Cafe Vahik — good bagel sandwiches DO exist in San Diego

Cafe Vahik has both outdoor and indoor dining areas

Neighborhood: Wind and Sea neighborhood of La Jolla.

Price: $

Vibe: Little neighborhood coffee shop vibes, with a few tables inside and outside on the patio. It can get crowded so if there are no seats, grab your bagels and walk a block down to Wind and Sea Beach and find a nice bench to enjoy your brekkie.

Great bagel sandwiches…in San Diego?

Have you heard of Café Vahik?   My guess is, unless you are living in Birdrock or nearby, you haven’t – and you need to.  Café Vahik is located on La Jolla Boulevard, right up the street from Wind and Sea beach.  During pandemic times, we would pick up our meal and walk down to Wind and Sea beach to enjoy. Who doesn’t love a little beach picnic? 

This unassuming little spot is family-run and is putting out some of the best bagel sandwiches and paninis in San Diego. Bagels are one of those things that you don’t really crave in San Diego because let’s be honest, there aren’t many great bagel spots here.  I can’t help but compare all bagels to NYC and if you’ve been you know what I mean.  But Café Vahik has changed my perception of the San Diego bagel scene – and not just because they source great bagels, it’s what they do with the bagels. 

My absolute favorite is the Farmers Bagel, comprised of egg, spinach tomato and goat cheese.  The amount of filling is just right, unlike others where your first bite pushes all the remaining ingredients out the backside of the bagel, and you find yourself rebuilding your bagel in between each bite.  Now I’m not saying it won’t get a little messy, but this is the good mess. Worth coming back for again and again.

The yellowtail salad or yellowtail sandwich are also delicious selections, especially if you are looking for something on the lighter side. I wish I could eat bagels every day, but alas, I cannot.

They serve great coffee, whether you’re an espresso or roasted coffee connoisseur, everything is good. Next time you’re in Birdrock, stop by this wonderful little cafe for breakfast or lunch.

Farmer’s bagel

Cafe Vahik

6780 La Jolla Boulevard,

La Jolla, California 92037, United States

858-459-1895

Have you checked out our recipe section? Yum.

Original Sab-E-Lee is the best Thai food in San Diego – yeah, I said it!

Original Sab-E-Lee at 6925 Linda Vista Rd. B, San Diego, CA 92111 has closed. :(

Neighborhood: Rancho Penasquitos, San Diego

Price: $

Vibe: Small, casual restaurant tucked away in the Vons shopping center. The beer and wine selection leaves much to be desired, but you’re here for the food and it’s worth it.

UPDATE: It is with a heavy heart and a lump in my throat that I share that our beloved Sab-E-Lee at the Linda Vista location has closed. Because life is sometimes cruel and unfair, and the owners decided they could no longer keep both locations open. It has been replaced by Zab Linda - which I tried once, accidentally. They assured me that they have been given all of the Sab-E-Lee recipes, and trained up by the original staff, but it’s just missing that….je ne sais quoi. There is something magic about the Original Sab-E-Lee kitchen that just can’t be replicated. But all hope is not lost friends, because the location in Rancho Penasquitos is still open! I have already mapped it out from my house and it’s only about 25 minutes away, which is totally worth it for the best Thai food in San Diego. I probably won’t be making weekly (or sometimes twice a week) trips to get my Thai fix, but don’t doubt this one will stay in the rotation.

I’m keeping my original blog post below, because it’s filled with great memories and may spark some of your memories of this amazing restaurant and staff as well.

My love affair with Sab-E-Lee started many, many years ago.  After traveling to Thailand, I came back to San Diego in search of my favorite Thai dish, the not-so-sexily-named “larb”, consisting of minced chicken (gai), onion, and loads of fresh spices and lime.  I ate larb every day during my trip to Thailand.  In fact, the only time I didn’t eat it was when it wasn’t an option on the menu.  I spent almost two weeks traveling around the southeastern islands of Thailand, filling my days with larb, whole fried fish, beach time and foot massages. In the evenings we would play connect four with the lady boys, listen to amazing cover bands and howl at the full moon.  If you’ve never been, put it on your bucket list! There are so many fresh and delicious options within the Thai cuisine, I never once craved anything from home. Am I Thai? (Ancestry.com says no, but I wonder…)

My good foodie friend lived in Linda Vista and raved about this tiny little restaurant with about 3.5 tables, cranking out some of the most authentic and delicious Thai food that one has ever eaten.  The Original Sab-E-Lee has since moved to a much larger space across the street and quadrupled in table space.  But the food quality is just as good, maybe better.  My friend and I have been known to frequent Sab-E-Lee on a regular basis, and yes, there have been times we have gone twice in one day. To the pure delight of the serving staff who giggled and said as we left the second time that day, “see you tomorrow!”

