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), koji duck, and black cod with curry imo mochi (Hokkaido-style potato cake). There’s also an optional A5 Wagyu supplement if you’re in the mood.

Open in Google Maps

626 S Tremont St, Oceanside, CA 92054

Visit Website

Three tables with dining chairs around them and the bar inside Matsu. — Dining room.

Also featured in:

The Hottest Restaurants in San Diego, June 2023

Jeune et Jolie

The Michelin-starred nouvelle French restaurant features a nightly four-course tasting menu with from chef Eric Bost with an optional, but recommended, wine pairing. Before beginning your meal, consider a traditional spoon-and-sugar cube drip from the customized absinthe fountain. For each course, guests can choose from options that might include leeks and black truffle, rabbit with rhubarb, or a chocolate dessert with pink peppercorns.

Open in Google Maps

2659 State St Suite 102, Carlsbad, CA 92008

Visit Website

A fancy dessert. — A dessert course at Jeune et Jolie.

Also featured in:

VUE

Chef John Beriker runs a playful experimental test kitchen series in his Omni La Costa restaurant in which patrons sample new flavors through six to eight dishes and share their thoughts with the chef. The crowd-sourced recipes then have a shot at becoming permanent plates on future menus. The family-style dining experience is limited to ten guests per event.

Open in Google Maps

2100 Costa Del Mar Rd, Carlsbad, CA 92009

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Omni La Costa Resort & Spa (@omnilacosta)

VAGA Restaurant & Bar

Chef Claudette Zepeda brings her visionary spark to a new Elements of Nature Dinner Series once a quarter. Though she’s stepped away as executive chef, she remains as culinary director at VAGA. The five-course dinner menu celebrates ancestral cooking methods and encompasses mystic symbolism in each dish in surprisingly unexpected ways. A welcome cocktail and nice wine pairings complement the dishes. In June, September, and December, the Encinitas restaurant will host dinners themed around earth, air, and water.

Open in Google Maps

2100 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

Visit Website

Dining room.

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AVANT Restaurant

With ingredients collected from the expansive chef’s garden on the grounds of Rancho Bernardo Inn, chef de cuisine Sergio Jimenez recently launched a Garden to Glass series—quarterly tasting menus paired with Proximo Spirits concoctions from master mixologist Jason Sorge. The evening experience can also involve a meander in the chef’s garden and the greenery of the North County sprawling resort.

Open in Google Maps

17550 Bernardo Oaks Dr, San Diego, CA 92128

Visit Website

dining room — Dining room

Also featured in:

Where to Eat in San Diego on New Year’s Eve

MARKET Restaurant + Bar

This Del Mar restaurant’s dinner offering is exclusively a three-course menu designed by chef Carl Schroeder, priced at $79 per person but guests can opt for the bar’s sushi menu if they’re looking for a la carte options. Tasting menu choices include tempura day boat shrimp to beet and sugar snap pea salad and cabernet-braised short ribs.

3702 Via De La Valle, Del Mar, CA 92014

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Market Restaurant & Bar (@marketdelmar)

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Addison Restaurant

The region’s first and only three-star Michelin restaurant has a nine-course tasting menu that’s helped put San Diego on the fine-dining map. Chef William Bradley loves to change things up with season’s bounty; recent dishes include asparagus with carrots, crème fraiche and caviar and a refreshing mangonada for the pre-dessert course.

Open in Google Maps

5200 Grand Del Mar Way, San Diego, CA 92130

Visit Website

One of nine courses on the tasting menu at Addison Restaurant.

Also featured in:

A.R. Valentien

Don’t miss the restaurant’s monthly wine dinners, multi-course meals shared family-style that showcase special seasonal dishes from executive chef Kelli Crosson and crew paired with a succession of wines from outstanding vintners.

11480 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

An outdoor deck at a restaurant. — The outdoor deck.

Also featured in:

The WineSellar & Brasserie

The brasserie and wine shop in Sorrento Valley frequently hosts wine dinners with thoughtful three-course dinners plus dessert, accompanied by wines from visiting vintners or pairing focused on particular regions like the Pacific Northwest or Bordeaux. Plates range from chicken pasta pomodoro to pomegranate panna cotta with fresh mint.

9550 Waples St #115, San Diego, CA 92121

Visit Website

Steak and veggies on a plate with wine in background. — Steak and vegetable dish.

