La Jolla is a small town about 20 minutes outside of San Diego, and it is my absolute favorite spot to go when I want a few days of rest and relaxation on the west coast. It also happened to be the last spot on the coast for our epic Pacific Coast Highway trip this year.
The La Valencia just might be my favorite hotel in the entire world. The hotel was opened in 1926 and still retains so much of it’s old charm and character. I started coming here as a kid each year for the 4th of July, and love coming back now as an adult. The hotel is the perfect location, with incredible views of the ocean, and walking distance to everything you could need on a relaxing vacation.
The pool is incredible. Most days we end up just lounging here from morning until sunset.
The drinks at the pool are also incredible, and the hotel has signature drinks based on the seasons.
The food at the pool is also fantastic, and we’ve had lunch here a few times during each stay. Their lobster salad sandwich is my favorite, and they’re always adding new items to the menu.
They can also make a mean espresso martini, which is clutch when you start to get tired from the day of sun, but still want to be able to head out into town for drinks and dinner.
Speaking of dinner, there are a ton of fantastic restaurants in La Jolla, and it’s hard to choose when we’re only there for a few days!
For breakfast, I recommend staying at the hotel and eating at The Med on the balcony. Not only are the views magical, but the food is incredible. The eggs benedicts are my favorite. The chorizo is my number one, but you really can’t go wrong with any of them.
If you’re looking to get into the water, I recommend heading down to the Cove – even if you don’t want to get in the water, it’s a great spot to walk around, and you’ll almost always find sea lions resting on the beach, totally un-phased by the humans nearby.
For lunch, our favorite spot is the We Olive & Wine Bar, which is basically next door to the La Valencia hotel. At first glance, it just looks like an olive oil shop, but once inside you’ll find a long bar and a beautiful patio with outdoor seating for lunch and happy hour.
The menu features a variety of seasonal appetizers, flatbreads and salads that (shocker!) all feature an olive oil sold within the store. They also have an extensive wine list and allow you to create your own flights. The views are so great that our lunches here tend to be at least an hour and a half, if not longer, while we sip on our wines and enjoy the ocean breeze.
If you’re in the mood for Mexican food, José’s is a great spot to grab lunch and margaritas on the patio, which while across the street, still has a fantastic view of the water. They have a fantastic veggie quesadilla, packed to the brim with fresh roasted items.
If it’s a game day, I recommend The Spot, which is a sports bar-esque spot with tons of TVs, but also fantastic food.
One of our new favorites from our most recent trip is Harumama, which just opened a new location in La Jolla, and was PACKED. There was an almost 2 hour wait, so we opted to grab food to go and bring it back to our room.
The baos (buns) are incredible, and we tried almost every single one. The signature item though is the animal themed buns, and we tried two of them. While super cute, I will say they were a little dry, so I’d recommend sticking to the regular buns and getting one of these for the amusement if needed.
To walk off lunch, you can walk up and down Prospect St and Girard Ave to check out all of the big name and boutique stores that line the area.
George’s at The Cove is a great spot for lunch or dinner, and the main attraction is definitely the rooftop patio dining, so if you choose to stop by for dinner, make sure it’s pre/during sunset so you can enjoy the views.
The food is also fantastic. The menu has changed quite a few times over the years, but I’ve never had anything I didn’t enjoy.
You can’t go wrong with any seafood item, and even their homemade bread is fantastic – we ended up ordering two orders for three of us last time we visited, mostly so we could use it to soak up the incredible sauce from the mussels.
Pre-dinner, we’ve stopped at Karl Strauss Brewery to try out some of their beers. They do flights so you can try a large selection, and with COVID have a great table ordering system so you can go contactless when you’re visiting. The food is not bad, with a variety of German and American items. We’ve always enjoyed it, but tend to do a quick app if anything so we can try out other restaurants.
Cody’s is another great spot for happy hour drinks before dinner. They have an AWESOME happy hour menu with oysters, appetizers (lobster rolls pictured above), and select drinks at half price.
They also have one of the best expresso martinis in the town, given that they also do breakfast, and you can enjoy the food and drinks with yet another amazing balcony view. They also have live music most afternoons, so it’s an awesome way to unwind and watch the sunset before dinner.
For sushi, we love Sushi on the Rock, also walking distance from the La Valencia. They have fantastic rolls and nigiri options, and had bottles of one of my favorite sake’s, Black and Gold, on the menu (go figure, I like the sake that goes with my football team).
For Thai food, Thai Gulf has a great menu of authentic items. The spot is small, with an outdoor patio on the sidewalk, but the food has big flavor. You can also grab some local Thai beer here as well.
The perfect ending to any day in La Jolla, is to head back to the La Valencia and sit at the bar in the lobby. They often have live music at night, and the music combined with the decor and a good whiskey cocktail can make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time in the most wonderful of ways. I love that every time we visit we get to know the folks in the bar and pool area. This most recent trip we had a fantastic time tasting a variety of whiskeys recommended by the team, and ended up extending our stay twice by extra days because we were having such a fantastic time.
Normally we’d take the short trip back to San Diego to fly home, but in our most recent trip, we grabbed Starbucks next door and got back in the car to finish out our Pacific Coast Highway road trip, and start making the trek back to Denver. We had a long day ahead of us, driving all the way from La Jolla to Phoenix, with stops in Felicity, California at the “Center of the World” and in Dateland, Arizona for some shakes. Be sure to checkout the entire PCH itinerary, and let me know if there are any other must-do items we should add to our next La Jolla trip!