There are a lot of people who say they like Thai food, and I can’t help but wince when I see said people order Pad Thai noodles and call it a day.  I want to be clear that I am not here to offend.  I totally get it - it can be a little scary to branch out.  But oh, there is SO much more to this amazing cuisine!  So, I’m here to share with you some of my favorite non-mainstream dishes at Sab-E-Lee that I implore you all to try.  And for those that want to challenge my assertion that Sab-E-Lee is “the best Thai food in San Diego” – bring it!  I’m happy to take on that challenge. Any. Day. 

I think spice level varies greatly depending on the Thai restaurant.  At Sab-E-Lee the spice # is an actual representation of how many whole Thai chilis go into the dish.  Now I LOVE spice, but I have also ruined my palette and my taste buds because I thought I could go up to a 5 or 6.  DON’T DO IT.  For most dishes my max spice level is a 3 and in a few, I go up to a 4. Please trust me on this and you’re welcome.

·         Napa Cabbage soup (Chinese cabbage, pork and mushrooms) - Oh how love the flavor of this soup!  This is what I crave when I’m not feeling well, on a cold day, or just because.  They will sometimes add woon sen noodles for you. Sometimes not.  It’s delish either way.  No spice.

·         Pad Pak Boong (AKA Morning glory, AKA stir fried water spinach with bean sauce). I’ve had this both with spice (spicy #2) and without and I love them both.

·         Larb Gai spicy #3

·         Pa-nang Curry is my favorite type of curry and Sab-E-Lee has perfected this sweet and savory dish.  I add chicken, but it’s good with any protein.  Spicy #3.

·         Drunken noodles with chicken.  Go easy on the spice here, the noodles seem to absorb the chili and it heats up quickly.  I suggest spicy #2.

·         Pad Krapow - I get this dish with either ground chicken or ground pork, and I sometimes will request it without the bell peppers.  This one I like extra spicy because I’m typically eating it with rice, spicy #4.

The Original Sab-E-Lee

13223 Black Mountain Road

San Diego, CA 92129

Check out our recipe section for some inspiration. Because sometimes its better when you make it.

My affair with Our Green Affair

Neighborhood: Pacific Beach, San Diego on the corner of Garnet Avenue and Cass Street.

Price: $

Vibe: Great location on the bustling Garnet Avenue, you walk in to see beautiful bright tubs of vegetables and Instagram-able swing seats. There are also a number of tables out on the sidewalk for the ultimate people watching in PB.

While I absolutely love pizza, burritos, dumplings, I could go on…. I also adore a fresh, bright salad. And trust me, this is not easy to find when you want to grab a quick lunch in my neighborhood. I used to frequent this lovely little cafe called Zanzibar in Pacific Beach, which closed down several years ago, and with it took my favorite salad options in the hood. That was until Our Green Affair came long. This lovely little family-run restaurant offers beautiful fresh ingredients, creative bowls and salads and homemade dressings that are just divine. I will often grab an extra dressing (just in case) and end up using it on my own salads at home (tahini cilantro is my fave).

Our Green Affair has loads of lovely creations to choose from, but I typically choose the “make your own” salad option. I feel that I’ve perfected this salad with a little trial and error, and now I find I can’t actually order anything else.

Here is my “make your own” salad creation, try it or anything here. Everything is super healthy and delicious!

• Kale base

• 1/2 scoop quinoa

• sweet potatoes (these are thinly sliced, spiced and firm and just bomb)

• hearts of palm

• tomatoes

• cucumbers

• shredded carrots

• goat cheese

• grilled chicken

• Tahini cilantro dressing (2 of ‘em)

The salad is large and often enough for two lunches, so I often get it undressed and take it home. They also have really creative soups, and don’t skip the hibiscus water to round out your healthy meal. I implore you to try out this fresh and friendly little spot in Pacific Beach. Do you have a favorite make your own option? Share it!

Our Green Affair

980 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

(858) 352-6641