Also featured in:

NINE-TEN Restaurant & Bar

Chef Jason Knibb focuses on hyperlocal ingredients for his farm-to-table concept at the La Jolla Michelin-recognized restaurant. The six-course “Mercy of the Chef” tasting menu is available Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for $120 per person and a $190 per person optional wine pairing.

910 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

Nine-Ten Restaurant and Bar — Dining area.

Also featured in:

Ambrogio by Acquerello

The Michelin-recognized team offers two tasting menus on a nightly basis: a meat and seafood option and a vegetarian option. There will be some overlap, such as the parmigiano e menta (linguini served with 24-month-aged parmesan). The branzino alla ligure (seabass with taggiasca olives) appears on the regular menu while the emphasis on seasonal produce is showcased in the alternative menu.

Open in Google Maps

7556 Fay Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

Branzino alla ligure.

Also featured in:

Cardellino

The Tuscan Experience from chef Brad Wise takes you on an armchair food tour throughout the region via a four-course tasting menu that focuses on bistecca Fiorentina, a traditional Florentine steak, a specific cut from a particular breed of cattle. The rest of the courses are rotated, but will likely include pasta, like spicy rigatoni, and Italian desserts, like Tiramisu cheesecake.

Open in Google Maps

4033 Goldfinch St, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

Bistecca Fiorentina and pasta dish from the Tuscan Experience — Bistecca Fiorentina and pasta dish from the Tuscan Experience.

Also featured in:

Kinme Omakase

This immersive omakase experience relishes each and every part of the kaiseki meal. From hand grating horseradish against shark skin to make wasabi to showcasing the fresh fish from the Toyosu fish market in Tokyo, each course is thoughtfully prepared. The Bankers Hill restaurant only has 10 seats at the sushi bar and two seatings at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. from Wednesday through Sunday so it’s best to get a jump on a reservation.

Open in Google Maps

2505 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

A chef plates sashimi. — Chef plate of sashimi at Kinme Omakase.

Also featured in:

The Hottest Restaurants in San Diego, June 2023

ARTIFACT at Mingei

Once a month, ARTIFACT, the anchor restaurant for the Mingei International Museum, transforms itself to focus on one region for a four-course dinner, served family style. On April 20, chefs Jeff Armstrong and Tony Coito will be exploring Argentinian cuisine, the West Indies on May 25 and East Africa on June 15. Reservations are highly recommended.

Open in Google Maps

1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Array of dishes from ARTIFACT’s tasting menu.

Also featured in:

Juniper & Ivy

Chef Anthony Wells recently launched a family-style Sunday Supper Club with dishes that rotate every month, taking care to spotlight local fishermen, farmers, and fermenters as he incorporates their specialties into the menu. The three-course casual communal dinner is $65 per person with optional cocktail and wine pairings.

2228 Kettner Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Dessert dish as part of the Sunday Supper Club — Dessert dish as part of the Sunday Supper Club.

Also featured in:

Callie

Eater’s 2022 chef of the year Travis Swikard (DANIEL, Café Boulud) hosts a Mediterranean Feast for $70 per person, which can be modified for gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan guests. The five-course family-style adventure encompasses some of the menu’s most-popular dishes but might also include surprise specials inspired by his fishermen and farmers.

Open in Google Maps

1195 Island Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

A plate of pasta with bread and a glass of wine. — Burrata agnolini dish at Callie.

Also featured in:

Huntress

The Gaslamp restaurant is offering a daily five-course tasting menu with optional whiskey and wine pairings with dishes like lobster curry soup and A5 Satsuma Wagyu (with an option to dress the steak up with black truffle for $44) on the docket. Plans to create a nine-course tasting menu with innovative new dinnerware are being developed to launch in late spring/summer.

Open in Google Maps

376 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Small dishes from the tasting menu.

Also featured in:

Lumi

Michelin-starred chef Akira Back recently expanded his weekend omakase to a daily seven-course tasting menu with a wide array of signature dishes. In addition to sushi samplings, popular entrees make appearances, including the dry-aged ribeye and Akira Back pizza with tuna and truffle oil. Add on a drink pairing for $55 to the $155 per person omakase.

Open in Google Maps

366 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Akira Bach pizza — Akira Bach pizza.

Also featured in:

Stake Chophouse & Bar

The Stake Experience in Coronado walks guests through a five-course tasting menu with favorites and unique dishes mixed in. Guests will find seafood and steak plates featured in the food flight from chef Matt Sramek. Options to go vegetarian or vegan are available as well.

1309 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118

Visit Website

Tasting menu dishes.

