San Diego is more than white sand beaches and beautiful cities. San Diego is a unique city known for its culinary style. Cali-Baja describes the tasty cuisine you’ll be able to enjoy whether you’re at an upscale San Diego nightclub or if you are stopping at a local food-spot favorite for the locals. In this article, we are going to look further into the culinary style of San Diego and give you more insight into the tasty food environment.

San Diego has some of the best produce in the country, and their easy access to fresh fish and other seafood from the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez makes this city the perfect location for delicious food. Throw in the proximity to Mexico, and there you have it, Cali-Baja is born. This unique cuisine is one of the reasons many people are drawn to San Diego for food.

San Diego is California’s southernmost city, sitting at the intersection of two culinary styles. These styles being California’s cuisine and Mexico’s Baja Med cuisine. The Baja Med cuisine started in Tijuana and started to be known around the world because of the combination of Mediterranean and Mexican ingredients. San Diego’s chefs are less interested in trends and more interested in local culture which is why you will find the Cali-Baja style in the San Diego & Tijuana region.

Whether you are interested in trying fresh produce from the farmer’s market or want to try delightful latin food at one of the region’s culinary events, there are many options if you are visiting San Diego and love food.

The Freshness of San Diego

If you love fresh food then San Diego is the place to be with its diverse landscape and almost Mediterranean climate, the area is an ideal place for agriculture. Chefs in San Diego can get fresh ingredients right from farmers and some even grow their food. There are many small family farms in San Diego, and they are the number one producers of produce like avocados and come close to the top with lemons and strawberries. If you wanted to find a farmer’s market on any given day, you could find a California certified farmer’s market in one of the neighborhoods.

Besides for the California certified farmer’s markets taking place in San Diego, there are other festive markets taking place on the weekend and chef’s and locals alike come out to enjoy the events and see what kind of delightful treats are available. You’ll find fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese, and locally baked bread. If you want to eat fresh, it’s unlikely you’ll find anything that beats the restaurants in San Diego.

What Else Should You Know About San Diego?

What’s not to love about the seventy miles of beautiful beaches stretched out near San Diego? Besides for beaches, the famous coastline offers seafood for days, and that is why you’ll find so much seafood on the Cali-Baja menu. Fresh sushi – delicious! With many restaurants authentically sourcing their seafood from southern California and Baja California, you’ll experience a taste you won’t forget. If you want to have some fun then head down to the Tuna Harbor dockside market and buy some of the freshly caught seafood. You can buy a whole fish, or you can opt to have it cut into filets, steaks, or you can even have it gilled and gutted on the spot.

Sea urchin is one of the most famous and visually stimulating tasty treats. Whether you want to eat it raw or crack it right from its shell, it’s up to you.

Don’t Forget the Tacos

If we were talking culinary and San Diego and forgot to mention tacos, that would be a shame. Fish tacos are one of the cornerstones of San Diego’s Cali-Baja cuisine. While fish tacos are a simple dish, that doesn’t mean they aren’t delicious. You can mix up flavors and play around with recipes until you find the taste you are looking for. When you think of San Diego’s taco scene, you should know it is a unique experience, unlike any taco experience you’ve ever had. You’ll be able to find fish tacos on any corner in San Diego whether you are in North Country or South Bay. Don’t forget to look for one of the famous food trucks if you’re looking for a fish taco fix and want to get it fast.

Culinary Events

If you want to experience food overload, it is time to make it happen with one of the culinary events. Whether you are tasting the cuisine, celebrating the harvest, or invited into a restaurant promotion, you are going to be out of your mind excited by the food you’ll experience at any of these events. These events are put together by people that have a love of the food in San Diego, and it shines through in the care by which the events are put together.

You may want to visit San Diego in January or Sept to experience the San Diego Restaurant Week event or perhaps the Fallbrook Avocado Festival is more your speed. One thing is for sure, and that is that people who experience the unique taste of San Diego’s cuisine will never forget it and will have a difficult time not telling everyone they come in contact with about how amazing the town and its food are.