Food History of San Diego

Key eras

1769, the Spanish mission era

Father Junipero Serra founded Mission San Diego de Alcala in 1769, the first of the California missions. Mission orchards introduced olives, citrus, grapes, wheat, almonds and pomegranates to the region. The Spanish-Mexican rancho food vocabulary (tortillas, beans, beef, citrus) became the foundation of San Diego cooking.

1890s onwards, the tuna capital era

Portuguese fishing families from the Azores settled Point Loma in the late 1800s, joined by Italian Sicilians in the early 1900s. Together they built San Diego's tuna fleet; by 1936 the city was known as Tunaville with nine canneries. Anthony's Fish Grotto, opened 1946 by Catherine 'Mama' Ghio, became the canonical Italian-American seafood room.

1970s, the fish taco arrives

Ralph Rubio first encountered the Baja California fish taco on a 1974 spring-break trip to San Felipe; in 1983 he opened the original Rubio's at Mission Bay. The walk-up taco stand grew into a 190-restaurant chain across the western US and put the San Diego fish taco on the national map.

1980s, the California burrito is invented

The California burrito (carne asada with french fries inside) was invented in San Diego in the 1980s. Roberto's Taco Shop's sister location Lolita's in Bonita claims it, with the family naming nephew Robledo, while Santana's at 411 Broadway in El Cajon also claims the invention. Either way the dish is San Diego's national contribution.

1990s, the craft beer city

Karl Strauss Brewing opened downtown in 1989; AleSmith, Stone Brewing, Ballast Point, Green Flash and Modern Times followed through the 1990s and 2000s. San Diego County now has more than 150 breweries and is regularly named one of the top craft beer cities in the US, with the West Coast IPA the local export.

2000s, the modern San Diego food scene takes shape

George's at the Cove (1984) and Trey Foshee's Modern California cooking led the modern scene; in the 2010s Trust, Herb and Wood and Animae (Brian Malarkey) defined the new San Diego dining vocabulary. The Little Italy Mercato (started 2008) and the Hillcrest Farmers Market reframed Saturday mornings around local produce.

2024, San Diego's Michelin Guide debut

Michelin Guide California 2024 named Addison (William Bradley) as the city's first three-star restaurant in May 2024 (achieving three stars in 2022 and retained in 2024), making Carmel Valley the southern California fine-dining anchor. Jeune et Jolie in Carlsbad and Soichi in University Heights also hold one star each.

Immigrant influences

• Mexican (Baja Californian): Baja's proximity defines San Diego cooking. Tijuana street-taco and Ensenada fish-taco traditions arrived through migration from the 1950s onwards; Tacos El Gordo, Lucha Libre and Mariscos German built the local taqueria and mariscos vocabulary.
• Portuguese (Point Loma): Portuguese Azorean fishing families settled Point Loma in the late 1800s and built the city's tuna fleet.
• Italian (Little Italy): Italian Sicilians from the early 1900s built Little Italy alongside the Portuguese fishing fleet; Filippi's Pizza Grotto, Mona Lisa Italian Foods and Cesarina anchor the modern neighbourhood, with the Little Italy Mercato the Saturday cultural centre.
• Vietnamese and Filipino: Vietnamese refugees from 1975 and Filipino Navy families built the city's Asian dining repertoire; Pho Cow Cali, Pho Hoa and Conroy's Filipino BBQ anchor the City Heights, Mira Mesa and National City scenes that visitors often miss.
• Japanese: Japanese-American chefs anchor San Diego's sushi and ramen tradition: Soichi Kadoya at Soichi (Michelin one-star), Tadashi Ono at Sushi Tadokoro, and Hiro Nakano at Hiro Nori Ramen built the regional Japanese repertoire from Hillcrest to Carlsbad.

Signature innovations

• Mission food vocabulary (1769): Spanish-Mexican mission orchards introduced citrus, olives, grapes and wheat to California.
• Tunaville fishing fleet (1900s to 1980s): San Diego built the largest tuna canning industry in the US.
• The fish taco (1974/1983): Ralph Rubio brought the Baja fish taco from San Felipe and codified it at Rubio's at Mission Bay.
• The California burrito (1980s): San Diego invented the carne-asada-with-fries burrito at Roberto's, Lolita's and Santana's.
• West Coast IPA and craft brewing (1990s onwards): more than 150 breweries; the West Coast IPA style was defined here.