And the best part of IB’s “eats” is that it’s possible to munch your way through the city’s variety at the annual Taste of Imperial Beach, held each March for the past 14 years. A banner on Seacoast Drive captures the vibe of this San Diego County destination: “Ocean air, salty hair, not a care, take me there.” With the addition of such future enticements as the city’s second beachfront hotel, placement of the Navy’s Special Warfare Training Campus on the town’s north side, and the Bikeway Village project (a two-acre development catering to bikers and walkers along San Diego’s 24-mile Bayshore
Photo: marlenka
Island-inspired and a perennially popular favorite is Big Kahuna’s (featured in the movie Pulp Fiction), whose menu description of its signature Big Kahuna burger says it all: Biggest and best burger in town. For its end-of-the-pier location, a visit to the casual seafood chain restaurant Tin Fish is a must. But if you want to go straight to dessert, a trip to Cow-ABunga ice cream shop for such delights as pistachio, peanut butter brownie, or caramel sea salt ice cream is mandatory.
View of Imperial Beach business district.
Bikeway, including a Coronado Brewing Company restaurant and tasting room), IB is clearly on the move. In summary, Van Zandt is succinct: “This is not your grandfather’s Imperial Beach. IB’s stock is going up.”
D
Cynthia Dial is a Southern California freelance travel journalist who has visited all seven continents in pursuit of stories for such outlets as TIME, Shape and Hemispheres magazines, appearances on radio and television as a travel specialist and her book, Get Your Travel Writing Published. Follow her travels @TravelingCynthia and TravelWritingbyCynthiaDial.com.
Explore San Diego by visiting all our Day Tripper communities! ediblesandiego.com. Fallbrook and Bonsall are next up in our September-October issue.
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