While the City of Coronado offers hundreds of reasons for residents to love calling it home, one of the greatest perks it offers other than the beautiful weather is the variety of restaurants and local eateries people can walk to for breakfast, brunch, lunch, happy hour, dinner, and dessert. Many of us tend to find ourselves in a bit of a rut though, opting to eat at the same places where we know the menus by heart rather than venture to the establishments we haven’t tried yet. Coronado resident Rebecca Patrick found herself stuck in that same familiar rut, and decided to make it her mission to try every single eatery in Coronado before her upcoming move in October.
When Rebecca Patrick and her family moved to Coronado in the summer of 2013 from Everett, Washington, they opted to eat their first dinner in the Crown City at the Rhinoceros Cafe & Grille, which has since closed its doors after being in business for twenty-two years. She recalls that the upscale restaurant with its white tablecloths was an “odd choice” for them, but after a long day of exploring the new place the Navy told them to call home, the Patrick family decided to eat there because its menu, which featured Italian dishes, was appealing to their son Ethan and daughter Kate.
Rebecca, who is an amazing chef in her own right, decided to make it her mission early on to try every single restaurant in Coronado. Initially she tried in earnest to be adventurous as she ventured to various restaurants, but, as she explains, “Life just gets busy,” and before she knew it, her husband Haden’s next set of orders arrived. Rebecca realized that if she was going to make her mission of eating at every single Coronado restaurant a reality, she was running out of time! “As I was getting closer to the end, I realized I was really close, and it just became a mission to finish,” she shares.
On Saturday, September 24, 2016, Rebecca finally had the long awaited opportunity to dine at Chez Loma, where she could officially declare that she had dined at every single restaurant in Coronado. Ironically that was the very first restaurant she and her family tried to dine at on that first day when they arrived in Coronado, but it happened to be closed at the time that they went there. Was it worth the wait? Rebecca, who loves French food, wasn’t at all disappointed after waiting three years to eat there. “The French onion soup was excellent as were the Mussels a la Mariniere,” she notes. She also enjoyed the signature cocktail she ordered, a pomegranate martini. “It was perfect – not too sweet and just right,” she says of her drink.
Few people, if any other than Rebecca, can truly compare and contrast their favorite eating houses because how many of us can say we’ve eaten at every single restaurant in Coronado? Rebecca was more than happy to divulge which restaurants and dishes made her list of favorites.
Top 3 Favorite Restaurants:
- Villa Nueva: “I love Villa Nueva for breakfast and coffee.”
- Tartine: “I love Tartine for their pâté and charcuterie plates. They’re a great way to feed a crowd, and the price is reasonable. I love their cappuccinos as well.”
- Cafe 1134: “That’s the place where I met all of my friends for coffee when we were out on our walks. It’s just a great easy place to meet up. We’ve had PTO meetings there too! I have a lot of memories engrained of mornings spent at 1134.”
Favorite Pizza:
“Oooh! That’s so tough! I love High Tide and Village Pizzeria for two different reasons,” Rebecca says.
- Hide Tide Bottle Shop & Kitchen: “I love the crust at High Tide, and I love the variety that I can get because everybody can get their own slice.”
- Village Pizzeria: “I always took my family and friends to Village Pizza whenever they would come visit, and we’d get the giant pizza. The first time we ate there, we had no idea how huge that pizza is, but figured there were a lot of us so it would be fine. We also ordered the family size salad, and it was literally the size of our table! It was so funny, and we ended up taking a lot of it home, of course.”
Favorite Burger:
- Burger Lounge: “I love their classic burger.”
Favorite Seafood:
- Leroy’s Kitchen + Lounge: “Their poke tacos are delicious!”
- Lobster West: “When I heard they were coming to Coronado, I started carrying my punch card from their location in Encinitas around with me in my phone case. Every time I would take a walk I would stop to see when they were opening, and I even stopped in and showed them my card before their soft opening because I was so excited. I filled up my punch card very quickly once it opened here. I love their lobster roll!”
Favorite Asian Restaurant:
- Saiko Sushi: “I love their edamame, fresh water eel, and Crown Roll.
Favorite Italian Restaurant:
- Vigilucci’s Ristorante Coronado: “I’ve been there once, and had an excellent meal.”
Favorite Mexican Restaurant:
- Miguel’s: “I’m going to miss their enchiladas and their signature white sauce.”
Favorite Happy Hours:
“There’s fancy cocktail happy hour, and then there’s beer drinking happy hour.”
- Coronado Brewing Company: “For beer drinking, CBC has the best happy hour. It’s a fun place to go to with friends.”
- Stake: “I love sitting up on the roof top patio. It’s a nice place to go for a date.”
