North Park
Northeast of Downtown San Diego and bordering Balboa Park, North Park is a diverse and eclectic Midtown neighborhood whose streets are lined with coffee shops, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and craft beer pubs.
The epicenter of North Park is the intersection of University Avenue and 30th Street, which holds claim to being "the best beer neighborhood in the nation." Craft cocktails are also a mainstay, along with plenty of adventurous dining. And North Park's cultural life pulses with everything from comedy to visual art to live music, making it a perfect neighborhood to experience San Diego's creative ferment.
North Park Highlights
Observatory North Park
Observatory North Park
The historic North Park Theatre, opened in 1929, is now home to the Observatory North Park, a fully updated concert venue that brings top acts to the neighborhood. The grand old hall shares space with the West Coast Tavern, serving American fare, cocktails and more.
The Lafayette Hotel & Club
The Lafayette Hotel & Club
While it's officially located in the community of University Heights, the historic Lafayette sits right on the border of North Park and is a Midtown San Diego landmark. The beautifully restored, ‘40s-vintage hotel was once a hideaway for Hollywood stars and is now a hipster hangout. It's much-buzzed as both a go-to spot for dining and drinking (with an impressive array of bars and restaurants) and a great place to stay for a while. It’s not for nothing that the Lafayette was named Esquire magazine’s 2024 national Hotel of the Year; the place is both iconic and iconoclastic (with its over-the-top, ya-gotta-see-this decor), and it’s a must-visit when you’re Midtown.
North Park's 'Beer Street'
North Park's 'Beer Street'
North Park's key thoroughfare of 30th Street (which also runs through the neighborhoods of Normal Heights and South Park) has gained fame as San Diego's Beer Central. Along this avenue of eclectic shops, galleries and more, you'll find some of the city's best craft breweries, tasting rooms and beer-friendly restaurants. They play a big part in San Diego's rep as the Craft Beer Capital of America.
An's Dry Cleaning
An's Dry Cleaning
Here's the scoop on the curiously named An's: It's not a dry-cleaning outfit but a nationally renowned ice cream shop. (Seems the owners couldn’t bear to change the name of the original business when they opened in 2018.) Not only is An’s Dry Cleaning now a North Park favorite, but it was named the No. 2 ice cream joint in America in a USA Today survey. The shop, which specializes in silky gelato, calls its flavors “fabrics,” and you’ll find them in flavors from traditional strawberry to Irish Coffee and a whole lot more.
Switzer Canyon
Switzer Canyon
Just east of Balboa Park's Morley Field, with its ball fields, tennis courts and other recreational riches, lies this narrow canyon traversed by a tree-shaded dirt trail. Switzer Canyon offers a taste of nature amid the urban bustle, and if you're ambitious you can take the trail all the way to its terminus at Redwood Street.