Sometimes, you just need a meal that checks all of your boxes. Beyond just tasting great, it helps when your plates look just right and the restaurant has that extra oomph to impress. Whether you’re trying to impress a date or just want to snap some pics of your meal, read on for some of the best food in North Park that tastes great and looks the part too!
Communal Coffee
Communal Coffee on University is not just a coffee shop in North Park, but also has a small menu for food, a gift shop, and is even connected to a plant shop. Talk about a real triple threat! Upon pulling up, you’ll see a chic outside with plenty of open-air seating.
View this post on Instagram
Big cacti and other trailing plants adorn the outside, while each table has its own potted plant as decoration. The inside is filled with flowers, boho-chic decor, and lots of natural light. There are places to hang out and work, chat, or even shop for little home goods.
The food continues the pleasing aesthetic, with a menu that includes avocado toast, bagel sandwiches, and breakfast bowls. Everything is made and arranged with care, looking nice and neat. As if it couldn’t get any better, Communal Coffee is connected to North Park Nursery, an adorable plant shop.
Selling everything from houseplants to succulents, this is a perfect spot to head to after taking in the beautiful aesthetic of Communal Coffee.
View this post on Instagram
Lucha Libre
Immediately upon entering Lucha Libre, people are bombarded with photo-ops and fun decor. Walls are adorned with photos of luchadors and various masks. These boldly colored walls make for awesome backdrops for any photographer. There is even a mini wrestling ring!
No detail goes unnoticed here, and the shop is complete with dressed-up tables and chairs throughout. The visual appeal doesn’t just stop at the decorations, though. The food is fun, unique, and looks good too! As far as I know, this is the only sit-down spot to get a real TJ dog in North Park.
View this post on Instagram
For those who don’t know, a TJ dog is a bacon-wrapped hot dog that is most commonly served as street food. You may have seen people cooking them up in Hillcrest or outside of bars before the pandemic. Lucha Libre was even featured in the Michelin Guide’s “Best Mexican Food in San Diego” article!
Serving up some of the best Mexican food in North Park, their TJ dogs, tacos, and burritos are not only delicious and filled with fun flavors, but they make for great pictures, too!
View this post on Instagram
Bivouac Ciderworks
While San Diego is known for having a huge amount of breweries chock-full of IPAs, Bivouac offers a great alternative to the regular beer scene. The cider flights here let you choose from a huge number of different flavors, like Dirty Chai Latte and Pineapple Pear.
Besides tasting great, the flights themselves look beautiful, with lots of different saturated colors. The tasting glasses are presented in dark wooden trays which stay on-brand with the aesthetic of the rest of the restaurant itself.
View this post on Instagram
Wood adorns all of the walls and the ceiling itself, creating a look that harkens back to the brand itself. A bivouac is an improvised shelter, and the brewery itself maintains this outdoorsy theme. The star of the show is in the corner of the front area, a U-shaped seating arrangement supported by ropes from the ceiling.
With sharp angles, dark aesthetics, and wood accents, Bivouac Ciderworks in North Park is a great place to snap a pic for Instagram.
Shank and Bone
Anyone who has walked or driven through North Park has undoubtedly seen and been intrigued by the giant “Shank and Bone Vietnamese” sign that adorns their University Ave location. While the outside may seem minimalistic and simple, the inside is open and beautiful.
View this post on Instagram
The food is delicious, and for anyone who hasn’t yet tried Vietnamese food, this is a great place to start. The Pho is flavorful and the meat is delicious. My recommendation is to get a soup with the bone marrow included. Not only is the food beautifully presented, and thus a perfect way to bless your Instagram feed, the walls are covered in art, including a statement piece by Shepard Fairey.
From a huge map covering one wall to brightly colored chairs at every table, Shank and Bone is a great place for snapping pics. For people watching, there are large windows you can face inside, or simply eat outside! For Instagrammable Vietnamese food in North Park, Shank and Bone has to be on your list.
