Local Habit

YUM! oh Geesh! YUM! I don’t know why this place hasn’t received better reviews?!! What’s not to like? Everything is made in-​house so no artificial weird ingredients, the menu is eclectic enough for a gastropub type spot, the cocktails are delicious, and they have beignets! The staff is pretty welcoming and accommodating as well so that just makes the experience even more worthwhile! I enjoyed everything I had but special kudos to the Brussels sprouts, the pizza, and that fried chicken! Make sure u get the Serrano sauce — don’t be a chicken about it! Hehe…

Love their kombucha – Drew is great!

I think I came on an off day, there was only one waitress available :(the pizza oven was broken and I really wanted to try one of their pizzas, but it was ok it gave me a chance to try their special shrimp and grits. It was a very tasty dish, but lazy me, wish the shrimps were shelled already. The gouda mac and cheese was perfect, wish the portion was doubled. The pork shoulder po boy at first didn’t look extraordinary but it tasted soo yummy. It was a crunchy and juicy experience, not soggy at all. I deducted a couple stars for slow service. I did not get my water until after my meal came and I asked for it a second time: T and for the broken pizza oven (my fave is pizza). I used the $ 25 for $ 40 travelzoo voucher and it was a good experience.

I really enjoyed the Vegan Pizza and ordered the Brussels Sprouts which were really delicious. I would order both again upon my next visit to SD. The staff was pretty awesome too. They hipped my friend to the best choices of add one for the Po’Boy.

In Hillcrest. A New Orleans flare.
We didn’t really eat here. Had a few drinks and watches the Dodgers game. Service was alright. When we said we weren’t eating her tone changed in her voice but it’s totally understandable seeing as how we were the only guests and she’s looking for a tip. I get it. I’ve been in the industry.
The place it clean and all. Can’t give a great and honest review on it. Just the drink. I had a Hurricane. My father is from New Orleans so I know the original Hurricane well. That didn’t taste like it. It was a little hard to finish too. Strong. The flavor just wasn’t right. Good effort tho. Not my favorite.

Super cute place in the heart of hillcrest! I stopped in to grab some appetizers at the bar.
Food: ⁴⁄₅ stars– I just had the Brussel sprouts and the pork belly apps. The brussel sprouts were super tasty but not the best I’ve had. The pork belly was recommended by Marianna the bartender, and it was DELISH. Not something I would usually go for but she mentioned it was a house favorite so I trusted her suggestion! Super savory and hit the spot.
Service: ⁵⁄₅ — Marianna was lovely. The bar was pretty busy and she still ensured I was well taken care of! I told her I loved spicy cocktails so she recommended the Balboa #2. It had fresh lemon (NOT the disgustingly oversweet premade junk), paprika, honey, and sarsaparilla bitters. YUM! Nothing beats fresh, craft cocktails.
Overall, great experience. I will be back to try out the pizza since that seems to be a big hit!

If you want to hang out and order drinks (just straight shots) then this is probably a cool spot (this will make sense at end of review). It’s charming and the service pleasantly existed. but… apparently «Cali Creole» is code for «unseasoned» seafood, so lower your expectations, way, way low. Maybe even bring your own seasoning perhaps? Looking at the menu, you really want to believe you are in for a treat but… yeah. It sucked majorly.
The bottle of tabasco was my saving grace. I had the shrimp po’boy. I’d say it was cooked fine, I just don’t understand why it wasn’t seasoned… when its clearly identified as creole/​cajun food. I get the feeling there’s some consistency issues staffing-​wise and I want to say this was probably a bad night. But looking at the other reviews, it seems they have a chronic habit of not seasoning their food.
Everyone else seemed to be enjoying the pizza so to be on the safe side, you might want to explore those options. I really wanted to like it, but yeah. Somebody has to introduce salt and pepper to the chef when it comes to the batter, or even host a meeting with seasoning salt and old bay would actually be more appropriate.
Furthermore, the grenade drink tasted immediately like melted ice liquor. I could taste the alcohol somewhere in the background of the muddle but I didn’t know if it was supposed to taste like that on purpose. And my napkin was stained with garnish stuck on it before I used it. Yes, I could’ve raised issues with everything starting from the drink and then the food and then the napkin they handed me, but damn. I was hoping the food would make up for it. Way too tired and starving from my day to have to deal with it. I want to like you Local Habit! Fix it!!!

