Best Restaurants Open on Thanksgiving in San Diego (2026)
Turkey dinners by the water, seafood buffets, an early pub lunch and special-occasion meals, with prices and hours for Thursday, November 26.
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Twenty-five San Diego restaurants are serving Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, November 26, 2026, from downtown and the Gaslamp to La Jolla, Coronado and North County. The list runs from classic turkey dinners and waterfront buffets to an early pub lunch and a few holiday menus where turkey is optional.
The biggest difference between them is what the price actually buys. A $54 turkey plate, a $105 three-course dinner and a $292 ballroom buffet are very different reservations, so the table below lists the format and hours next to every price.
Find your Thanksgiving table
San Diego Thanksgiving restaurants at a glance
| Restaurant | Area | Adult price | Format and hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Ham's Lighthouse | Harbor Island | $95 | Buffet, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| Bali Hai | Shelter Island | $88 | Buffet, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. |
| Coasterra | Harbor Island | $89.95 | Buffet, noon–7 p.m. |
| Catamaran Resort | Mission Bay | $125 | Ballroom buffet, noon–6 p.m. |
| Bahia Resort | Mission Bay | $115 | Ballroom buffet from noon |
| Hotel del Coronado | Coronado | $292 | Crown Room buffet |
| Ember & Rye | Carlsbad | $165 | Buffet 11 a.m.–3 p.m.; à la carte dinner 5–8:30 p.m. |
| Rancho Valencia | Rancho Santa Fe | $275 | Buffet with kids' activities, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Callie | East Village | $110 | Holiday menu, 1–7:30 p.m. |
| Animae | Downtown waterfront | $110 | Four courses, 3–8 p.m. |
| Provisional | Gaslamp Quarter | $105 | Three courses, 2–7 p.m. |
| Bronze Bird | Downtown | $60 | Three courses with dessert buffet, noon–8 p.m. |
| Bonne Vie | Downtown | $85 | Three courses, 4–7:30 p.m. |
| Mister A's | Bankers Hill | $120 | Three courses, holiday seatings |
| Island Prime | Harbor Island | $99.95 | Three courses, noon–7:30 p.m. |
| George's at the Cove | La Jolla Village | $95 | Family-style dinner |
| The Marine Room | La Jolla Shores | $165 | Four courses, 1–8 p.m. |
| A.R. Valentien | Torrey Pines | $165 | Three courses, 2–7 p.m. |
| Fleurette | University City | $125 | Four courses, 1–7:30 p.m. |
| Herb & Sea | Encinitas | $92 | Four courses, 1–7 p.m. |
| Sally's Waterfront Dining | Downtown waterfront | $54 | Turkey entrée, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. |
| Shakespeare Pub | Middletown | $42.95 | Roast plate plus pub menu, 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| The Grill at Torrey Pines | Torrey Pines | $75 | Turkey dinner plus regular menu, 2–9 p.m. |
| JRDN | Pacific Beach | $65 | Turkey plate |
| Veranda | Rancho Bernardo | $52 or $75 | Turkey plate or three courses, 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. |
Holiday buffets
The all-you-can-eat option, from bayside seafood spreads on Harbor and Shelter islands to the ballroom feasts at Mission Bay, Coronado and North County resorts. Book these when variety matters more than everyone eating the same thing at once.
Tom Ham's Lighthouse
2150 Harbor Island Dr, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
The buffet for seafood people. Lobster claws, crab, oysters and shrimp share the room with carving stations of turkey, prime rib, ham and salmon, so dinner can start with a seafood plate and only eventually reach the stuffing. Details: 11 a.m.–5 p.m. $95 per adult, $35 for ages 5–11, free for 4 and under. Two-hour dining limit.
Bali Hai
2230 Shelter Island Dr, San Diego, CA 92106, USA
All the familiar food, with a few island detours. Turkey breast and confit dark meat sit alongside prime rib, Hawaiian-spiced ham, lobster ravioli and blackened salmon, and the adult price is gentler than the bigger resort spreads. Details: 11 a.m.–7 p.m. $88 per adult, $32 for ages 5–12, free under 5. Check the holiday cancellation terms when you book.
Coasterra
880 B Harbor Island Dr, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
Worth a close look if you're bringing several kids. The adult buffet is priced like its Harbor Island neighbors, but the kids' rate is just $19.95. The draw is the room itself, a big bayfront dining room looking straight at the skyline. Details: Noon–7 p.m. $89.95 per adult, $19.95 per child, plus tax, gratuity and a supplemental fee.
Catamaran Resort Thanksgiving Buffet
3999 Mission Blvd, San Diego, CA 92109, USA
A full holiday gathering over Mission Bay. Turkey and ham share the ballroom with oysters, shrimp, crab claws, sushi and a gnocchi and ravioli station, and adults get a glass of sparkling wine to go with the live entertainment. Details: Noon–6 p.m., last seating 4 p.m. $125 per adult, $54 for ages 5–12, free for 4 and under. The buffet is in the upstairs ballrooms, not Oceana Coastal Kitchen.
