Our readers voted this spring — both online and through paper ballots — for their favorite foods, nightspots, and all the professionals they rely on. You’ll find familiar names along with a few new ones on this year’s list.
Taste Sensations!
American: Leroy’s Kitchen + Lounge
Bagels: Bruegger’s Bagels
Barbecue: Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q
Bistro/Café: Tartine
Burger: Burger Lounge
Caterer: Prêt Gourmet
Coffee: Café 1134
Comfort Food: Clayton’s Coffee Shop
Deli: TIE!
Boney’s Bayside Market
Park Place Liquor & Deli
French: Chez Loma
Greek: Spiro’s Greek Cafe
Italian: Primavera Ristorante
Lobster: Lobster West
Mexican: Miguel’s Cocina
Pizza: High Tide Pizza
Seafood: Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar
Smoothie: Juice Crafters
Steak: Stake Chophouse & Bar
Sushi: Saiko Sushi
Asian: Bistro d’Asia
Take out: Clayton’s Mexican Take Out
Thai: Swaddee
Wine List: Wine A Bit
Restaurant Wine List: Stake Chophouse & Bar
Meal Prep/Delivery: Scratch Gourmet
Time to Eat!
Breakfast: Clayton’s Coffee Shop
Brunch: Hotel del Coronado
Lunch: Tartine
Dinner: Stake Chophouse & Bar
Best Hotel Restaurant: Crown Bistro (at Crown City Inn)
Food and event pros:
Best Chef: Chef Billy Gilchrist, Tartine
Favorite Maitre d: Jaime Toledo, Primavera Ristorante
Wedding Planner: Amanda McPhail, Creative Affairs, Inc.
The Sweet Spot
Cupcakes: Coronado Cupcakery
Dessert: Tartine
Frozen Yogurt: Yogurt Escape
Gelato: Nado Gelato
Ice Cream: Mootime Creamery
Bakery: Tartine
Candy: Fuzziwig’s Candy Factory
Time to Party!
Bar scene: McP’s Irish Pub & Grill
Entertainment: McP’s Irish Pub & Grill
Live Music: McP’s Irish Pub & Grill
Theater (live): Lamb’s Players Theatre
Wine Bar: Wine A Bit
Hideaway: The Little Club
Most Pet Friendly Restaurant: Tartine
Rest your head!
Best Hotel 100+ rooms: Hotel del Coronado
Best Small Boutique Hotel: Hotel Marisol
Best Bed & Breakfast: 1906 Lodge
Look your best:
Barber: Island Barbers
Beauty Salon: Coronado Beauty Salon
Cosmetic Surgeon: Dr. William Schuffett
Cosmetic Medical Surgery: Coronado Plastic Surgery Center
Dry Cleaners: Crown Cleaners
Esthetician: Natalie Falletta, Salon de Ville
Hairdresser: Ashley Free, Salon de Ville
Hair Colorist: Terri, Kate Chan Salon
Manicurist: Denise Grimsley, Coronado Beauty Salon
Tailor: Amier’s Tailor Shop
Shop till you drop at the Best…
Art Gallery: Emerald C Gallery
Children’s Clothing: Charisma
Women’s Clothing: Pretty Please
Men’s Wear: Men’s Mojo
Florist: Coronado Flower Lady
Gift Shop: Charisma
Hardware Store: Coronado Hardware
Home Furnishings: Côtier
Jewelry: The Attic
Pet Supplies: Wag‘n Tails
Consignment/Resale Goods and Best Bargains: Christ Church Thrift Shop (formerly known at the Opportunity Shop)
Office Supplies: Business Products Express
Surfwear/Boards: Emerald City
Get moving with the best:
Gym: Coronado Fitness Club
Exercise Instructor: Leanne Anderson, Jazzercise
Personal Trainer: Luke Jensen, Coronado Fitness Club
Pilates Studio: Bamboo Pilates
Yoga Studio: Coronado Yoga & Wellness Center
Yoga Instructor: Linda Marques, Coronado Yoga & Wellness Center
Dance studio: Coronado Academy of Dance
Feel your best:
Acupuncturist: Dr. Gila Peled, Island Acupuncture
Chiropractor: Dr. Paul Potter, Potter Chiropractic
Massage Therapist: Julie Garden, Coronado Island Chiropractic
Pharmacy: Rite Aid
Best Hotel Spa: The Spa at the Del
Best Day Spa Outside a Hotel: Orchid Day Spa
Home Pros:
Architect: Kevin Rugee, Kevin Rugee Architect
General Contractor: Dana Cavanaugh, Cavanaugh Construction
Interior Designer/Interior Design Firm: Jessica Tompane, J Hill Interiors
Mortgage Professional: Kory Kavanewsky, CMG Mortgage
Carpet Cleaner: Coronado Carpet and Stone
Plumber: Bay and Shore Company
Property Manager: Crestmont Property Management
Real Estate Agent: Ruth Ann Fisher, Del Coronado Realty
Your Money, Your Life!
Accountant: Hayes & Associates
Attorney: Alisa Kerr, Kerr Law
Financial Institution: Chase Bank
Financial Planner:
Dan Gensler, The Gensler Group
Insurance Agent: Jack Dale, State Farm Insurance
Wealth Manager: Dan Gensler, The Gensler Group
And all the other pros you need in your life!
