Gobble, gobble! Thanksgiving Day is around the corner! If you’re not keen on waking up early on Thanksgiving morning and cooking all day this year, celebrate Thanksgiving San Diego style by letting some of the best restaurants cook for you! So you’ll still get to enjoy your roasted turkey with cornbread stuffing, pumpkin pie, and all the decadent sides to your heart’s content. The time to make Thanksgiving reservations at our fab four picks to do a San Diego Thanksgiving is now … you’ll be thankful you did! 

1. Hotel Del Coronado Thanksgiving Dinner

Via Hotel Del Coronado | Facebook

Celebrate and give thanks with your loved ones at The Del’s amazing Thanksgiving dinner in the stunning new Southpointe Ballroom on the south end of the resort. This Hotel Del Coronado Thanksgiving dinner will be the first time for guests to see this new space — which now takes the title as the hotel’s largest event venue. This decadent Thanksgiving buffet is something to feast your eyes with and includes all the Thanksgiving favorites and live musical entertainment. Their Thanksgiving menu comes complete with whole organic roasted turkey, various plates of seafood, cheese and charcuterie, sides, an extensive dessert buffet, and gluten-free and vegan options.

Walk off your food afterward in the true San Diego Thanksgiving fashion by walking around the iconic grounds or enjoying any of the fall activities in San Diego. And, The Del’s Frosted by the Sea season will be back in full swing with the return of Skating by the Sea®, thousands of holiday lights, and picturesque holiday décor, including a new 22-foot ocean-themed tree at Southpointe Lawn.

Thanksgiving Reservations Pricing:

Adults: $205 – Early Bird (Before Nov. 15)

$205 – Hotel Guest

$225 – After Nov. 15

Children (4-10): $100

Children (3-under): Complimentary

Make your reservations for the Hotel Del Coronado Thanksgiving Dinner here: https://hoteldel.com/events/thanksgiving/ 

Please note: All holiday events are by reservation only and must be prepaid to confirm. Overnight hotel guests may call 619.522.8100 for additional availability if time slots are sold out online.

2. Herb and Sea Thanksgiving Dinner

Via Herb & Sea

A fusion of classic East Coast culinary traditions with modern Californian flair, Herb & Sea is Chef Brian Malarkey’s companion restaurant to the much-loved Herb & Wood in Little Italy. The restaurant has quickly become one of the most highly coveted tables in town, and this is no different for their San Diego Thanksgiving feast, only a block away from the beach. Dinner will be served from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Make your Thanksgiving reservations while there’s still room: https://www.herbandsea.com/thanksgiving 

Thanksgiving Reservations Pricing:

$87 per adult/ $38 per child

Herb and Sea Thanksgiving Dinner Menu:

Starters: Choose from an ENDIVE SALAD (frika, pine nuts, grana padano, meyer lemon vinaigrette), STEELHEAD CRUDO (saffron vinegar, grapefruit, capers, red amaranth), KURI SQUASH SOUP (spiced pepitas, crème fraiche), or OYSTERS ROCKAFELLER (baja oysters, pernod, cavolo nero, lemon, gruyere, breadcrumb).

Main Course: Choose from TURKEY CONFIT (mashed potatoes, cranberry orange chutney), PISTACHIO-CRUSTED LAMB CHOPS (cous cous, tzatziki, pomegranate), BROILED SEAFOOD ROYALE (stone crab, wild Mexican white shrimp, bay scallops, mornay, gruyere, herb breadcrumb), or VEGGIE PAELLA (dassi tomatoes, fennel, zucchini, roasted artichokes, olives).

Dessert: Choose from PUMPKIN TART (candied pepitas, cream cheese ice cream) or APPLE CRUMBLE PIE (salted caramel ice cream).

3. Mister A’s Thanksgiving Dinner

Via San Diego Union Tribune

There’s plenty to be thankful for, including a San Diego Thanksgiving meal with a breathtaking skyline backdrop at Mister A’s. Perched atop the Manchester Building in the Bankers Hill neighborhood, it has provided a mainstay fine dining experience since opening in 1965. Mister A’s is serving a prix fixe menu with some of the best Thanksgiving dinner classics and wine pairings. Make your Thanksgiving reservations while there’s still room, and leave room to eat all of the deliciousness that is Mister A’s San Diego Thanksgiving Dinner!

Thanksgiving Reservations Pricing:

$95 per person

Thanksgiving Menu:

Starters: Choose from TRADITIONAL LOBSTER BISQUE (blackened shrimp, corn succotash), 

SAGE HILL FARM ARUGULA & BEET SALAD (VG*/GF) (honeynut squash, goat cheese, pepitas), BAKED OYSTER ROCKEFELLER (stout beer, cave-aged cheddar, spinach gratin), and more … view the full menu here!

Main Course: Choose from ROASTED ORGANIC DIESTEL FARM TURKEY (traditional accompaniments & turkey gravy), HAZELNUT & POTATO CRUSTED SEA BASS (chive champagne butter, asparagus, parmesan), GEORGES BANK SCALLOPS (romanesco, pearl couscous, jimmy nardello pepper), SLOW ROASTED BRANDT FARM PRIME RIB (horseradish cream, au jus, thrice cooked yams), and more …  view the full menu here!

Dessert: CITRUS SCENTED BASQUE CHEESECAKE (cranberry compote), PUMPKIN CREME BRULEE (maple brown butter ice cream, pie crust cookies), BUTTERSCOTCH TAPIOCA PUDDING (spiced butternut squash, sugared pepitas), WARM FRENCH APPLE TART (vanilla ice cream, salted caramel), or BLACK FOREST, CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (brandied cherries, vanilla cremeux).

4. Provisional Kitchen at Pendry San Diego

Via Pendry San Diego

Provisional Kitchen at Pendry San Diego has not one but two opportunities to celebrate Turkey Day in style! They have their renowned Thanksgiving Dinner as well as Chefsgiving on November 12th.

Provisional is described as a “whimsical space for homegrown fare and artisanal goods,” where patrons can take in a restaurant-marketplace hybrid featuring seasonal dishes and gourmet takeaway options, along with a communal dining space and a retail space set within a greenhouse, where guests can shop a curated collection ceramics, apothecary items, homeware, jewelry and more! 

Their San Diego Thanksgiving meal will be a specially crafted three-course prix fixe menu, perfect for enjoying the day with friends and family … sans the cooking and dishes! Make your Thanksgiving reservations via OpenTable

Provisional Thanksgiving Pricing: 

$95 per person, children $30 (12 and under) (plus tax and service charge)

Chefsgiving

Get in the Thanksgiving spirit by joining some of San Diego’s most renowned chefs as they whip up a Thanksgiving feast for a cause. The Chefsgiving meal will include a take of each Chef’s favorite Thanksgiving dish, served family-style with wine pairings. Make your Chefsgiving reservation for November 10th at 6:00 pm via Eventbrite.

Pricing:

$160* per person, including a $30 donation to the San Diego Food Bank.

No matter the restaurant you choose for your food tour, we hope you have a heart full of joy and a stomach full of food and can rejoice in a sink NOT full of dishes. A Thanksgiving meal in any of these restaurants is a fabulous way to close the San Diego November events calendar. With Thanksgiving upon us, we would like to thank each and every person who has joined us on one of our tours. We hope to see you again soon and that we can share all our favorite city has to offer with you! 

This blog was written by San Diego native, Melissa Harter. She is passionate about sharing her favorite spots to explore in the city by the bay, San Diego.