The western slope of Golden Hill was once a large rancheria, with a Kumeyaay village at what is now 20th and B streets. Developers cleared the village in 1887 to make way for mansions—the sobering backstory behind the eclectic mix of Victorian, Spanish colonial, classical revival, prairie, Swiss chalet, Orientalist, Tudor, art deco, and craftsman homes that now define Golden Hill.
This historic urban neighborhood, known for panoramic downtown views, sits perched above the hustle and bustle. Gourmands visit Golden Hill Park for taco and burger festivals that send tantalizing smells wafting down the block. Jacarandas augment the neighborhood’s charm with pops of purple. Though downtown is only a short bus ride away, the area is cozy and residential, with tidy sidewalks, wide streets, thriving gardens, leafy trees, front porches, a slice of Balboa Park, and a smattering of small businesses.
In 1905, the streetcar brought convenience. Apartments and renters arrived in the ’20s and ’30s, mansions turned into rooming houses, bungalows moved in during WWII, and Golden Hill became one of San Diego’s most economically and ethnically diverse neighborhoods. It kind of stayed that way. Activists and alternative presses made the area a home base in the ’60s and ’70s. In the late 1970s, homeowners trickled back in from the ’burbs and convinced the city to designate Golden Hill a historic district.
Kelly Mayhew and Jim Miller
Today, GH remains a bit scruffy around the edges—just how residents like it—and has changed little in the last 20 years. There’s been some urban infill: architecture studio FoundationForForm’s multi-use building on 25th, rowhouses in a canyon on C, boxy Jonathan Segal lofts on B. Creative agency Mortis Studio moved in on 25th and C and keeps its prominent corner window fresh with art exhibits. Kingfisher on Broadway brought a Michelin mention to Golden Hill. There’s still no bank, no pharmacy, and no dry cleaners. The post office closed in 2011.
But residents know this ’hood’s charm is under the radar. Though Golden Hill has not escaped rising rents and home prices (and Starbucks), hyper-gentrification hasn’t hit here. Things are relatively quiet (except for the airplanes!), and food is yummy but not pretentious.
Things to Do in Golden Hill
Fifteen-year Golden Hill residents Kelly Mayhew and Jim Miller are City College profs, founders of City Works Press, and co-authors of Under the Perfect Sun: The San Diego Tourists Never See. The couple lives on 25th Street in a 1917 craftsman. They raised their son in Golden Hill, where he “grew up on Los Reyes breakfast burritos every Sunday,” Miller says. Here are a few more family favorites.
Breakfast and a Historic Walk
Counterpoint, Golden Hill’s first real “trendy” restaurant, arrived in 2009. “[It] has an unsung brunch,” Mayhew says. “When I’m feeling indulgent, I love Counterpoint’s version of chicken and waffles—it’s a mashup of that and eggs benedict, which is heavenly.” Other mornings, the couple heads to Golden Hill Cafe (the setting for some scenes in the 1989 Jim Belushi flick K-9) for hash browns.
“Panchita’s has the best donuts,” Mayhew adds. “I think they put nutmeg in them.”
Walk it off, as Mayhew and Miller do daily, down Broadway to 24th Street to ogle the Hill’s most opulent old house: an 8,800-square-foot, 1896 Queen Anne Victorian with a four-story, cupola-topped turret, where San Diego mayor Louis J. Wilde lived in grand style until a scandal ran him out of town in 1921.
Brews, Views, and Guy Fieri’s Pizza Pick
Mayhew recommends Tobey’s 19th Hole on the golf course for signature Golden Hill views of greenery and downtown with a plate of tots and a beer. Or check out Pizzeria Luigi’s leafy patio and New York– quality slices and pies, mentioned on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Award-Winning Provisions at Sepulveda Meats
Also on Mayhew and Miller’s walking route, Sepulveda Meats & Provisions opened in 2016 and was named one of America’s best butcher shops by Food & Wine in 2020. On their way up 28th Street, the couple stops to admire Mario Torero’s 1972 mural, then, Mayhew says, “we stock up on everything from homemade Italian and bratwurst sausages to bavette cut steak to pancetta. And Jasper’s is really good.” Juan Jasper’s Kitchen & Wine Bar seats eight and shares Sepulveda’s kitchen after the meat counter closes.
Facts About Golden Hill
- Golden Hill had a streetcar line from 1905 to 1939. The tracks were dug up in 2015.
- According to Realtor.com, the median listing price for homes in Golden Hill is $1.2 million.
- 66 percent of Golden Hill residents rent their homes.
- The Women’s Museum of California started in Golden Hill.
- The Golden Hill Fountain Grotto, built in 1907, is Balboa Park’s oldest design feature and predates the Panama-California Expo. It is now partially intact.
What’s Next for Golden Hill
The biggest thing on the hilly horizon for this neighborhood? More vertical housing. An eight-story tower is going up across from the historic Turf Club on 25th Street—a big deal on a block where everything else is two stories, tops. A new apartment building at Broadway and 20th has neighbors in a tizzy about preserving the area’s historic character. 30th Street recently got two additions that stick up above the surrounding bungalows, with glass and steel glinting in the sun, just like in downtown. More are planned.
As for eats, 25th Street is adding yet another culinary establishment: Birria El Rey. Taking over the former Krakatoa cottage, El Rey was a pop-up before committing to brick-and-mortar.
