Convoy is one of the reasons we love living in San Diego.

You can go there craving almost anything and find it within a few blocks: Korean barbecue, ramen, dim sum, nem nuong cuon, hot pot, dumplings, sushi, jjajangmyeon, and the list goes on.

This is not meant to be a definitive ranking of every restaurant in the neighborhood. These are simply the places we love, recommend to friends, and find ourselves going back to.

Let’s jump in:

Song Hak

Song Hak is where we go when we’re craving gopchang and daechang. The daechang melts in your mouth, and the sauces and banchan that come with it are perfect.

If you’re not into intestines, Song Hak has most of the standard KBBQ fare too.

It is the kind of meal where if you order a little too much, you’ll still somehow find room to devour the fried rice with the leftovers at the end.

What we order: Daejang, gopchang, and corn cheese

Jomaru Gamjatang

Gamjatang is a deep, soulful food that makes you feel at home. At Jomaru, they allow you to add mix-ins, and the spicy pork bone stew arrives bubbling, packed with tender meat, vegetables, and a rich broth that gets better the longer it sits.

This is a meal meant for sharing. If you’re going with a big group, we recommend ordering the bossam and finishing it off with a cold, spicy bowl of bibim naengmyeon.

What we order: Gamjatang, bossam, and bibim naengmyeon

Chon Ju Jip

Chon Ju Jip is the kind of restaurant that does not need a flashy concept.

It serves straightforward Korean comfort food in a small, casual setting. The menu covers the dishes you would expect to find at a neighborhood Korean restaurant: stews, grilled meats, pancakes, dumplings, rice dishes, and plenty of banchan.

It feels homey and unfussy, which is exactly the appeal. Sometimes you just want a hot bowl of soup, rice, and a table full of side dishes without turning dinner into a whole production.

What we order: Agu jjim, jokbal, and bossam

Tsuruhashi

Tsuruhashi serves Japanese yakiniku, which may look similar to Korean barbecue at first but feels like a different experience.

The portions are smaller, the cuts are more carefully selected, and the meal moves at a slower pace. Instead of covering the grill with meat, you cook a few pieces at a time and actually pay attention to each one.

The restaurant is small and intimate, so it is not the place for a huge party. It is one of our favorites when the meat itself is the main reason for going out.

What we order: Kobe boneless short rib, yukke, and miso-marinated intestine

Menya Ultra

Menya Ultra is the first place that comes to mind when we want ramen in Convoy.

The broth is rich, the chashu is tender, and the house-made noodles have enough bite to hold up through the entire bowl. The tonkotsu is the obvious starting point, but the miso ramen, spicy miso, and tantanmen are also worth ordering.

There is often a wait, but the ramen has remained consistently good enough that we keep coming back.

What we order: Tonkotsu and tantanmen

EE NAMI Tonkatsu Izakaya

EE NAMI is built around tonkatsu and Japanese izakaya dishes.

Our ideal tonkatsu is crisp without feeling heavy or greasy, with juicy pork underneath the breading. EE NAMI gets that balance perfectly right. We love the katsu curry, which comes with their delicious loin katsu and curry on the side.

They also serve katsu curry, katsudon, sandwiches, seafood katsu, and small plates, so it is easy to turn dinner into more than one fried pork cutlet. Although there is nothing wrong with doing exactly that.

What we order: Katsu curry, katsu sando, and scallop katsu

Paik’s Noodle

Paik’s Noodle is our favorite spot for Korean-Chinese comfort food.

The classic order is jjajangmyeon, jjamppong, and tangsuyuk. Jjajangmyeon is rich and slightly sweet, with noodles covered in black bean sauce. Jjamppong goes in the opposite direction with a spicy seafood broth. Tangsuyuk gives the table something crispy and sweet to share between bites of noodles.

This is not a place where we want to order only one thing. Bring someone who is willing to split both noodle dishes.

What we order: Jjajangmyeon, jjamppong, and tangsuyuk.

Dumpling Inn and Shanghai Saloon

Dumpling Inn is a local institution in San Diego. It’s been serving dumplings to San Diegans since 1994. In 2015, they moved to a new space: the Dumpling Inn and Shanghai Saloon.

The xiao long bao are the obvious place to start, but all of their dumplings are delicious.

The Shanghai Saloon is a full bar that serves cocktails, local beer, and an extensive whiskey selection, so it works just as well for a casual family dinner as it does for dumplings and drinks with friends.

What we order: Xiao long bao, green bean fish with black bean sauce, and walnut shrimp

Phuong Trang

Phuong Trang is one of the restaurants that helped define the Convoy District.

Pho may be the most familiar starting point, but Phuong Trang is at its best when you bring a group and order family style. The menu is massive.

The nem nuong cuon is great, the butter garlic wings are some of the best wings in San Diego, and turning the whole baked catfish into spring rolls is an awesome communal experience.

What we order: Nem nuong cuon, butter garlic wings, and whole baked catfish

Cross Street Chicken and Beer

Cross Street is unlike any other Korean fried chicken place we’ve been to.

The restaurant combines Korean-style fried chicken with Southern flavors, craft beer, and the energy of a casual neighborhood hangout.

The chicken is extra crispy, heavily seasoned, and available in enough flavors that everyone at the table can order something different.

Also, their bulgogi fries are a Korean twist on a San Diego classic (carne asada fries). We love their bulgogi fries.

It works for a casual dinner, a night out with friends, or one of those meals where you somehow end up ordering another round of chicken after everyone says they are full.

What we order: Seoul spicy wings, soy garlic wings, and bulgogi fries

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The hardest part of putting together a Convoy guide is knowing where to stop. There are at least 10 more restaurants we could have added to this list, and we will probably write a part 2 of our favorite Convoy restaurants. There are still tons of places we love (Sot BBQ, Shan Xi Magic Kitche, Spicy City, Wa Dining Okan, Yuk Dae Jang, Moobongri Soondae, etc.)

There is always another restaurant we could add, another dish we still need to try, and another place opening in a strip mall we have driven past a hundred times.

That is what makes Convoy special. It’s not just one type of Asian food or one generation of restaurants. Longtime neighborhood institutions sit alongside new cafes, specialty soup shops, barbecue restaurants, and businesses rethinking what Asian American food can look like.

This is not every restaurant worth visiting in Convoy. It is simply where we would start.