Restaurants in El Cajon

At Sadaf, variety is the main attraction. Kebabs arrive at tables skewered with juicy bits of chicken, seafood, beef, or lamb and share plate space with saffron-seasoned basmati rice. Exposed-brick walls show off bas-relief carvings of ancient symbols such as the Faravahar, which represents the Iranian nation. A ceiling painted to look like a clear sky with a thin veil of clouds and in-flight birds looks down on diners as they dig into lamb shank, boneless-chicken kebabs, and other delicacies. Weather permitting, guests can snag a seat on the front patio and scan the skies for majestic, soaring ostriches.

Guests have to blink a few times upon first entering the Alexander's on 30th dining room—a dazzling wash of pristine white walls, white Carrara-marble counters, and white linen tablecloths. Moonlight pours in through lofty windows, causing the wine glasses and silverware to shimmer with images from Casablanca. Little candles speckle the tabletops, casting a glow on plates of colorful bruschetta, fine pasta dishes, and Italian specialties. A variety of artisanal pizzas perch atop silver pedestals—including the White Room pizza, a flavorful combination of garlic, chicken, and pesto that the San Diego Union Tribune named 1 of the top 50 things to eat in San Diego before you die. Outside, on the back patio, diners linger over last bites of cookie sundaes beneath trees adorned with strings of light.

Once known as Da Kitchen and Mo’s Island Grinds, Homestyle Hawaiian keeps the home-cooked tradition alive, infusing fresh island fare with the familiar flavors of down-home cooking. A menu fit for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert features combo plates stacked with Hawaiian classics, such as meat jhun and kalua pig, which refuel diners hungered from long days of shooting ex-boyfriends' furniture out of a cannon, and bites laden with other Asian flavors, including Korean-style chicken. The kitchen crew ends hearty meals with Hawaiian shaved ice and four types of crème brûlée, including toasted coconut and bananas foster.

For 26 years, The Gathering's award-winning kitchen has prepared a swath of grilled American fare that integrates seafood, steak, and veggies. Restaurateur and magician Dan Thomas wanders between tables at dinner, performing card tricks as diners look up from their plates of meaty crepes. He emphasizes that humans are “analog in a digital world,” and he sees restaurants as one of the last places where people can experience neighborly hospitality and snack on all the semiconductors they can eat.

Though at least 130 miles and 80 years of history separate golden-age Hollywood from modern-day National City, Cafe La Maze bridges the gap. During the 1940s, this steakhouse served as a playground for movie stars headed to Tijuana, Mexico. Here, they could tuck in to prime rib and lobster on the lower level, or gamble the night away with card sharks such as the Marx Brothers and eponymous restaurateur Marcel Lamaze in a hidden room upstairs.

Today, diners soak up auras of these legends in the same tufted booths where Bing Crosby and Clark Gable most likely lingered at the eatery's grand opening. Candles, chandeliers, and a golden ceiling cast a warm glow across tables as groups savor shrimp cocktails and slice into juicy cuts of top sirloin, new york strip, and filet mignon. Some evenings live music scores meals, and on karaoke nights guests can harmonize with friends as the portraits that line the damask-print walls try to remember the words. Those seeking a more low-key gathering can book the banquet room, which teems with enough red-vinyl seats for up to 70 close friends or cardboard cutouts of their likenesses.

Nautical Nellies, now in its 15th year of business, is no stranger to recognition— the eatery, which overlooks the city's inner harbour, has topped multiple Open Table Diners' Choice awards in categories including Best Food, Best Seafood, and Best Overall. Fillets of wild Pacific halibut or Vancouver Island ling cod flake beneath forks, and shellfish, lobster, and dungeness crab claws teeter on multi-tiered seafood towers. Diners can sample 10 varieties of oysters and rolls of fusion sushi, many of which come recommended by the Ocean Wise sustainable seafood program. Grass-fed Angus steaks, aged for 35 days, are cooked to any specification, from well done to what chefs term “blue”— seared on the outside, with a cool center and a scrawled-on frowny face.

Thanks to the work of wine director Betty Furneaux and sommelier Lisa Hartery, Nautical Nellies' beverage programs are just as thoughtfully designed as their dining menus. Wine Spectator honoured the eatery's wine list with an Award of Excellence in 2011. Cocktails range from beachy mojitos to the savoury double-prawn caesar with vodka, Clamato juice, and two black tiger prawns. The restaurant also dedicates a menu exclusively to scotch.