Auto Repair: El Cordova Garage
Pet Sitter: Doreen Tafelski, Carefree Pet Care
Photographer: Kristen LiVigni, Kristen Vincent Photography
Travel Agent: Pat Flynn, Kahala Travel
Veterinarian: Jennifer Jarvis, DVM, Crown Veterinary Hospital
Videographer: Tony Perri, Surf’s Up Studios
EDITOR’S PICK
Best Brain Buster: Monday night trivia at Spicy House
Work your noodle as you enjoy some noodles! Former Coronado mayor Casey Tanaka hosts an entertaining and rabble-rousing round of trivia every Monday night from 7 to 9 p.m. asking teams to answer quirky questions in a variety of categories. Winners receive gift cards to the restaurant and participants get 15 percent off food and drink while playing. 126 Orange Ave., (619) 435-1775
EDITOR’S PICK
Best way to pop-up shop till you drop: Bungalow 56
Since it opened in 2014, this store has been bursting at the seams with fresh and inspired home décor, curated by interior designing duo Jessica Nicolls and Karyn Frazier. And now that the store has expanded into the space next door, even more shopping fun is popping up. Every weekend this July and August, various artists will be hosting pop-up shops in the space, setting up for brief periods to sell their wares. That means there will always be something new to discover – and isn’t that when shopping is the most fun? Check b56popup.com for a schedule of vendors.
EDITOR’S PICK
Best outdoor movie venue: The Hotel Del’s beach
This summer you can watch the stars under the stars with your toes in the sand. The Hotel del Coronado features beloved family movies and cult classics, free to the public, on a large outdoor screen throughout July and August. Del Beach chairs are available for rent ($15), or go all-out with the Family Movie Package, which includes a private bonfire, s’mores for four people, Del beach chairs and a Del beach daybed ($250). Don’t miss Star Wars – Rogue One on July 21 or Wizard of Oz on Aug. 25, among other celebrated movies. Hoteldel.com
EDITOR’S PICK
Best place to tickle the ivories: Rotary Park’s public piano
At the base of the enormous Norfolk pine tree you’ll find a colorful – and musical – addition to Rotary Park. Virtuosos and beginners alike are encouraged to “sit a spell and play a tune” on the new public piano, donated to the city by recently retired Fire Chief Mike Blood and decorated with colorful iconic Coronado images by local artist Jody Esquer. The public art installation will remain up until December.
EDITOR’S PICK
Best way to take the cake: The Neighborhood Kid Baker
He’s been baking since he was a tyke, but two years ago, twelve-year-old Ty Alvarez got more serious about his culinary art. He started with neighborhood lemonade stands, then began a Facebook group “The Neighborhood Kid Baker.” There, people place special orders or buy featured items he offers every two weeks such as lemon bars, puff pastries, cupcakes and brownies. He has no set prices; you just pay based on sweet tooth satisfaction.
EDITOR’S PICK
Best public bathrooms: Spreckels Park
Public bathrooms may not often be something to celebrate, but the new commodes in Spreckels Park will leave visitors flushed with excitement. Local artist Kirsten Green has added floral murals above the sink troughs, paying homage to the annual Coronado Flower Show held in the park. Green also created the exterior murals, which have been restored. Because construction won’t wrap until later this summer, the new bathrooms will only be open during Sunday concerts in the park. In the meantime, the city has installed two temporary bathrooms with lots of reading material about Coronado history built right in. One, near the playground, is awash with images of Tent City’s early 1900 carousel (still running adjacent to the San Diego Zoo); the other is designed to look like an early 20th-century rail car ridden by prominent Coronado figures such as John D. Spreckels, L. Frank Baum and the slightly transparent image of Kate Morgan, who is rumored to haunt the halls of the Hotel Del.
EDITOR’S PICK
Best way to set sail: Private sail for two at Loews Coronado Bay Resort
When it comes to getting out on the water, renting and manning a sailboat can seem a bit daunting to the novice sailor. But a private two-hour sail for two, guided by a professional captain, takes all the work out of it, allowing you and your special someone to take in the sea air with panoramas of the Coronado Bay Bridge and downtown San Diego skyline. A bottle of wine or sparkling cider is included. Prices start at $245. (619) 424-4000
EDITOR’S PICK
Best New Use of Space: Holland’s Bicycles
Have you been to Holland’s bike shop lately? You’ll find it a lot easier to move around, following an extensive reorganization of the shop, which has been a fixture on the Coronado landscape since 1924. Since Karl and Zarina Young purchased it three years ago, they’ve been revamping the space so that cyclists can pedal in and out in no time. The repair area has been moved to a storefront on Tenth Street, making it easy to drop off and pick up bikes; a back room once overwhelmed with helmets and accessories has been converted into a customized bike and shoe-fitting area; multiple racks added to the alley-way behind the main store has allowed Holland’s to double its fleet of bike rentals. And if you want a little more horsepower between your legs, Holland’s second Orange Avenue storefront has been converted into a space specifically for electric bike merchandise. 977 Orange Ave.