Diners' Choice: American restaurants in North San Diego

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best overall American cuisine in North San Diego? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Nick’s on State

4.9

4.9 (1854)

$30 and under

American

Carlsbad

About the restaurant

Classic American comfort food, crave-able bar snacks, plus unique cocktails & an extensive wine list in an upscale yet casual environment. Our intimate restaurant features a chic island bar, walls of glass and a spacious covered patio, perfect for people watching. Our exhibition kitchen highlights the talents of our passionate culinary team.

Nick’s is dedicated to perfecting the dining experience through continuous innovation, offering the highest quality food and beverage, and executing impeccable standards of hospitality. The deeply instilled Nick’s culture is personified by its Ladies and Gentlemen – professionals who share a single focus and are inspired and committed to offering great service and creating positive, memorable experiences.

Top review

CathyVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Everything great. Service was amazing and food was great

The Pony Room

4.8

4.8 (1487)

$50 and over

American

Rancho Santa Fe

About the restaurant

The Pony Room is a favorite among locals and resort guests alike. In addition to an extensive selection of all expressions of agave spirits, it is also home to one of Southern California's most impressive wine and hand-crafted, seasonally inspired signature cocktail lists. The Pony Room serves exceptional, American inspired comfort classics with daily specials.

Live Music 7 nights a week

Join us every Saturday and Sunday for Brunch on our beautiful hacienda inspired terraces from 11am to 2pm.

Top review

ChristopherVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Alex our server was amazing and the food was very tasty. Loved it

Rancho Santa Fe Bistro

4.7

4.7 (337)

$30 and under

American

Rancho Santa Fe

About the restaurant

Welcome to The Rancho Santa Fe Bistro located in the heart of the beautiful downtown Rancho Santa Fe, CA. Our unique bistro offers an amazing menu and a superior wine selection for any lunch or dinner occasion. For lunch walk-ins are welcome.
Owner / Chef Mozy Jahanguiri, who has run restaurants in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Dallas, has opened The Rancho Santa Fe Bistro in the space formerly occupied by The Pantry on Paseo Delicias. Mozy has prepared a menu that offers a wide variety of healthy and stylish fresh grill and more offering a balanced approach to food and wine along with bistro favorites including Oysters Rockefeller, traditional escargots, baked brie with grapes and honey and more for starters. Entrees to satisfy any taste of carefully sourced meats, seafood and much more. Be sure to check out Bistro's beautiful wood wine cellar, housing an extensive collection that spans an impressive 100 years (1897-1997) at a variety of price points.

Top review

Jonathan

Dined on Dec 13, 2024

What a find in the middle of Rancho Santa Fe! All the decorative lights on, quaint wood framed windows, protected patio out front- we chose a corner table inside, cozy crates of wine and poinsettias piled around, soft conversations from the tables, the gentle maîtred, the comforting waitress. What an ambiance. The Norwegian salmon and New York steak were special. Extensive wine menu. We loved the experience !

Nick's Del Mar

4.8

4.8 (1388)

$30 and under

American

Del Mar

About the restaurant

Top review

JanetVIP

Dined 4 days ago

Great atmosphere, food and drinks! Fish dishes are a little high priced. Be sure to make a reservation including for lunch. It’s very popular.

Tavern

4.9

4.9 (537)

$30 and under

American

Solana Beach

About the restaurant

Newly remodeled, the much airier Tavern is all about art, music, and above all great food. Open for lunch and soon to include evening dining, the Tavern adds a distinctly Mexican/Pacific Coast set of flavors to the local fine dining scene.

We are located in the heart of the Cedros Design District, within walking distance of the Amtrak station. The style is casual with indoor and outdoor dining ( plus bar seating). The patio, which can accommodate 18 guests, looks out onto the shop-lined Cedros Avenue and can be separated from the main dining area for private events.

*Please note* Our restaurant welcomes walk-ins during our Lunch hours from 11:30 am- 3:30 pm.
*Tavern restaurant will be closed for dinner (Lunch will remain open Monday and Tuesday when the belly up is dark)
*Please check our website for the most up-to-date hours*

Top review

Vivian

Dined 2 days ago

Great drinks, food and service. Perfect before Belly Up show.