Bahia Resort Thanksgiving Buffet
998 W Mission Bay Dr, San Diego, CA 92109, USA
The one that turns Thanksgiving into a family outing. Buffet guests can join a holiday cruise with games and kids' activities, and the Mission Bay Ballroom spread runs from turkey and seafood to a ramen station. Details: From noon. $115 per adult, $50 for ages 6–12, free for 4 and under; call about 5-year-olds. Two-hour dining limit, and tickets are final sale. The cruise is first-come, first-served. This is separate from Dockside 1953.
Hotel del Coronado Thanksgiving Buffet
1500 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118, USA
The grandest room in the county and, at $292 a head, the priciest meal on this list. The buffet fills the restored Crown and Coronet Rooms under sugar-pine ceilings and chandeliers designed by L. Frank Baum, with carving stations, chilled seafood, sushi, a ramen station and a dessert and gelato display, plus sparkling wine and live music. Save it for a milestone year. Details: $292 per adult, $165 for ages 5–12, free for 4 and under. Online prices include fees; booking by phone at 619-522-8100 avoids the 6% online booking fee. Confirm your seating time when you book.
Ember & Rye
7447 Batiquitos Dr, Carlsbad, CA 92011, USA
Two very different Thanksgivings depending on when you book. By day it's an elaborate buffet with breakfast dishes, sushi, carving stations and desserts; in the evening the restaurant switches to holiday specials alongside its regular menu. Details: Buffet 11 a.m.–3 p.m., $165 per adult, $65 for ages 2–12. Dinner 5–8:30 p.m., priced à la carte. Navigate to the restaurant, not the resort lobby.
Rancho Valencia Thanksgiving Buffet
5921 Valencia Cir, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067, USA
A whole afternoon for families ready to splurge. The buffet goes well past turkey and sides, with Petrossian caviar, seafood, sushi, a truffle-shaving station, carving stations and a big dessert spread. Kids get a petting zoo, carriage rides, face painting, a bounce house and crafts. Details: 11 a.m.–4 p.m. $275 per adult, $95 for ages 3–11, free under 3. Reserve by phone at 858-759-6246.
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Prix fixe and family-style dinners
Set menus and family-style tables, for a Thanksgiving that feels like a proper occasion. Prices run from a $60 three-course dinner downtown to $165 oceanfront menus in La Jolla.
Callie
1195 Island Ave, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
Callie fixes the one real downside of eating Thanksgiving out: no leftovers. Every guest goes home with a turkey sandwich. Optional wine and nonalcoholic pairings make it easy to turn dinner into an occasion without making the night about drinking. Details: Seatings 1–7:30 p.m. $110 per adult, $50 per child. Wine pairing $65, nonalcoholic pairing $55. Three hours of validated parking included.
Animae
969 Pacific Hwy, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
For a table that loves the holiday but not the predictable menu. Dinner opens with ube pan de sal and moves through Hunan lamb chops, Vietnamese-herb baked mussels and turkey roulade with soy gravy, with braised beef, sea bass and butternut squash bucatini for anyone skipping turkey. Shared sides and a pumpkin-coconut dessert keep it feeling like Thanksgiving. Details: 3–8 p.m. $110 per adult for four courses, with bread and shared sides.
Provisional
425 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
Provisional plays it classic with free-range turkey, pecan-apple stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes and cranberry-pomegranate sauce, while white sea bass and braised short rib give the rest of the table real alternatives. The roasted honeynut squash main is vegan, which helps when a group can't agree on one restaurant. Details: 2–7 p.m. $105 per adult, $42 for kids 12 and under, optional $50 wine pairing. Reservations required. Book the November 26 dinner, not Chefsgiving on November 19.
Bronze Bird
910 Broadway Cir, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
One of the best-value complete dinners in the city: $60 covers a starter, a main and a holiday dessert buffet. Mains are Diestel turkey with caramelized-onion brioche stuffing, red-wine-braised short ribs, or a rainbow chard and spaghetti squash dish for vegetarians. Families who want a proper sit-down Thanksgiving without resort prices should start here. Details: Noon–8 p.m. $60 per adult, $30 per child, $30 wine pairing. Two hours of complimentary valet with validation.
Bonne Vie
1055 Second Ave, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
The middle ground between a turkey plate and a resort buffet. The three-course dinner keeps the classic centerpiece of turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce, with salmon and braised short rib as alternatives and family-style sides for the shared-table feel. Dessert is pumpkin cheesecake or Grand Marnier crème brûlée. Details: 4–7:30 p.m. $85 per adult, $55 for ages 2–12, free for 1 and under. Parking $10 for up to three hours. Cancellations within 72 hours cost $25 per person.
