We OBecians (yep, real word) get a lot of slack from other resident San Diegans for choosing to inhabit the "hippie" section of town, a place where VW vans and patchouli oil far outweigh military-regulation haircuts and designer eye shadow. And, for the most part, we like it like this. When you live in a city as conservative and sometimes as reactionary as San Diego, it's nice to know there's a place you can go where there is always a black light being reflected off a Jim Morrison poster, a white dude taking the dread-lock plunge, something by Sublime playing in a passing car. But where some of us really do take issue is with the casual slander that there's no restaurants in O.B. And I'm not just talking the locals - I've seen our slice of real estate get completely left out of national guide books or mocked openly on television (I remember a pancake breakfast on some morning program in which the anchor cracked himself up with some well-rehearsed line about you "bet you'd never thought you'd hear the words 'Ocean Beach' and "cuisine' in the same sentence, did you?").
Well. Allow me. I'd like to wrap up the recent flurry of food-related posts with a rare foray into boosterism as I offer 13 well-reasoned ripostes to the smugly condescending types who suggest we beach types get by strictly on Ramen and carrot juice. We may not have the gastronomic delights or farm-to-table fare of such culinary hotspots as North Park or Hillcrest (or the overpriced tourist slop shoveled out in the Gaslamp or La Jolla), but below find a baker's dozen of recommendations that will satisfy all but the most refined of pallets. And mine's pretty damn refined.
1) Ranchos Cocina, 1830 Sunset Cliffs Blvd.
Part of a local chain offering vegetarian and vegan-friendly Mexican country cooking (although meat eaters will find plenty to placate them), this location offers a cornucopia of traditional and not-so-traditional dishes. Lots of olive oil, not so much lard. Just spicy enough. And fabulous Mexican hot chocolate for foggy beach mornings. Rumor has it they no longer serve the shiitake tacos that once brought in the true believers - say it ain't so!
2) The Vine Wine Bar & Cafe, 1851 Bacon Street
I'm being honest here, so I'll admit that this wine bar doesn't have the selection, quality or prices I look for in wine. They have several options for flight tastings that can be fun, and if you dig around you can find several worthy bottles. But I don't come here for the wine. It's the menu that really makes the place. I recommend the Vine Burger, a glorious mouthful of beef and crisped bread. Or the dueling varieties of pate, either mushroom (yum) or "Shannon's Super Sexy" (chicken liver, double yum). And their beer list (bottled, no draft) is solid - Avery, Bear Republic, Lost Abbey, yeah.
3) Kaiserhof Restaurant & Biergarten, 2253 Sunset Cliffs Blvd.
As a prior Wisconsinite and German-American of good standing, I'll admit I've had better German food back in Milwaukee and even Appleton. And although I enjoy a heaving bosom as much as anybody, enough with the Bavarian wench outfits already. Still....the onion rings are wunderbar. The schniztelette gruyere and calves liver are for true believers. And bring on the Oktoberfest releases.
4) Nico's Mexican Food, 4918 Newport Avenue
This is the real deal - a few tables, no website, frequented by everybody from barefoot high schoolers to construction workers on their way to a local site. The burritos are king - I fancy the breakfast burritos especially. Nothing fancy - just potatoes, melted cheese, egg and greasy sausage. A mere $4.13. Add an horchata and you're set for the day. The other big draw are the rolled tacos - 4-6 crisped taquitos layered in cheese, guacamole and hot sauce. When my wife returned home from her 7-month deployment, she insisted she get intimate with Nico's rolled tacos before she'd get intimate with me. No kidding.
5) Olive Tree Marketplace, 4805 Narragansett Avenue
True, a grocery store, not a restaurant. But a fantastic grocery store with a great deli - we're especially partial to the dolmades. But this spot gets the nod for their truly world-class beer and wine selection. Great deals and far-flung offerings - I've seen craft beer here that I've spotted nowhere else in the city. Just picked up some hard cider and Stone Anniversary Ale today.
