Weekend Trip To San Diego Without A Car: Where To Eat + Drink + Stay
I'm having a bit of a love affair with San Diego right now. Last summer I went to San Diego for my 35th birthday, and this spring we went back to San Diego for Nate's birthday...and I think it's fair to say both my husband and I are fully obsessed with this sunny city.
Weekend Trip To San Diego Without A Rental Car
Fyi we did both of these trips without renting a car! So if you're looking for ideas of how to do a trip to San Diego without a rental car, here you go. We visited every place that I'm about to share with you by utilizing ride shares, walking, and a couple rides on the the light rail. The airport is right by downtown, and we didn't want to deal with the hassle of a rental car.
2 trips in 9 months and we were just SO happy to be in this sun- and hop-filled 🍻 city that just feels like a total vibe.
While we were bopping around the city, going to breweries and beaches and taco shops, I got messages from 4 different friends asking for recs of my favorite breweries!
So, if you're one of the 4 people who asked for this...you know who you are.;) And for everyone else...you're welcome. Haha. Here's where to eat and drink in San Diego!
Where we like to stay in San Diego
This is obviously a very personal thing - some people are going for a beach-y type of trip and want to stay near the water, others want a family-friendly vibe with a giant vacation house...and for Nate and I, we know that when we go on a trip (anywhere) with just the two of us, we prefer to prioritize craft breweries + coffee + walkable restaurants.
I mean, San Diego has LOTS of romantic beach-y type resorts and hotels if that's the vibe you want! We were looking for something a bit more urban with close access to lots of our favorite eats and drinks.
We stayed in Little Italy and actually booked the same hotel for both trips because it was so nice and convenient! (The Carte Hotel, in case you're curious.)
We stayed in Little Italy on both trips to San Diego because:
~ it's a couple blocks from Bird Rock Coffee (and when we travel we want a really good pour over coffee first thing in the morning)
~ walking distance to lots of fun restaurants like Ironside Fish & Oyster, Crudo Ceviche and Oyster Bar, Morning Glory, Queenstown, Ballast Point Brewing, Bottlecraft Bottle Shop, and Salt & Straw Ice Cream (which we always try to eat at least once per day when we're on the west coast!)
~ Carte Hotel has a HUUUUGE 2-story gym, which is kind of geeky but I just love being able to visit a swanky gym when I have a weekend to myself!
~ Easy train ride to the Petco Park to see the Padres game
~ I can jog down to the water and do my morning run by the San Diego bay
~ Walking distance to USS Midway museum, the Coronado ferry, and the Maritime Museum
~ And finally, since San Diego is pretty vast, we knew we'd end up taking Lyfts several times...so we just picked an area that had a lot of our favorite foods and drinks.
Favorite Craft Breweries In San Diego
Ok, this is probably the question I get asked the most because drinking West Coast IPAs absolutely what we spend most of our time doing when we go to San Diego. 
Here are the San Diego breweries you absolutely must visit!!
^Pure Project // It's absurd how delicious their Pure West IPA tastes, especially on a cool California evening. Pro tip: go to their North Park taproom, which is mostly an outdoor space with a few outdoor fireplaces. I don't know if I've ever felt so happy as when I was cozied up next to Nate, enjoying a pint of Pure West, noshing on pizza from the on-site brick-oven pizza company. Literal bliss! The Balboa Park location is also lovely, and it's a convenient location.
North Park Beer Co // They are absolute GODS at west coast IPAs! Hop-Fu is the flagship beer here, but I don't feel quite the soul connection to that beer as I do Pure West at Pure Project. However, I highly recommend getting a flight with Hop-Fu + a few others and tasting your way through the menu! All so fresh and crisp and hoppy! ^ This pic was taken from the 2nd story balcony at their original North Park location.
Stone Brewery // Ok, Stone IPA is such an OG west coast IPA, and they're still crushing it! The Stone Brewing Liberty Hill location is HUGE and almost...idk, too pretty? Like, there was a wedding rehearsal dinner happening there when we stopped by! The venue used to be a US Navy mess hall, and now the brewery can seat up to 1300 people. It's an experience you should definitely have if you're in San Diego for a weekend and you love craft beer. (Psst: the downtown San Diego Stone Brewing taproom is also lovely!)
Pizza Port // Pizza Port was the brewery I was MOST excited to visit! And it was also the biggest let down... I don't know if it's because I had hyped it up in my head for 10 years before I finally go to go, or if their beer just used to be really good and now it's not as impressive as the top dogs like Pure Project and Northpark, but I tasted about 15 different beers there and nothing was like POW! AMAZING!, if you know what I mean. But even still, I feel like the Ocean Beach location is an absolute vibe and I still went back a second time when I visited San Diego last weekend.
Bottlecraft // This is a bottle shop, not a brewery, but it has a large beer bar with a BUNCH of taps of really great beer that's impossible to find outside of California. Nate and I love stopping by and getting a flight of Russian River IPAs (they had Pliny The Elder on tap every time we went) and enjoying them on the sidewalk patio.
Ballast Point // Another OG San Diego brewery and it's across the street from Bottlecraft in Little Italy. Definitely stop by if you're in the area for some solid craft beer that has withstood the test of time.
My Favorite Restaurants In San Diego
Ok truthfully, my favorite places to eat are the spots that also have incredible beer. 😉 Surprised? So while several of these are San Diego breweries that also serve food, some of them are just standalone restaurants. Here are the places that I keep thinking about again and again.