Mister A's
2550 Fifth Ave 12th floor, San Diego, CA 92103, USA
The dress-up option, with the city spread out below. Traditionalists get roasted Diestel turkey; everyone else can choose salmon Wellington, scallops, lamb osso buco or prime filet. The apple-pie baked Alaska is the holiday flavor in a less expected form. Details: $120 per adult for three courses; pick a holiday seating when you book. Some dishes carry supplements, and parties of six or more get an automatic service charge.
Island Prime
880 Harbor Island Dr, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
Same waterfront, no buffet line. The three-course dinner gives the table a proper beginning, middle and end instead of an afternoon of trips to the carving station, which makes it the better Harbor Island pick for a smaller or older group. Details: Noon–7:30 p.m. $99.95 per adult, $24.95 per child, plus tax, gratuity and a supplemental fee.
George's at the Cove
1250 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
The most Thanksgiving-like Thanksgiving here. Dinner arrives family-style: turkey breast, sage-sausage-stuffed turkey leg, chestnut-mushroom stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, with a couple of smart detours like Japanese sweet potato with yuzu marshmallow and Gruyère green bean casserole. The coastline view comes with it. Details: $95 per adult, $45 for kids 12 and under, served in the Ocean View Room for parties of 2–12. Book the Thanksgiving dinner specifically; the rooftop is a separate reservation.
The Marine Room
1950 Spindrift Dr, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
Here the setting is the gift. The Pacific sits right outside the dining room windows, and the four-course holiday menu makes dinner the main event of the day, which suits couples, visiting parents or a small family marking an occasion. Details: 1–8 p.m. $165 per adult, $65 per child. A window table is a request, not a guarantee.
A.R. Valentien
11480 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
A carefully paced seated dinner overlooking the golf course. Turkey comes with wild-mushroom-and-chestnut stuffing, while snapper, steak and pumpkin-pesto pappardelle cover everyone else. Every guest leaves with a pastry gift. Details: 2–7 p.m. $165 per adult, $65 for kids 12 and under, three courses.
Fleurette
4727 Executive Dr Suite100, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
A four-course occasion (amuse-bouche, starter, main and dessert) that still sends everyone home with a turkey sandwich. Bar seats are reservable, so it's one of the best picks for one or two people, and there's a nonalcoholic pairing alongside the wine. Details: 1–7:30 p.m. $125 per adult, $50 for a two-course kids' meal (10 and under). No à la carte menu. Valet $10, or three hours of validated self-parking.
Herb & Sea
131 W D St, Encinitas, CA 92024, USA
The pick for a North County group that cares as much about the cooking as the tradition. The four-course menu keeps turkey alongside filet, sea bass and a cauliflower main with saffron, coconut, berbere and chimichurri, and family-style sides bring everyone back to the same table. Details: 1–7 p.m. $92 per adult, $38 per child.
Turkey plates and casual meals
One good plate of turkey, or a regular menu alongside the holiday special. These keep the bill and the evening shorter, and several serve later than most.
Sally's Waterfront Dining
1 Market Pl, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
A big plate of turkey by the water, with no courses to work through. The $54 entrée comes with white and dark meat, sage gravy, cranberry-clementine relish, Boursin mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans and Brussels sprouts. Pumpkin pie tart is extra if there's room. Details: 11 a.m.–9 p.m. $54 turkey entrée; dessert $12.
Shakespeare Pub
3701 India St, San Diego, CA 92103, USA
Not every Thanksgiving needs linen and three hours. Shakespeare's $42.95 roast comes as turkey with stuffing or roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, both with potatoes, vegetables and gravy. Fish and chips and shepherd's pie stay on the menu for anyone who wants something else. Details: Holiday menu 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m., bar last call 3:30 p.m. This is an early meal, not a Thanksgiving-night backup. Reservations recommended.
The Grill at Torrey Pines
11480 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
The easier Torrey Pines option. The $75 special covers turkey, the traditional sides and pumpkin pie, and the regular menu stays available, handy when one person wants the full holiday and another would rather order off the menu. Details: 2–9 p.m. $75 per person. Book The Grill, not A.R. Valentien: they share an address but not a menu.
JRDN
723 Felspar St, San Diego, CA 92109, USA
A beachside Thanksgiving built around one good plate: turkey, brioche-sage stuffing, cranberry chutney, mashed potatoes, green beans and butternut squash. Starters and dessert are ordered separately, so you decide how big dinner gets. Details: $65 turkey plate, $29 kids' plate, dessert $12.
Veranda at Rancho Bernardo Inn
17550 Bernardo Oaks Dr, San Diego, CA 92128, USA
Let each guest decide how much Thanksgiving they want: a $52 traditional turkey plate or a $75 three-course prix fixe, in the inn's casual restaurant overlooking the golf course. Some guests get the whole occasion, others just a good plate of turkey. Details: 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. Both options add tax and a 20% service charge.
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