Nice pics!
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We were just there about a week ago. It is super crowded but worth it, IMO. We booked the earliest bus out we could and spend a few hours. It definitely got more crowded as time went on.
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itâs a skill, you gotta practice. start small, yell at some people with their dogs off-leash or something, then work your way up.
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Getting ready to head back to the States for a visit. Checking the menus of a few of our favorite past haunts. Shocked to find that in some cases prices have increased 2-3x from the last time we visited six years ago. Outrageous!
How on earth do you Americans afford to live these days?
The only restaurant food i can think of that may have doubled is fast food stuff.
Well, my go-to Bun dish at my favorite Vietnamese place, which is basically just some toppings over a big bed of rice noodles, used to be $9.95 and today it is $20.95. Canât even comprehend it.
Cheap stuff like fast food and hole in the wall spots increased a decent amount. Maybe this is a hot take but Iâd argue that is probably a good thing. If youâre going to get food prepared and served to you at a B&M spot it shouldnât be $5 in Americaâs current climate. If the Chinese takeout place i used to frequent for lunch 10-15 years ago is still selling the same thing for $4.99 that is not a good thing in my book. Iâm either eating dog food, the owner is paying the kitchen workers pennies or theyâre taking a bath themselves and are too scared to raise prices and potentially drive off customers.
Something like a $20-30 entree in my experience hasnât increased as much overall. I also havenât noticed a large increase in high end/fine dining prices, certainly nothing like a 2x or 3x.
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Anyone have any recs for San Diego? Activities, restaurants, breweries, museums, etc. Partner and I are planning to visit for a couple nights over Memorial Day weekend. Weâll have a car.
Quick research suggests Little Italy is a good area of the city to stay. Central to other parts of the city, and plenty to do in the neighborhood. Maybe also North Park neighborhood? Hotel, not Airbnb.
Little more specific, things I would love to find: street/truck tacos, noodles/dim sum/dumplings, great beer (NE IPAs), small artist galleries/craft goods shops (is there a good flea market or farmers market?)
God I hate these people so much. Genuinely think they deserve jail time.
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As long as youâre within walking district of the Gaslight District, your dining, brewery and entertainment needs should be met. Should be plenty of street-food as well and probably some hipster flea market type places.
Coronado Island/Hotel is a fun half-day trip.
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@Ikioi how do i go about planning/making reservations at tokyo restaurants? are there ramen and sushi spots i should hunt booking way ahead of time?
Re ramen, this place slapped so hard,
https://maps.app.goo.gl/XPzN9pSPikLBCRVe7?g_st=ic
I donât know if that link will preview, but if you click it you can see where the restaurant is on a map.
Itâs broth-less ramen, which was unexpected when I walked in and ordered but very welcome as something different.
Itâs called Aburagumi Ramen Ginza, I think.
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If you google Tokyo restaurant reservations you should find a couple English language services. But unless you have a particularly popular and hard to reserve place in mind, you shouldnât need to reserve in advance of your trip.
Ramen places in particular in most cases wonât accept reservations, as even Japanese will stand in line for an hour or more at the most popular ones.
My own favorite ramen spot is a place called Kaijin in Shinjuku.
And my favorite sushi is a revolving sushi called Katsu Midori, with several locations. Excellent quality at a good price:
There are countless others though, so youâre unlikely to go wrong wherever you go.
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Correct me if Iâm wrong, but âgoing out to lunchâ culture among the salarymen in Tokyo is huge, right? I recall all the ramen shops filling up right at 12pm and basically emptying out around 1pm.
So like, if thereâs a shop that you want to check out and youâre not constrained on time, go a little early or a little later and youâll have a faster time getting a seat at the counter.
On weekdays, that will definitely be the case at many spots. Typically, if you go right at opening (usually 11-11:30) or after the lunch rush (1:30-2), there should be way less of a wait. Conversely, itâs best to avoid going right at peak hours unless you donât mind waiting at the more popular haunts.
North Park and Pure Project are the two must-visit breweries.
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Bronx Pizza in Hillcrest is a must.
El Cuervo (fish burrito is my fav) & Oscarâs are two excellent Mexican spots in the same neighborhood.
City Tacos in North Park is also excellent.
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i can see us going to a place like that once or twice on our visit, if you have a recommendation
Iâm afraid I donât, as I tend toward casual dining. The Internet is probably your friend in this case.
But Iâm sure you wonât regret seeking out a highly rated high-end sushi place and enjoying the full experience, price be damned. And the favorable exchange rate wonât hurt either.
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This is true and conveniently they have nice tap rooms right next to each other in Bankers Hill.
Also check out Bottlecraft, they have locations all over San Diego and have the best beer list and service, and Burgeon in Little Italy is the best of many breweries there within walking distance of each other.