Green Dragon Tavern & Museum

4.7

4.7 (1479)

$30 and under

American

Carlsbad

About the restaurant

Just as 18th century taverns served as the epicenter of the communities they served, so too does the Green Dragon Tavern & Museum in Carlsbad offer a warm, family-owned gathering place today for San Diego friends and neighbors of all ages. The welcoming atmosphere is surpassed only by the highly acclaimed and award winning menu. Each dish is curated by with a focus on seasonal, locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. Craft cocktails, wines and 20 rotating local beers on tap pair perfectly with our savory fare. Our guests rave about our Maine lobster rolls, Shepherd's Pie, hand-tossed pizzas, fresh seafood, and braised short rib to name a few.

As part of the dining experience, guests are invited to travel back in time to the days when our nation's founders met in secret at the original Green Dragon Tavern in Boston. Explore our museum; documents and antiquities from the colonial and Revolutionary War eras and learn more about our nation's founders and their everlasting legacies.

Top review

lynda

Dined 7 days ago

Two days in a row. We can't get enough of the Green Dragon. Our favorite restaurant. Great food only surpassed by friendly and attentive staff. Give it a try. You won't be disappointed. Also, a great spot for parties!!

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4.7

4.7 (395)

$30 and under

American

Del Mar

About the restaurant

Your hosts, David Levy and Barry Robbins, welcome you to their version of a traditional deli! When we opened in 1995 our goal was to remind our customers what a deli experience is like. From crunchy kosher pickles to piled high pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, steaming bowls of matzo ball soup, traditional brisket dinners and a bakery boasting homemade recipes, we hope to please our customers from start to finish. We work hard to source the best meats, vegetables, and ingredients all while developing new items to keep up with current culinary trends!

Top review

Dan

Dined on Nov 28, 2024

Great food and great service, simply the best! We be back sooner than later...

Mission Avenue

4.5

4.5 (53)

$30 and under

American

Oceanside

About the restaurant

We opened our doors in August 2014 with a vision of greatness: great drinks, food, and atmosphere, with a chill, unassuming vibe. A come-as-you-are locale, where everyone — from local to the traveler — is welcomed. Insider or outsider, there’s a seat at the bar just for you.

Located just blocks from the Oceanside Pier, join us in our industrial-chic lounge with two large garage doors which make you feel like you're dining outside, or on our heated and dog-friendly patio, from lunch to late night. Be sure to check our daily happy hours, midweek lunch specials and weekend brunch. Come see us. Pull up a seat and make yourself at home.

Top review

Gabriella

Dined on Nov 28, 2024

Great little spot! Good food, nice staff and dog friendly!

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Experience

Industry Sunday Night

Experience

Mezcal Monday

Park 101

4.8

4.8 (49)

$31 to $50

American

Carlsbad

About the restaurant

Park 101 is Carlsbad's unique answer to community dining, lounging and sipping in style in the heart of the Village. We've made sure that there's something for everyone at our 8000 sq. ft. multi-level, plaza-style complex. We are kid friendly and dog friendly, and are considered a significant focal point within one of the best communities that flank the Pacific.

We also cater and host private events at Park 101!

Top review

kathleen

Dined on Nov 2, 2024

Loved Whiskey Ridge! Food was good and service was attentive.

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4.8

4.8 (10431)

$30 and under

American

Del Mar

About the restaurant

Aloha friends of Jake’s Del Mar! We are open for indoor and outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery. Visit jakesdelmar.com to view our menus or place a takeout order online!

Jake’s is the quintessential California oceanfront dining experience. The eclectic menu compliments the casual, yet elegant restaurant atmosphere right on the Del Mar shore. With chef-driven California coastal fare, craft cocktails, and unforgettable ocean views, it’s the best of the west coast. Whether for a date night or a celebration with friends and family, Jake’s serves up something special every time.

Top review

Carol

Dined 3 days ago

A beautiful place to celebrate being together for 62 years of marriage. We enjoyed being seated on the window watching the waves role in with the occasion surfer on the waves. The service was excellent and the food was outstanding.

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