Holiday Bowl San Diego: Where to Eat and Drink
After a last-minute cancellation in 2021, the Holiday Bowl is back in San Diego this year. It features an exciting match-up between the nationally ranked Oregon Ducks and the North Carolina State Wolfpack (NC State).
San Diego has hosted the Holiday Bowl several times, but this year will be a much different experience for football fans.
This year will mark the first time the Holiday Bowl is played at PETCO Park in Downtown San Diego. It will also be the first time PETCO Park has hosted a football game. Before this year, the game was held in the former San Diego State University stadium, which was recently demolished and is currently under construction to make way for a new venue to open in 2022.
For fans traveling out of town, what’s there to do around PETCO Park before and after the game?
We’ve compiled a list of our favorite downtown San Diego brunch, lunch, and happy hour spots, so Holiday Bowl fans can enjoy the best our city offers.
Where to Eat and Drink Pre-Game and Post-Game
BREAKFAST COMPANY
San Diego has one of the best brunch scenes in the region, and maybe in California.
If you’re arriving the morning of the game or looking to give yourself an extra boost the day after the game, head to the Breakfast Company for an excellent brunch experience.
Our favorite dishes include the Chicken Confit and Grits, a rich and savory dish of creamy grits, crispy chicharrones, and a beautifully poached egg. You’ll be saying “WOW” after your first bite of this dish.
Another favorite is the Buttermilk Cornmeal Waffle with Honey Ricotta Cheese, salted butter, and blueberries. Waffles are hit or miss, and the Cornmeal Waffle is a "touchdown" as each bite is a delightful balance of sugar and brine.
The last dish we ordered was the fabulous Shrimp Emmolada with Black Mole topped by an over-easy egg. You've been missing out if you've never had a black mole with egg combo for breakfast! Toss in fresh corn tortillas, shrimp, and jalapeños, and you'll be in brunch heaven!
The Breakfast Company is located at 551 J Street, San Diego, CA 92101. They are open from 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM, and you can make a reservation by calling (619) 937-3074.
CAFE 21
Cafe 21 is another one of our other favorite downtown San Diego brunch spots. The brunch menu focuses on small plates, so for the whole experience, order various food items and share family style.
Cafe 21 is another one of our other favorite downtown San Diego brunch spots. The brunch menu focuses on small plates, so for the whole experience, order various food items and share family style.
Our favorite menu items include the phenomenal avocado toast topped with a perfectly poached egg, whipped feta mousse, and local vegetables dressed in lemon vinaigrette on their famed (and vegan!) house-made sourdough bread.
We also love the bright strawberry salad with pistachios, creamy goat cheese, and spinach tossed with raspberry vinaigrette.
If you want something decadent to soak up all the previous night’s fun, try the short rib crumpet - a Cafe 21 specialty - a tender beef short rib, egg, local butter lettuce, and house beet sauerkraut baked and served in a rustic copper pan.
The tomato and egg feature hearty slow-stewed tomatoes, melty goat cheese, and a braised egg with a slice of house sourdough to soak up the sauce. Delicious!
Cafe 21 has two locations, but you’ll want to go to the Gaslamp restaurant, which is located at 802 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101.
The Gaslamp location is open Wednesday - Sunday, 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM, so you’ll want to go here the day after the game and get yourself one of these Bloody Mary cocktails.
BORN & RAISED
Born and Raised is a short 10-minute Lyft ride to PETCO park and has an excellent selection of cocktails, wine, happy hour food, and high-end steaks.
In addition to the sumptuous menu, we love the restaurant’s decor, which ties a gilded roaring 1920’s vibe in the formal dining area with a more casual open-air rooftop with panoramic views of downtown.
Our favorite drinks are the Margarita-esque cocktail with a dash of Pamplemousse, an Aperol Spritz, and the old-school classic, Old Fashioned.
In addition to dry-aged steaks, Born and Raised has a killer happy hour menu that ranges from oysters to a Philly Cheesesteak to Dirty Tots.
