Food + Drink • Things to Do • San Diego

Neighborhood Spotlight North Park San Diego

There's a tight-knit community in San Diego located just north of the 150-year-old cultural center that is Balboa Park. Aptly named "North Park," this neighborhood is highly sought after as a happening residential area and place where independent businesses can grow. Also, to those who call San Diego the "Craft Beer Capital of the World," North Park is the heart of it all, with the highest density of establishments focused on craft beer. It's also worth mentioning that North Park received national recognition by Forbes in 2012, as one of "America's Hippest Hipster Neighborhoods." Read on to learn why.

A Sign Lit Up At Night

Photo by @bersonphotos

History

The development of North Park happened back in the early 1900s, when the San Diego Electric Railway connected two major paths to the area. This created a hub named the "Busy Corner," as investors, realtors, and shopkeepers all traveled to the community in search of commercial opportunities. During the 1950s, North Park was the place for shopping, but that reputation later declined because of regional malls. Over the last 20 years, the neighborhood has seen drastic improvement and gentrification. It's now a destination for many businesses, especially culinary ventures looking to establish a name for themselves. For example, one local chef started out in North Park with a little shack but now has multiple locations throughout the city. It shows how small businesses can succeed when people come together to help and support each other.

A Large Machine In A Building

Photo Courtesy of Mike Hess Brewing

Why So Hip?

In 2012, Forbes ranked North Park as one of America's Hippest Hipster Neighborhoods. While it sounds like this list would be opinion-based, the magazine actually took a scientific approach. They compiled data from the neighborhood social network Nextdoor and compared it with over 250 cities. The resulting "Hip Score" was a collection of the following attributes:

Walkability rating
Number of coffee shops
Number and frequency of farmer's markets
Selection of locally owned bars & restaurants
The assortment of food trucks
The percentage of people working in artistic occupations
The amount of hipster-related words found on their Nextdoor site

A Cup Of Water

Photo by @brimd05

Beer Me

Along the stretch of 30th Street of North Park lies a countless number of breweries, craft beer bars and tasting rooms. Plenty of beer enthusiasts attempt this bar crawl but due to the vast amount of tap options along the way, not all finish it! Consider this: you could start at Mike Hess Brewing (one of our #FlavorSanDiego partners) and sample their World Beer Cup-winning Habitus Rye IPA. Then, walk a minute away to the California Tap Room and munch on a traditional Munich Bavarian soft pretzel, housemade beer cheese, and a fresh Alesmith .394 Pale Ale (named after local baseball legend Tony Gwynn's batting average). From there, you have an endless supply of options before you reach punk rock-themed Fall Brewing at the northern end of 30th Street. But any way you go, you'll be a stone throw's distance from some tasty grub and grog.

The next time you're in San Diego, come explore the artsy area outside of the busy Gaslamp Quarter. It's only five miles away from a water view here at Loews Coronado Bay Resort. And, if you don't feel like leaving the resort, you can still sample the local craft beer scene at our various outlets. We also have Flavor Fridays, when we offer sample of our local partners' products from 4 – 5 PM.

Cheers!