Best American Restaurants in Ocean Beach

Incredible dining experience. Incredible flavors and service. Highly recommend.

Valley high is our family San Diego go to restaurant and has been for the last 15 years, possibly longer. What keeps us coming back is the great food and the best mai tai this side of Dukes in Hawaii, paired with spectacular views of the San Diego skyline and Coronado Bay, and great service and affordable prices. The ambience is a wonderful, kitschy throwback to very best that mid-century Tiki has to offer. OpenTable always makes it so much easier, so long as you plan ahead. We’ll be back there again sometime soon! You can count on that!!

We had a fantastic time at Herb & Wood. Since we were both busy on Valentine’s Day, we decided to celebrate on Saturday instead. From the moment we arrived, everyone at the restaurant greeted us warmly and made us feel truly welcome. Our reservation was at 5 PM, so the restaurant wasn’t too crowded yet, but even as it filled up, the level of attentiveness remained exceptional. Our waiter, Troy, was friendly, knowledgeable, and offered great recommendations. For appetizers, we had the Sicilian Crudo and one of Troy’s suggestions—a warm dinner bread served with butter, honey, and herbs. I don’t remember the exact name, but it was absolutely delicious! For our main courses, my husband had the Iberico Pork, and I had the Roasted Branzino. The Branzino was packed with herbs and flavors—I usually can’t finish a large meal, but I couldn’t stop eating it. We were too full for dessert, though I wish we had saved room! It was our first time at Herb & Wood, but it’s now on our list of favorite restaurants for special occasions.

Shared a bluefin carpaccio followed by a quinoa salad with grilled fresh sea bass. Delicious. Sat at the bar and although the bartender was very busy, we never felt ignored. They had some nice wines by the glass and the Banjuls he suggest did go perfectly with the lemon tart. Highly recommend

Had an early lunch reservation for my birthday, seated on arrival. Given a cute birthday menu. Ordered a very strong & delicious Mai Tai, cup of chowder, and lobster rolls with fries. The chowder was very good, just thick enough and great flavor. The biscuit served with the chowed was still warm when it was served. The lobster roll was delicious, but the amount of lobster in the roll was skimpy compared to our previous visits to Ironside. Our server surprised me with a complimentary dessert to celebrate my birthday. My husband said he got a call prior to our reservation asking whose birthday it was and if they had any allergies. Thoughtful. Staff from the host to servers were all very welcoming.