If you want to pre-game the tailgate activities that start at 5:00 PM, head to Born and Raised from 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM to take advantage of their fabulous happy hour menu.
Born & Raised is located at 1909 India Street, San Diego, CA.
KING & QUEEN CANTINA
If bomb a** Mexican food and margaritas are more of your thing, head over to King & Queen Cantina, about a 10-minute Lyft ride to the stadium.
Similar to Born and Raised, if you’re looking to pre-game, you cannot go wrong with King & Queen Cantina, as they have some of the best happy hour deals in the city. We are also huge fans of the street art aesthetic, bomb Mexican cuisine, and funky fresh music.
King & Queen Cantina has a vast drink menu ranging from sangria to buckets of beers to well drinks to several variations of the margarita. Our favorites are the margaritas, made from scratch and served on the rocks in giant goblets with a Tajin rim, the cucumber (add a little jalapeño for some zing), and watermelon margaritas.
King & Queen also has a vast and excellent happy hour food menu. You must try the Chips & Guac, Tinga Taquitos, Pork Belly Bites, and Fish Ceviche. We recommend that you have two orders of the Tinga Taquitos to start because you’ll be ordering another one after you finish the first.
The Happy Hour Menu is available Monday-Friday, 12 PM – 6 PM, and 9 PM to close. Saturday and Sunday, 2 PM -6 PM and 9 PM to close.
King & Queen Cantina is located at 1490 Kettner Blvd, San Diego, 92101.
SALVATORE’S CUCINA & LOUNGE
New to the San Diego dining scene, Salvatore’s Cucina & Lounge is quickly becoming a local favorite and would be an excellent spot to grab a drink and dinner before the Holiday Bowl. This restaurant has been in San Diego for over 40 years in this location but was recently purchased by a hospitality management group, redesigned, and reopened under the same name but with a new menu and feel.
The restaurant is sleek, new age, and classic all at once, and they are perfectly poised to host you pre-game or post-game. The happy hour menu has a short list of cocktails and a few food items (definitely try the fried olives), but it's all about the wine list. Salvatore's offers a great by-the-glass wine list; every glass sells for $8 during happy hour, even if the regular by-the-glass price is $20!
The regular menu offers several appetizers, pizzas, pasta, and entrees.
The happy hour menu is available from 5 PM -6:30 PM Monday - Friday.
Salvatore's Cucina & Lounge is located at 750 Front St, San Diego, CA 92101.
WEREWOLF
For all the burger and beer lovers, head over to Werewolf before or after the game. We’ve tried a variety of their burgers, and they are delicious.
One of our favorites is the Bourbon Bacon Cheeseburger which sits on a buttery brioche bun and is topped with crispy onion strings and a tangy BBQ sauce. Get yourself a frosty Elysium Brewing Spacedust IPA to wash it all down.
How to Get to Petco Park
One of the quickest and most efficient ways to get to the game is by trolley. If you drive, free parking is available at various lots along the trolley lines, with trains departing all stations approximately every 15 minutes most of the day.
Here’s a link to San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) information about the game.
Where to Stay
There are plenty of excellent options in and around downtown for the fans who planned last minute to come to the game and need a hotel room for the night.
We recently stayed at the Monseraz Hotel, which is slightly outside downtown San Diego in the Point Loma neighborhood.
The hotel is brand new and features views of the Point Loma Hills and the modern San Diego skyline. They also have an excellent onsite restaurant, the Westerly Public House, that offers delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals. Oh, and they have a great cocktail menu and wine list.
Another hotel we’ve had our eye on is the Carte Hotel, located downtown, and about a 10-minute Lyft ride to PETCO park. The Carte offers Chic rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and city views and has all the standard amenities you would expect, including free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, minifridges, and Keurig coffeemakers.
Get In Touch?
Which team do you want to win the Holiday Bowl? The Ducks or NC State? Let us know in the comment section below.
Cover Photo Credit
Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash