Nine-Ten San Diego

Nine-Ten is on Prospect Street, a fifteen-minute walk from La Jolla Cove. It serves Mediterranean-leaning seafood in a room that runs smart and elegant.

Most dining spots in La Jolla lean heavily on the proximity of the coast to excuse a lack of ambition on the plate. Nine-Ten ignores the easy path, focusing instead on a contemporary approach that treats the region's catch with more discipline than its neighbours. While the nearby Ellen Browning Scripps Park is a reliable destination for a scenic walk, this dining room remains a better choice for an actual meal. It manages to feel like a proper restaurant rather than a tourist waypoint, which makes it the only sensible destination after a long day in the village.