Restaurant in San Diego, United States
Hillcrest's sharpest New American, fairly priced.
Trust is a Michelin Plate-recognised New American in San Diego's Hillcrest neighbourhood, earning back-to-back recognition in 2024 and 2025 alongside an Opinionated About Dining Casual recommendation. At the $$$ price tier it sits between the city's $$ neighbourhood spots and its $$$$ tasting-menu venues — consistent enough to visit repeatedly, accessible enough to not require a special occasion.
You walk into Trust on a Wednesday evening and the kitchen is already moving fast: something with char and fat and herbs hits you before you've found your seat. That first impression matters, because it sets up the question you should be asking before you book: is this the right New American at this price point in San Diego, or is your money better spent elsewhere? The short answer is that Trust earns its Michelin Plate recognition and its 4.5 across 1,329 Google reviews by doing consistent, serious cooking at a price that doesn't require a special occasion to justify. If you're a returning visitor to the city or a San Diego local building a rotation of reliable dinner spots, this belongs in your regular cycle — not as a once-a-year treat but as a place worth understanding across multiple visits.
Trust is a neighbourhood New American restaurant on Park Boulevard in Hillcrest, helmed by chef Brad Wise. It holds two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and an Opinionated About Dining Casual recommendation for North America (2023), which together position it as a venue taken seriously by the critics who track this category. At the $$$ price tier, it sits in the middle of San Diego's dining market: more considered than a casual bistro, less formal than Addison or Soichi. That positioning is exactly what makes it work as a multi-visit restaurant rather than a single-occasion destination.
The OAD Casual recognition is worth unpacking. It signals that the ambition here is not tasting-menu formality but sustained quality in a relaxed format , the kind of cooking that rewards familiarity. If you've been once and ordered well, the case for returning is strong. If you haven't been, start on a weeknight when service tends to be less stretched than Friday or Saturday evenings.
Given the editorial angle here , what to prioritise across two or three visits , the practical question is how to sequence your time at this restaurant. Trust runs dinner Wednesday through Sunday and adds brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm. That dual-format operation gives you a natural structure: dinner first, then brunch, then a return dinner once you know what to focus on.
Visit one: dinner, Wednesday or Thursday. Booking is moderate difficulty, and midweek gives you the clearest read on the kitchen without weekend noise levels. Use this visit to understand the format and the range of the menu. Chef Wise's New American approach draws on strong technique, and the Michelin recognition suggests the cooking holds to a consistent standard. Get a feel for the price-to-portion balance at the $$$ tier before deciding how much to spend on subsequent visits.
Visit two: Saturday or Sunday brunch. The 9 am to 2 pm brunch window is the most distinctive scheduling feature Trust offers against its peer set. Few $$$ restaurants in San Diego run a full brunch service, and it gives you a lower-stakes entry point to test different parts of the menu. Brunch also tends to draw a different crowd than evening service, and the room often reads more openly. If you're travelling with a group that includes people who find dinner reservations logistically difficult, this is the visit to anchor around.
Visit three: Friday or Saturday dinner. Once you've mapped the menu across a weeknight dinner and a brunch, a Friday or Saturday dinner becomes a more deliberate, higher-energy experience. The kitchen pushes harder on weekend evenings, service is fuller, and the room shifts. This is the visit to bring guests who haven't been, because you'll know how to order and what to steer them toward.
For broader context on what the New American format looks like at different price points across the country, Hatchet Hall in Los Angeles and Bacchanalia in Atlanta are both useful reference points. At the higher end of the American fine dining spectrum, Le Bernardin in New York City, The French Laundry in Napa, and Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg represent what the category looks like when formality and price both climb significantly. Trust operates well below that register, which is the point: it's a restaurant you can visit three times in a year without restructuring your budget.
Trust is closed Monday and Tuesday. Dinner runs Wednesday through Sunday (5–9 pm Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday; 5–10 pm Friday and Saturday). Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday, 9 am to 2 pm. Book moderate difficulty: you won't be competing for tables weeks in advance the way you would at Soichi, but same-day availability on a Friday evening is unlikely. A week's notice should work for most midweek slots; aim for two weeks for weekend dinner.
The address is 3752 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92103 , Hillcrest, walkable from much of the neighbourhood. For everything else happening in San Diego while you're planning, see our full San Diego restaurants guide, our San Diego hotels guide, our bars guide, our wineries guide, and our experiences guide. Nearby options on Pearl include 1450 El Prado, 777 G St, and 94th Aero Squadron.
| Venue | Price | Cuisine | Booking Difficulty | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trust | $$$ | New American | Moderate | Dinner + Brunch |
| Addison | $$$$ | French, Contemporary | High | Tasting menu only |
| Soichi | $$$$ | Japanese | Very High | Omakase |
| Sushi Tadokoro | $$$ | Sushi, Japanese | Moderate | A la carte + omakase |
| Callie | $$ | Mediterranean | Low–Moderate | A la carte |
| Ciccia Osteria | $$ | Italian | Low–Moderate | A la carte |
Bar seating is common at New American restaurants in this format and price tier, but Trust's specific bar policy isn't confirmed in our data. Call ahead or note your preference when booking , at the $$$ level, most comparable venues accommodate bar walk-ins on weeknights.
