• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

The mahimahi tacos at Pokéz are authentic and addictive, despite the sketchy service.

Get your meat the way you like it by cooking it yourself at Gaslamp Strip Club. Before you sidle up to the communal grill, pick out a bottle of wine from the self-service cellar.

Hodad's (5010 Newport Ave.; 619-224-4623) has served burgers and shakes ($8 to $10) to the hippie community of Ocean Beach since 1969. The bacon cheeseburger is deliciously messy, and the shakes, made from real ice cream, easily serve four people.

Dining with a view.   (Photo: Courtesy of Bertrand at Mister A's )

Woo a date at Bertrand at Mister A's, where you'll gorge on lobster and beef tenderloin ($35 to $39) and view downtown through floor-to-ceiling windows. The wine list is impeccable; take a glass out to the balcony that wraps three sides of the building.

Published on Oct 11, 2006 as a web exclusive.