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the best pokes on the planet in an Atomic Age car dealership—remains the one to beat. The gravity in Little Italy still leans toward Born & Raised, where F. Scott Fitzgerald meets rap culture, a maximalist revolt against old steakhouse tropes and warehouse minimalism. And, finally, this year has to be Addison’s. They hauled in their third Michelin star, making them one of only 14 restaurants in the country to hold that esteem. No matter your feelings about the tire company, chef William Bradley put San Diego on a mythological culinary map. People who travel the world for food will come here—and, in the process, discover tiny charms like Muzita Abyssinian Bistro or Wolf in the Woods. This is the 2023 Best Restaurants list. Not the ultimate list. Just mine. A notebook scribbled in
he devil is in the details—and so is the revel. This year’s “Top Five” is a chronicle of obsession. When Callie chef and San Diego native Travis Swikard learns local boats have fresh spot prawns, he drives to Scripps Oceanographic Institute, secures optimal seawater, and keeps the prawns swimming in his kitchen until dinner service. On the other side of downtown, fellow hometowner
Tara Monsod and her three main chefs at the heavy- draped, softly opulent Animae are Filipina—a major local culture represented at the height of San Diego restaurant life. In Mission Hills, truckfuls of American red oak are stacked and set aflame at Fort Oak. Live-fire chef Brad Wise is among the city’s most active and ascendant talents, and his surf-and-turf haven— charred bones with one of
and adjusted and fine-tuned all year—my 16 th year of eating the city, obsessing over its details. –Troy Johnson
Follow along with SDM 's edit team as we explore our 12 favorite restaurant experiences this month!
ADDISON
75 SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE
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