Restaurant in San Diego, United States
Michelin-recognized Vietnamese. Book before it fills.
Kingfisher is San Diego's credentialed Vietnamese option at the $$$ tier, holding back-to-back Michelin Plates (2024, 2025) and an Opinionated About Dining Casual North America listing for 2025. Book one to two weeks ahead for weekends. A lively, energetic room makes it a good late-evening choice in a city where serious kitchens often close early.
You know that feeling when a restaurant earns two consecutive Michelin Plates and an Opinionated About Dining Casual recognition in the same year, and yet the room still feels like something half the city hasn't caught onto yet? That's Kingfisher. At 2469 Broadway in San Diego's Golden Hill neighborhood, this Vietnamese restaurant has quietly built a credential stack that most $$$ spots would envy, and it's doing so in a price tier that doesn't require a special occasion to justify. The short answer on whether to book: yes, and sooner than you think.
Kingfisher holds Michelin Plate recognition for both 2024 and 2025, which signals consistent kitchen quality, not a one-year fluke. The Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America listing for 2025 adds a second data point from a source known for rigorous, crowd-sourced tracking of restaurants that deliver real quality without the formality. Together, these two signals place Kingfisher in a narrow band of San Diego Vietnamese dining where the cooking is taken seriously but the experience doesn't demand you dress for it. A Google rating of 4.6 across 423 reviews further confirms that this isn't a press-favorite that disappoints at the table.
The atmosphere at Kingfisher reads as the right kind of animated. Expect a room with energy rather than the hushed reverence of a tasting-menu destination. The sound level here is part of the draw — this is a place where conversation competes with the room in a way that feels lively rather than punishing. If you're coming back after a first visit, that energy holds later into the evening, which is part of what makes Kingfisher worth knowing as a late-night option in a city where serious food often wraps up early. San Diego's dinner scene tends to wind down before many other major California cities, so a $$$ Vietnamese kitchen with real awards behind it that stays worth visiting after 9 PM is genuinely useful information. If late dining is part of your plan, verify current hours directly before booking — hours data wasn't available at time of writing.
On a return visit, the move is to push past whatever you ordered the first time. Vietnamese cooking at this level rewards exploration: the cuisine's range across texture, acid, heat, and fresh herb work means that two visits can feel meaningfully different. At the $$$ price point, you're paying for execution above what the neighborhood's casual Vietnamese spots offer, and the Michelin recognition suggests the kitchen is earning that premium consistently. For context on what $$$ Vietnamese can look like at the far end of the spectrum nationally, Camille in Orlando and Tầm Vị in Hanoi represent different expressions of how the cuisine scales with ambition. Kingfisher is doing something grounded and California-specific at a more accessible price.
Booking difficulty sits at moderate. This isn't a same-week walk-in situation if you want a specific time on a weekend, but it also isn't the months-out scramble of a French Laundry in Napa or a Le Bernardin in New York City. Aim to book one to two weeks out for weekends, and you should have reasonable flexibility. Weeknights are likely easier, which also happens to be when a lively room feels more intimate. If you're planning around a broader San Diego trip, our full San Diego restaurants guide, hotels guide, and bars guide are good starting points for building the full picture.
For solo diners, the animated room and the Vietnamese format , which tends toward dishes built for sharing but works well when ordered selectively , make Kingfisher a comfortable solo stop. The energy of the room means you won't feel like the only person eating alone, and a $$$ tab is sustainable for a solo meal in a way that the city's $$$$ options aren't. If bar seating is available, it tends to suit solo visitors particularly well in rooms with this kind of energy , though specific seating configuration should be confirmed when booking, as layout data wasn't available to confirm here.
Worth noting for the value question: two consecutive Michelin Plates at the $$$ tier is the specific combination to look for when you want quality assurance without fine-dining pricing. It means the kitchen is being evaluated against a standard, not just accumulating Google stars from enthusiastic regulars. Kingfisher earns both. That's the clearest signal the data provides, and it's a strong one. For comparison, other nationally recognized spots at the $$$$ tier , like Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Smyth in Chicago, or Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg , deliver at a significantly higher price point. Kingfisher's positioning is deliberately different: serious cooking, accessible format, a room that's built for repeat visits rather than milestone occasions.
If you're in San Diego and Vietnamese is what you're after, Kingfisher is the credentialed answer at this price tier. Book one to two weeks ahead for weekends, go later in the evening if your schedule allows, and treat a return visit as an opportunity to move through more of the menu. The combination of OAD Casual recognition, back-to-back Michelin Plates, and a price point that doesn't overcomplicate the decision makes this one of the easier yeses in the city's dining calendar. You can also explore 1450 El Prado, 777 G St, and 94th Aero Squadron for other San Diego options across different formats. For the full picture of what San Diego offers beyond restaurants, our wineries guide and experiences guide are worth a look before you finalize your itinerary.