Also featured in:

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Valle

222 N Pacific St, Oceanside, CA 92054

Chef Roberto Alcocer of Malva in the Guadalupe Valley transports his cuisine stateside, showcasing his approach to Baja and Californian ingredients in a four or eight course tasting menus, with optional wine pairings that spotlight Baja’s wine region.

Open in Google Maps

222 N Pacific St, Oceanside, CA 92054

Visit Website

A colorful painting of the Valle de Guadalupe hangs above dining tables at Valle restaurant.

Matsu

626 S Tremont St, Oceanside, CA 92054

The modern Japanese restaurant in Oceanside has been making a splash with its 10-course omakase that includes more than just typical sashimi. Currently, you can find clarified turnip chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), koji duck, and black cod with curry imo mochi (Hokkaido-style potato cake). There’s also an optional A5 Wagyu supplement if you’re in the mood.

Open in Google Maps

626 S Tremont St, Oceanside, CA 92054

Visit Website

Three tables with dining chairs around them and the bar inside Matsu. — Dining room.

Jeune et Jolie

2659 State St Suite 102, Carlsbad, CA 92008

The Michelin-starred nouvelle French restaurant features a nightly four-course tasting menu with from chef Eric Bost with an optional, but recommended, wine pairing. Before beginning your meal, consider a traditional spoon-and-sugar cube drip from the customized absinthe fountain. For each course, guests can choose from options that might include leeks and black truffle, rabbit with rhubarb, or a chocolate dessert with pink peppercorns.

Open in Google Maps

2659 State St Suite 102, Carlsbad, CA 92008

Visit Website

A fancy dessert. — A dessert course at Jeune et Jolie.

VUE

2100 Costa Del Mar Rd, Carlsbad, CA 92009

Chef John Beriker runs a playful experimental test kitchen series in his Omni La Costa restaurant in which patrons sample new flavors through six to eight dishes and share their thoughts with the chef. The crowd-sourced recipes then have a shot at becoming permanent plates on future menus. The family-style dining experience is limited to ten guests per event.

Open in Google Maps

2100 Costa Del Mar Rd, Carlsbad, CA 92009

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Omni La Costa Resort & Spa (@omnilacosta)

VAGA Restaurant & Bar

2100 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

Chef Claudette Zepeda brings her visionary spark to a new Elements of Nature Dinner Series once a quarter. Though she’s stepped away as executive chef, she remains as culinary director at VAGA. The five-course dinner menu celebrates ancestral cooking methods and encompasses mystic symbolism in each dish in surprisingly unexpected ways. A welcome cocktail and nice wine pairings complement the dishes. In June, September, and December, the Encinitas restaurant will host dinners themed around earth, air, and water.

Open in Google Maps

2100 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

Visit Website

Dining room.

AVANT Restaurant

17550 Bernardo Oaks Dr, San Diego, CA 92128

With ingredients collected from the expansive chef’s garden on the grounds of Rancho Bernardo Inn, chef de cuisine Sergio Jimenez recently launched a Garden to Glass series—quarterly tasting menus paired with Proximo Spirits concoctions from master mixologist Jason Sorge. The evening experience can also involve a meander in the chef’s garden and the greenery of the North County sprawling resort.

Open in Google Maps

17550 Bernardo Oaks Dr, San Diego, CA 92128

Visit Website

dining room — Dining room

MARKET Restaurant + Bar

3702 Via De La Valle, Del Mar, CA 92014

This Del Mar restaurant’s dinner offering is exclusively a three-course menu designed by chef Carl Schroeder, priced at $79 per person but guests can opt for the bar’s sushi menu if they’re looking for a la carte options. Tasting menu choices include tempura day boat shrimp to beet and sugar snap pea salad and cabernet-braised short ribs.

3702 Via De La Valle, Del Mar, CA 92014

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Market Restaurant & Bar (@marketdelmar)

Addison Restaurant

5200 Grand Del Mar Way, San Diego, CA 92130

The region’s first and only three-star Michelin restaurant has a nine-course tasting menu that’s helped put San Diego on the fine-dining map. Chef William Bradley loves to change things up with season’s bounty; recent dishes include asparagus with carrots, crème fraiche and caviar and a refreshing mangonada for the pre-dessert course.

Open in Google Maps

5200 Grand Del Mar Way, San Diego, CA 92130

Visit Website

One of nine courses on the tasting menu at Addison Restaurant.

A.R. Valentien

11480 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037

Don’t miss the restaurant’s monthly wine dinners, multi-course meals shared family-style that showcase special seasonal dishes from executive chef Kelli Crosson and crew paired with a succession of wines from outstanding vintners.

