Best sips and snacks of 2025
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Yum, and they tasted even better than they look. Photos: Kate Murphy/Axios
As San Diego's food scene continues to grow and gain recognition, I love sharing dishes at new and beloved spots that really stand out.
Here are 10 of the best bites (plus six cocktails) I had in 2025:
🐟 Mitch's Seafood's fresh-caught swordfish or wahoo tacos
🥐 Michi Michi Bakery's elote-inspired corn cream Danish and strawberry pistachio galette
🥢 Friend's House's Korean street food staple tteokbokki (chewy, spicy rice cakes)
🍆 Bosforo's eggplant atom, a Turkish yogurt dip topped with smoky eggplant and chili oil
🍝 Elvira's bucatini all'Amatriciana
🍗 Fort Oak's fried chicken wings with cilantro-jalapeño relish
🔥 Chick and Hawk's hot chicken sandwich, The Birdman
🍔 Common Table's Filipino-inspired pork longanisa burger
🍨Sunday Ice Cream's black sesame scoop
🌮 Tacos el Franc's Tijuana-style adobado tacos
What's next: I'm looking forward to trying Momo Sando & Omakase, Bacari and Corallino next year.
If you agree that a good cocktail completes a meal, take notes.
These six drinks were some of my favorites this year:
🍹False Idol's smoky and fruity "coronation" with mezcal, gin and rum
🍅 Lala's veggie-forward, sweet and spicy martini with peppadew pepper-infused vodka
🍻 Pizza Port's California Honey Blonde Ale, preferably at the Torrey Pines Gliderport or OB brewpub's patio
🍸 Mister A's dirty martini with unmatched downtown views
🔥 Sonny's D.A.R.E. cocktail is garnished with a freshly sparked joint
✨ Starlite's tropical "Space Cadet" with coconut and black rum
💔 Roma Norte also deserves a shoutout for serving up the best cocktails I had all year before it closed.
💭 My thought bubble: This is by no means a ranking of the best restaurants in the city, just a taste of some sips and snacks that I'd recommend to a friend.