Trust doesn't run a traditional lunch service. Your daytime option is brunch on Saturday or Sunday, 9 am to 2 pm. For a first visit focused on the full kitchen range, dinner on a Wednesday or Thursday gives you the clearest picture. Brunch is a better choice for groups or lower-pressure dining.
At the $$$ tier with back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition and an OAD Casual recommendation, Trust delivers solid value for San Diego's serious dining category. It's cheaper than Addison ($$$$) and Soichi ($$$$), and more technically ambitious than the $$ options in its neighbourhood. For the price, yes , it's worth it.
Specific menu items aren't confirmed in our data, and menus at this level change regularly. A Michelin Plate signals consistent kitchen execution across the board rather than one or two standout dishes, so trust the server's read on what's leading that evening. On a first visit, ask what's been on the menu longest , those tend to be the strongest bets.
Contact details aren't in our current data. For dietary restrictions beyond common requests, email or call ahead , New American kitchens at this level typically accommodate with advance notice, but don't assume without confirming.
It works for a special occasion, but it's not primarily a celebration venue in the way that Addison is. The Michelin recognition and $$$ price point make the evening feel considered without requiring the full ceremony of a tasting menu. If the occasion calls for a more structured, higher-spend experience, Addison is the better call. If you want a serious dinner that doesn't feel like an event, Trust is right.
For more formal dining at a higher price point: Addison ($$$$, French tasting menu) or Soichi ($$$$, Japanese omakase). For a step down in price with strong cooking: Callie ($$, Mediterranean) or Ciccia Osteria ($$, Italian). See our full San Diego restaurants guide for more options across the city.
Book at least a week out for weeknights, two weeks for weekends. Expect a mid-range price point ($$$ per head) with cooking that's been Michelin-recognised two years running. The room is in Hillcrest on Park Boulevard , neighbourhood parking applies. Start with a weeknight dinner to get a clear read on the kitchen before committing to a weekend slot.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Recommended (2023) | $$$ | — |
| Addison | Michelin 3 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Callie | $$ | — | |
| Sushi Tadokoro | $$$ | — | |
| Soichi | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Ciccia Osteria | $$ | — |
A quick look at how Trust measures up.
Bar seating at Trust is not confirmed in available venue data, so call ahead before planning a walk-in bar dinner. What is confirmed: dinner runs Wednesday through Sunday, with Friday and Saturday service extending to 10 pm — your best shot at a flexible seat if you arrive without a reservation.
Dinner is the stronger booking case. Trust holds its Michelin Plates on the strength of its evening kitchen, and chef Brad Wise's New American cooking skews toward that format. Weekend brunch (Saturday and Sunday, 9 am–2 pm) is worth knowing about if you're in Hillcrest, but it's a secondary offering — don't plan a trip around it.
At $$$, Trust sits in the mid-to-upper range for San Diego neighbourhood dining, and the back-to-back Michelin Plates for 2024 and 2025 suggest the kitchen earns it. For comparable spend in the city you could try Callie or Soichi, but Trust's New American format offers more flexibility for groups than an omakase counter and more neighbourhood ease than a destination tasting menu.
Specific menu items are not confirmed in the venue data, so treat any dish-level advice elsewhere with caution. What is documented: Trust runs a New American kitchen under chef Brad Wise, recognised by both Michelin and Opinionated About Dining. Check the current menu directly before visiting, as New American menus at this level rotate with season and supply.
No specific dietary policy is confirmed in the venue data. For a New American kitchen at the $$$ level with Michelin recognition, accommodations are typically possible with advance notice — but contact Trust directly at 3752 Park Blvd before booking if a restriction is non-negotiable for your party.
Yes, with the right expectations. Trust is a Hillcrest neighbourhood restaurant, not a grand-occasion dining room — the atmosphere is casual enough that it won't feel stiff, and the Michelin Plate credentials give it enough weight to mark an evening. For a true fine-dining celebration with full ceremony, Addison is the more obvious San Diego answer; Trust is the call when you want quality without the formality.
Soichi and Sushi Tadokoro are the comparisons if you're open to Japanese omakase at a similar or higher price point. Callie covers New American-adjacent territory with a broader menu. Ciccia Osteria is the neighbourhood-feel alternative if Italian is on the table. Addison is the step up if budget is flexible and you want San Diego's most decorated dining room.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