For Vietnamese at the $$$ tier with comparable award recognition, Kingfisher has no direct local equivalent. If you're open to adjacent cuisines, Trust offers New American at the same $$$ price point with its own critical following. For a step up in formality and price, Soichi delivers high-precision Japanese at $$$$ and is one of the harder reservations in the city. If value is the priority and you're willing to shift cuisine, Callie covers Greek-Mediterranean at $$ with a strong reputation. Addison is the city's $$$$ French-contemporary benchmark, but it's a different format and price tier entirely.
Come with the expectation of a lively, energetic room rather than a quiet, formal setting. At $$$, you're paying for kitchen quality backed by back-to-back Michelin Plates and an OAD Casual listing , that's real credential weight for the price. Book one to two weeks ahead for weekends. Vietnamese menus at this level tend to be built around sharing, so a table of two or more lets you range across more dishes. Solo diners should consider the bar if available. Confirm hours before you go, as they weren't published in available data.
Bar seating likely exists given the restaurant's format and lively room energy, but specific seating configuration data wasn't available to confirm. Call ahead or check when booking if bar dining is your preference , it tends to be the better solo option in rooms with this kind of atmosphere, and it can also be easier to secure on shorter notice than a table.
Yes. The animated room means solo diners don't stand out, and the Vietnamese format allows you to order selectively without the awkwardness of dishes sized for groups. At $$$, a solo meal is manageable without the financial commitment of the city's $$$$ options like Soichi. If bar seating is available, it's worth requesting , confirm when you book.
Specific menu format data , including whether Kingfisher offers a tasting menu , wasn't available at time of writing. Given its Michelin Plate status (rather than a full Michelin star), the kitchen is more likely operating in an a la carte or limited-format structure than a full omakase or tasting progression. The OAD Casual designation further suggests the format is accessible rather than ceremony-driven. Confirm the current menu structure directly with the restaurant before making a booking decision based on tasting-menu expectations.
At $$$, Kingfisher is well-positioned for what it delivers. Two consecutive Michelin Plates and a 4.6 Google rating across 423 reviews confirm the kitchen is performing consistently, not just once for the critics. For Vietnamese cooking with real award recognition in San Diego, there isn't a direct competitor at this price tier. You're paying less than you would at Soichi or Addison and getting a distinct cuisine with a strong credential backing it. The value case is solid.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingfisher | $$$ | Moderate | — |
| Addison | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Callie | $$ | Unknown | — |
| Trust | $$$ | Unknown | — |
| Sushi Tadokoro | $$$ | Unknown | — |
| Soichi | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Kingfisher is the only Vietnamese restaurant in San Diego with consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025), so it sits in a category of its own for that cuisine. If you want Japanese precision at a similar $$$ price point, Sushi Tadokoro and Soichi are the closest comparisons in terms of recognition and cooking quality. Callie and Trust cover a broader modern American range if Vietnamese isn't the priority, while Addison is the city's only Michelin-starred fine dining option if budget is flexible.
Kingfisher earned back-to-back Michelin Plates in 2024 and 2025 alongside an Opinionated About Dining Casual recognition in 2025, which signals a kitchen operating well above the average Vietnamese restaurant in San Diego. It sits at the $$$ price range, so expect to spend more than you would at a neighborhood pho spot, but the recognition suggests it's priced with intention. The address is 2469 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92102, in the Golden Hill area, which is worth noting if you're coming from downtown.
Bar seating availability isn't confirmed in the current venue record, so contact Kingfisher directly before assuming walk-in bar access. Given the $$$ price point and Michelin Plate recognition, demand is likely high enough that showing up without a reservation carries real risk, bar or otherwise.
Michelin Plate restaurants at the $$$ tier in San Diego tend to have counter or bar seating that accommodates solo diners reasonably well, though Kingfisher's specific seating layout isn't confirmed in the current record. Solo diners tend to fare better at venues with counter options — call ahead to ask specifically about single-seat availability. The OAD Casual designation also suggests an atmosphere that's more relaxed than a formal tasting-menu room, which generally works in a solo diner's favor.
Tasting menu availability and pricing at Kingfisher aren't documented in the current record, so this is one to verify directly with the restaurant. What is documented: two consecutive Michelin Plates and an OAD Casual recognition in 2025, which are meaningful signals of consistent kitchen quality. At a $$$ price point, if a tasting format is offered, the credentials suggest it's likely to deliver — but confirm the format before committing.
At $$$, Kingfisher is priced above San Diego's casual Vietnamese scene, and the credentials back it up: Michelin Plates in both 2024 and 2025, plus an Opinionated About Dining Casual nod in 2025, make it the most recognized Vietnamese restaurant in the city. For that price in San Diego, you're comparing against Soichi or Sushi Tadokoro on the Japanese side, both of which are strong — but if Vietnamese is the cuisine you want, Kingfisher has no peer locally with this level of third-party validation.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