6) Jungle Java, 5047 Newport Avenue
Mere feet from the beach lies the best place to grab a cup of joe in O.B. And not just for the rotating selections of high-quality brewed beans on drip (or the excellent deals available for day-old pastries - fiscally-challenged, take note). The place also doubles as a garden supply store and boasts dozens of nooks and crannies to squeeze into or hide in while consuming the hot brew. I always grab a seat in the front - some of the best people watching in O.B.
7) Azucar, 4820 Newport Avenue
The newest addition to the O.B. food lineup, this "Cuban Style Patisserie" would be welcome if all it offered were the meat pies and cafe cubano that can be had for under $1.50. Except, there's more. Lots more. Such as the greatest selection of pastries and cupcakes and ridiculously decadent desserts in town. Weep over the flan de queso. Splurge on the cinco leches. Gobble down a red velvet cupcake. The window display caused a friend to ask her husband if she could "be a bad vegan".
8) Ortega Cocina, 4888 Newport Avenue
Hands down, my opinion, best Mexican food in Ocean Beach. Tight little spot, a few counter spaces, a few booths, some outside tables thrown out once in a while. Freshest ingredients are used, with awesome mango fruit juices available for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast options - I love the Ortega scramble (sun-dried tomatoes and rich cream cheese) but often spring for the chorizo scramble. And dinners? I still recall the entire fish I once consumed one emotional evening, the two of us huddled under a quilt we dragged out of our car's trunk.
9) Newport Pizza & Ale House, 5050 Newport Avenue
It's possible they'll lose some of their thunder if and when the much-rumored Pizza Port moves in down the street later this year, but for now, this is the place for pizza in Ocean Beach. I'm a New York pizza kinda guy myself, but these guys toss up some decent pies, and you gotta love the names they've come up with for their offerings (the all-cheese pizza is the "David Hasselhoff," the all-meat pizza is the "Ron Jeremy"). And their draft and bottle selection of beer literally kicks ass - "No Crap on Tap" is their motto, and brother, they preach true. Spotty service, but that's O.B. Go grab a slice.
10) O.B. People's Organic Foods Market, 4765 Voltaire Street
This wonderfully self-satisfied cooperative market has been a neighborhood staple of Ocean Beach since 1971, and goes a good way towards defining our hippie spirit. The produce is fabulous, their guilt-free coffee selections awesome, the vegan muffins...not so hot. But I'm here to give it up for their second-floor deli, which keeps pushing out serving after serving of foods both flavorful and healthy. In the mood for raw kale salads? Tempeh stir-fry? Look no further. And I make weekly treks for their breakfast potatoes, where one can feel righteous and decadent at once.
11) Livingston's Chicken Kitchen, 5026 Newport Avenue
They make great chicken here, as the name would suggest, and they come with those greasy proofs of the existence of a higher being called jo-jos. But I visit this literal hole-in-wall joint for the gooey bean & cheese burritos and their light, flakey fish tacos. And to watch the drunken patrons from the adjoining bar try and place their orders while standing upright.
12) The 3rd Corner, 2265 Bacon Street
Slightly off the beaten path in O.B., this place doubles as an excellent wine retail shop (extremely fair prices, world-class selections) and a solid bistro. Even better, with the retail offerings scattered attractively in crates throughout the restaurant, one gets the chance to browse and select one's wine with the bottle in hand, not merely on the menu. $5 for corkage gets you retail-priced wine instead of the usual 50% - 200% mark up common at most places. And the bistro menu? Cheese boards, a glorious ham and brie sandwich, decadent short ribs. The friendly and helpful staff will guide you along. A real treasure.
13) Hodad's, 5010 Newport Avenue
Maybe someday, they'll get a web page up and running. Doesn't matter. This is the grandaddy of O.B. hangouts, one of the few remaining examples of old-school Southern California burger joints, and home to the grooviest inner decor (mostly mounted license plates) in San Diego. You've come across it in various books ranking the best USA burgers, maybe watched it featured on Food Network, seen it ranked in the nation's Top 10 burger joints courtesy of epicurious.com. What you get are massive mouthfuls of perfect burger - the mini-burger alone could set you back for a few days. The milkshakes runneth over. The local beer options arrive in jam jars. You'll probably stand in line for the better part of a half hour, and it still won't be long enough. All hail the majesty of Hodad's.
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