Pure Project (North Park location) // Ok ok ok, I know I already gushed but the Pure West IPA is just sooooo good, y'all! And the North Park location has a little pizza vendor set up in the back where you can go and order these scrumptious 14" pizzas that take about 5 minutes to cook. Pizza + beer = literally my favorite meal.
Fish Shop Pacific Beach // Hands down the very best fish tacos I've had in my life. Everything is so fresh! You walk in and pick the type of fish you want (ahi, swordfish, diver scallops, etc) and then you choose the seasoning. Don't even bother reading through the seasonings, though: just pick the first one, the Fish Shop Seasoning! It's this kind of sweet/spicy cajun blend and and it caramelizes to perfection. Still dreaming about it!!!
Queenstown Public House // Need brunch in San Diego? I loved Queenstown! It's an absolutely adorable New Zealand-inspired eatery tucked into a historic cottage in downtown San Diego. Love love loved the interior design and the food!
Oscar's Mexican Seafood in Pacific Beach // We got some tacos and ceviche here and walked over to the beach to watch the sunset and the surfers. Tip: the tacos are not like "Austin-sized" tacos...they're basically burritos. So good, but very large!
Sunnie's Ocean Beach Mexican Food // Ok, what in the actual world is up with these INSANELY good breakfast burritos, California?! I couldn't get enough of this one from Sunnie's! I had my Uber driver drop me off here on my way to Sunset Cliffs, and I filled up on a delicious breakfast before hiking the cliffs. So, so good. There are a few little sidewalk tables set up underneath the palm trees.
The Taco Stand // I tried lots and lots of fish tacos in San Diego, and these were my favorites (I mean, after Fish Shop of course!). The homemade corn tortillas and crispy fried fish and cold Coke from a glass bottle absolutely hit the spot for lunch.
Ironside Fish & Oyster // EVERYONE recommends this place, and it's absolutely gorgeous! It's a bit upscale, insanely beautiful design, and every bite we tried was delicious. I found it annoying they have a random "4% charge added to all orders" without a reason (not a credit card or employee health charge...just a random fee??) but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed.
Pizza Port // I know, I know, I said the the beer wasn't as impressive to me as I wanted it to be. But I loved the casual/quirky vibe and the pizza! Like I said, I ended up going back to Pizza Port again on my second trip to San Diego!
Crudo Ceviche and Oyster Bar // We stumbled upon this place when our first attempt at getting a table at Ironside failed, and I'm so glad we did! It's a gorgeous little open-air spot with excellent happy hour bites. It was the first place we stopped by after getting off the airplane and the soft shell crab + glass of bubbly definitely set the mood for "kid-free couples vacation" right away!
North Park Beer Co // Is it weird that I picked a brewpub for my birthday dinner restaurant? All I wanted was some reeeaaally good west coast IPAs and some sliders + fries, and North Park delivered! I'm a simple girl, really.
Stone Brewing Liberty Station // Another great option for a brewery with a food menu! I didn't actually eat here because I had just come from dinner, so I just ordered a flight of beer, but all the food being whisked around by servers nearby looked delish!
My Favorite Things To Do In San Diego For A weekend trip
I think the San Diego Zoo is the only big "touristy" thing I haven't done yet, so I can't comment on that one. I'm saving that for the first family trip we take to San Diego because I know my boys would love it!
Here are a few of my favorite things to do in San Diego for a couples weekend trip:
Go to a Padres game // When the weather is THIS good, how could you not go to an outdoor baseball game? The stadium is super nice with lots of really really good local craft beer options. I only wish you could see the ocean from Petco Park!
USS Midway Museum // The USS Midway was the biggest navy aircraft carrier of the 20th century. She's retired now and a permanent museum in the San Diego bay. This giant floating museum is SO fascinating to tour! I spent about 3 hours walking through this massive warship and didn't cover it all. Wear comfy shoes!!!
Hike Sunset Cliffs // Holy moly, this was probably the prettiest view I've ever seen...and I didn't even go at sunset! I had my ride share driver drop me off at Sunnie's Mexican Food for a delicious breakfast before I hiked for a couple hours and enjoyed watching the waves and the surfers.
Pacific Beach // The area is very college-early 20s feel, so I didn't necessarily feel a soul connection to it, but I did really enjoy walking around Pacific Beach, getting some tacos at Oscar's, and watching the sunset and the surfers.
Take the ferry to Coronado // The ferry ride is only 15 minutes and costs a few dollars, and I love being out on the water! Coronado is a very touristy part of San Diego, so it wasn't my all-time favorite spot, but I did enjoy getting brunch at Clayton's Bakery & Bistro and walking around the swanky Hotel del Coronado grounds (there's typically a wedding happening there on the weekends!)
This obviously isn't an exhaustive list of everything in San Diego, but if it's your first weekend trip, this guide will absolutely give you an excellent time! If you rent a car you could get to places like La Jolla, but if you're trying to do a weekend trip to San Diego without a car, it's pretty easy!
Truthfully, if you just fly to San Diego, sit outside in the sunshine, and visit a few of the craft breweries I mention, you'll have an incredible trip. Not kidding! Like, just see the ocean one time and drink a pint of Pure West IPA from Pure Project Brewing...you're going to get a little boost of happiness.
Aww man, just writing about these places and looking at the pictures makes me want to book another flight to San Diego immediately! I'll be back soon.
**Oooh, just thought of one more thing to tell you: pack a warm-ish coat! This is coming from a Texas girl who's used to humidity. When it dips to 65 degrees in San Diego in the evenings, it's a really "dry" cold and it feels a LOT colder than 65 degrees on a sticky Texas evening.
I hope this was all helpful for you! Feel free to leave a comment if you have any specific questions.