11480 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

An outdoor deck at a restaurant. — The outdoor deck.

The WineSellar & Brasserie

9550 Waples St #115, San Diego, CA 92121

The brasserie and wine shop in Sorrento Valley frequently hosts wine dinners with thoughtful three-course dinners plus dessert, accompanied by wines from visiting vintners or pairing focused on particular regions like the Pacific Northwest or Bordeaux. Plates range from chicken pasta pomodoro to pomegranate panna cotta with fresh mint.

9550 Waples St #115, San Diego, CA 92121

Visit Website

Steak and veggies on a plate with wine in background. — Steak and vegetable dish.

NINE-TEN Restaurant & Bar

910 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037

Chef Jason Knibb focuses on hyperlocal ingredients for his farm-to-table concept at the La Jolla Michelin-recognized restaurant. The six-course “Mercy of the Chef” tasting menu is available Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for $120 per person and a $190 per person optional wine pairing.

910 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

Nine-Ten Restaurant and Bar — Dining area.

Ambrogio by Acquerello

7556 Fay Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037

The Michelin-recognized team offers two tasting menus on a nightly basis: a meat and seafood option and a vegetarian option. There will be some overlap, such as the parmigiano e menta (linguini served with 24-month-aged parmesan). The branzino alla ligure (seabass with taggiasca olives) appears on the regular menu while the emphasis on seasonal produce is showcased in the alternative menu.

Open in Google Maps

7556 Fay Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

Branzino alla ligure.

Cardellino

4033 Goldfinch St, San Diego, CA 92103

The Tuscan Experience from chef Brad Wise takes you on an armchair food tour throughout the region via a four-course tasting menu that focuses on bistecca Fiorentina, a traditional Florentine steak, a specific cut from a particular breed of cattle. The rest of the courses are rotated, but will likely include pasta, like spicy rigatoni, and Italian desserts, like Tiramisu cheesecake.

Open in Google Maps

4033 Goldfinch St, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

Bistecca Fiorentina and pasta dish from the Tuscan Experience — Bistecca Fiorentina and pasta dish from the Tuscan Experience.

Kinme Omakase

2505 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103

This immersive omakase experience relishes each and every part of the kaiseki meal. From hand grating horseradish against shark skin to make wasabi to showcasing the fresh fish from the Toyosu fish market in Tokyo, each course is thoughtfully prepared. The Bankers Hill restaurant only has 10 seats at the sushi bar and two seatings at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. from Wednesday through Sunday so it’s best to get a jump on a reservation.

Open in Google Maps

2505 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

A chef plates sashimi. — Chef plate of sashimi at Kinme Omakase.

ARTIFACT at Mingei

1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101

Once a month, ARTIFACT, the anchor restaurant for the Mingei International Museum, transforms itself to focus on one region for a four-course dinner, served family style. On April 20, chefs Jeff Armstrong and Tony Coito will be exploring Argentinian cuisine, the West Indies on May 25 and East Africa on June 15. Reservations are highly recommended.

Open in Google Maps

1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Array of dishes from ARTIFACT’s tasting menu.

Related Maps

Juniper & Ivy

2228 Kettner Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101

Chef Anthony Wells recently launched a family-style Sunday Supper Club with dishes that rotate every month, taking care to spotlight local fishermen, farmers, and fermenters as he incorporates their specialties into the menu. The three-course casual communal dinner is $65 per person with optional cocktail and wine pairings.

2228 Kettner Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Dessert dish as part of the Sunday Supper Club — Dessert dish as part of the Sunday Supper Club.

Callie

1195 Island Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Eater’s 2022 chef of the year Travis Swikard (DANIEL, Café Boulud) hosts a Mediterranean Feast for $70 per person, which can be modified for gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan guests. The five-course family-style adventure encompasses some of the menu’s most-popular dishes but might also include surprise specials inspired by his fishermen and farmers.

Open in Google Maps

1195 Island Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

A plate of pasta with bread and a glass of wine. — Burrata agnolini dish at Callie.

Huntress

376 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

The Gaslamp restaurant is offering a daily five-course tasting menu with optional whiskey and wine pairings with dishes like lobster curry soup and A5 Satsuma Wagyu (with an option to dress the steak up with black truffle for $44) on the docket. Plans to create a nine-course tasting menu with innovative new dinnerware are being developed to launch in late spring/summer.

Open in Google Maps

376 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website