- Wine-a-Bit
- VFW Post 2422: “It’s the best deal on the island!”
Favorite Place for Breakfast:
- Villa Nueva: “Huevos Rancheros is my favorite entree there day or night.”
Favorite Dessert:
- Nado Gelato: “Nado Gelato! Easy! The battles that have ensued between our family whether or not we’re going to hit Nado Gelato, Yogurt Escape, or Moo Time Creamery have been funny because I always get outvoted, and then I finally have to put my foot down, and say, ‘I’m going, and I’m getting an affogato (scoop of gelato with espresso).’ It’s really good!”
Favorite Go-to Places with the Kids:
- Which-Wich
- Burger Lounge
- Night and Day Cafe: “My kids like their huge pancakes, but we really love their Mexican dish the Machaca Breakfast.
- Village Pizzeria
- Spiro’s Greek Café
Favorite Places to Take Guests:
- Tartine: “It is hands down my dad’s favorite restaurant. He always wears a bright orange hat, and he’s come to Coronado four times. They not only know who he is, but what he’s going to order.”
- Sun Deck Grill and Eno at the Hotel Del Coronado: “I always take guests to the Sun Deck or Eno to watch the sunset. I think it’s just an incredible view. During the holidays, I like to take guests to the Sun Deck, where you can have hot cocoa while you watch people ice skate.”
Favorite Dishes at the New Chinese Restaurant Spicy House:
Spicy House recently opened over the summer, and Rebecca has eaten there on more than one occasion. Knowing that not everyone has had the opportunity to dine there yet, Rebecca shares some of her favorite items on their menu.
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Mongolian Beef and Broccoli
- Fried Dumplings
Rebecca says that she still misses some local eateries that have gone out of business, such as the Rhinoceros Cafe. “I miss Delux Dog a lot. That was one of my kids’ favorite places.”
As Rebecca makes final preparations for her upcoming move, what advice does she offer to Coronado residents, whether they are lifelong residents or new to the area, who are considering trying to replicate her restaurant bucket list challenge? “I love food, and I love trying as many different places as I can. I’ve loved having friends visit, and knocking restaurants off my list that I haven’t tried. I think if anyone’s stuck in a rut, take a leap of faith. If you’re lucky, you order the right thing at the right place because every place has a dish that’s a winner,” she says. She also encourages Coronado residents to pay attention to food reviews and suggestions made on social media. She and her friends had an excellent experience at Calypso Cafe on the Strand after reading about it online.
As she reflects on completing the epicurian challenge she set for herself, Rebecca shares the qualities other than the taste of the food itself that have made certain Coronado restaurants extra special to her. Rebecca, who has been extremely involved in Village Elementary’s PTO says, “So many of our local restaurants support our schools, and I do often find myself choosing some of those places because I know how much they give back. Blue Bridge Hospitality, Which Wich, and High Tide are consistently contributing, and I like their food so sometimes when I’m debating where I’m going to go out to eat, that is a deciding factor for me. I love supporting local businesses in general.”
She continues, “Also I think one of my favorite things about going out to dinner in Coronado is that I’m almost guaranteed to see someone I know there. There’s no other place where that always happens!”
Quality of service is another detail Rebecca has always paid close attention to during her quest to eat at all of the local eateries. According to Rebecca, the two places “you can always count on for great service” are Leroy’s and Tartine. She explains, “I’ve never had a poor service moment at either place. They’re always consistent, and they don’t have a high turnover of their staff. The food tastes better when you get good service!” Rebecca loves that the staff recognize her whenever she goes to either restaurant, almost reminiscent of George walking into the bar on the 80s sitcom Cheers.
Rebecca’s husband Haden has already moved to their next duty station in New Jersey, and Rebecca and the kids are anxious to be reunited with him soon. Does she have any plans of starting another restaurant bucket list once she’s settled into her new home? “Not yet,” she replies, but admits that it may very well happen since Haden has already started purchasing Groupon coupons for restaurants there. New Jersey, known as the Garden State, is known for its Italian food, hoagies, Jersey tomatoes, sweet corn, blueberries, cranberries, and more, and Rebecca is excited to experience the culinary delights there. “I pretty much eat everything,” she confesses as she begins to laugh.
While Rebecca knows that she’s going to miss Coronado forever, she’s looking forward to living on the east coast again, where she will live in closer proximity to her extended family. After living on the west coast for the past five and a half years, Rebecca is eager to return to her east coast roots. When she leaves here, she will take with her countless memories of her time in Coronado, a heart filled with gratitude that she had the opportunity to call this “island” home, and, of course, a full tummy.
