Life in San Diego: Del Mar

Mar 10, 2025 - Mira Paranjape

With miles of stunning coast curving around cliffsides, Del Mar embodies the quintessential San Diego seaside city. But despite its stunning tourist-friendly vibe, its European-style architecture and wide variety of small businesses give the city a charming small-town spirit perfect for families and folks looking to lay back and relax.

Here’s what Del Mar has to offer.

Delicious eats and curated cafes

From Del Mar Village to One Paseo and everything in between, Del Mar’s unique cafes, restaurants, and shops have offerings for all.

Start your morning off at Stratford Court Café, a local landmark that’s been serving delicious food for decades. No matter what you pick from the menu—like the delicious Berries and Cream Waffle—it’s best enjoyed on the patio. If your mornings look more like a pastry and drink on the go, Paris en Rose is your perfect spot. Serving up Parisian recipes with a modern twist, you won’t regret indulging in a few of their freshly made pastries.

For a more substantial lunch or dinner, check out Jake’s Del Mar or Pacifica for fine dining experiences, or URBN Pizza or Postino for laid-back bites. Of course, for the foodie who wants variety, Sky Deck offers nine restaurants, a cocktail bar, and three breweries all under one roof.

And did you really visit Del Mar if you didn’t grab dessert at An’s Hatmakers? The genius gelato makers behind An’s Dry Cleaning—the best ice cream shop in the U.S., according to USA Today—opened their second shop in Del Mar, featuring a unique line up of made-from-scratch gelato flavors. The name is an homage to Del Mar’s history of horse races at the fairgrounds where spectators would finish their ensembles with their finest hats.

Activities for all ages

Whether you prefer dipping your toes in the water or staying on solid ground, Del Mar offers a plethora of activities for all interests and ages.

Enjoy a relaxing day at the beach, where you can turn it up a notch with surf lessons for all experience levels at Del Mar Surf School. Four-legged family members are also welcome to soak up some sun, with wide swaths of coastline open to leashed and off-leash dogs. The beach also makes the perfect backdrop for hiking. The Crest Canyon Loop Trail features clear views of the waves and Sunset Seat is the perfect spot for a sunset picture. For a more laidback way to take in the beach and bluffs, consider a picnic at Seagrove Park. Local tip: Grab a few sandwiches from Board and Brew, San Diego’s own sandwich chain founded in Del Mar.

Next, golf amateurs and experts alike can hone their skills at Del Mar Golf Center. Visitors can take lessons, hit the driving range, or enjoy a round of mini golf at Pelly’s Mini Golf.

Aside from enjoying the outdoors, San Diegans can find all kinds of fun adventures across Del Mar. For an educational and rewarding experience for the family, visit the Free Flight Bird Sanctuary, where you’ll have fun feeding and interacting with the birds while helping the parrots prepare to be re-homed. While these experiences are year-round, visitors can also enjoy seasonal activities at The Del Mar Fairgrounds. Check out San Diego County Fair in the summer, horse races from summer into early fall, the Scream Zone for Halloween, and Coastal Christmas in December.

Play hard, work hard

From cutting-edge biopharmaceuticals to Big Four accounting firms, you’ll make an impact at life-changing companies in a variety of industries when you live in Del Mar.

If you’re software-savvy, you might work at Seismic, a sales software company headquartered in Del Mar. One of San Diego’s software unicorns, its sales enablement technology landed the company a place on the prestigious Forbes Cloud 100.

Dream of driving scientific breakthroughs? Neurocrine Biosciences is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing therapeutics for neurological and neuroendocrine disorders. Its passion for research has resulted in a newly FDA-approved drug, branded as Crenessity, to treat a rare genetic disorder affecting cortisol-producing glands.

Other life-changing companies based in Del Mar: Tandem Diabetes Care, Kura Oncology, Halozyme Therapeutics, Deloitte, FICO, and many more.