Came here on Thursday night. There was an event so it was busy but seemed like only one guy was working on the floor. We ordered fried chicken, Brussels sprouts, and broiled cauliflower. I almost never eat fried chicken so I can’t comment too much on it but for me the crust was too thick and hard. However the flavor was good. Brussels sprout had lots of mustard sauce which I liked. Broiled cauliflower didn’t have much flavor but it was very good. I wish it came with some kind dipping sauce maybe like aioli sauce or something, it came with sour cream which I didn’t think it went together. Overall it’s average food.

I love Cajun/​creole food! I was so excited to try this place. The problem, for me, was the lack of selections. If you are gonna have a small menu, then every menu item should be perfected. I didn’t try a single thing here I’d order again. The brussels were okay but not exciting. For my entrée, I had the soup. I doctored it up with meat and some extras. Soup is my favorite food, it’s rare when I don’t like one. This was was below average. The broth was spicy, which was good, but completely one note. It was painful to get through the entire bowl. I’d also like to point out that it wasn’t that large of a portion…
The worst aspect for me was the drinks. Why in the world do they not offer iced tea of any kind??? I wanted some caffeine and my only option was cola. wtf!
Overall we spent $ 25 – 30 a person and all four of us left somewhat hungry… I liked the former version of Local Habit so much better…

This is the biggest garbage restaurant in San Diego. Took my family here on July 4^th weekend and it was an absolute disaster. They had 1 guy working ON A JULY 4TH WEEKEND.
Our food was cold, tasted like crap, didn’t come out together, had HAIR in it and I can’t believe this place stays in business.
We got our eggs and then 10 min later our bacon and the excuse we were given is «they are a la cart». $ 3 for a god damn biscuit ?? WTF!!! RIP OFF everything about this place is a joke.
Garbage food, Garbage service, NEVER AGAIN.

Wasn’t sure if this is a 3 star or 2 star — so gave them the benefit of the doubt. To be fair the food was very good. Unfortunately the service was poor/​lack luster and there was an extra charge for mustard. Odd — 75 cents — not much, but since it wasn’t what we wanted, found it irritating.
Came here on a coupon deal (Travelzoo) so the pricing was right. This place is right in Hillcrest on 5^th ave — we lucked out with finding nearby parking. Came for Saturday lunch — great weather and sat on the small outdoor patio area.
The atmosphere is nice, casual. The music ugh. Not to my liking.
Their «thing» is everything is supposedly locally sourced — though they mean California sourced with a Creole theme. Would have been nice to see a bit more actual San Diego craft beers (of course there was Stone… but some others would have been nice) versus from other parts of California. Wine list looked just OK — not too many options (we didn’t have any wine). They do have a great looking cocktail menu.
Started with the shrimp app with spices, in the shell — good but not great. The spice was nice.
Had a really nice Pt Loma baby Kale salad with goat cheese add on ($ 12) — reasonable price and great tasting salad.
Also had the pacific fish po’boy — very good.
Waitress — while she was friendly — she disappeared for awhile before bringing our drink orders (place did not look busy at all) and then actually our app came out b4 we had our drinks. Took her forever to return with small plates to share the app on and then seemed to disappear after our lunch came out — which took awhile.
Anyway, just inattentive service. I’d probably go somewhere else before returning here.

Awesome awesome place. Came here with my parents for their anniversary for some snacks and drinks after work. The owner even stopped by to say congrats and offer free drinks (unfortunately we were driving home but appreciated nonetheless!) this is what we tried
Drinks/​/​
Great craft beer selection for a good price
Hurricane/​hand grenade| pure alcohol! And on happy hour for 6 $. Talk about a cheap way to get sh**** haha
Ramos Gin Fizz| very very sweet and didn’t taste of alcohol which I didn’t mind after a hurricane!
Food/​/​
Pork belly| sweet and spicy fatty goodness!
Kale| tangy and light, I really didn’t think I would enjoy this as much as I did. I just recommend getting something else to go along with it since it’s more of a side than appetizer
Fried chicken (medium)| THICK battered, the outside tasted like a corn chip which made the skin great for dipping in the buttermilk sauce. Cooked all the way through and still juicy and tender.
Gouda Mac n Cheese| personally not my favorite, but my folks loved it. Small portion, I wouldn’t split it with more than two people
Sausage Board| overpriced, and I wish the meat was hot rather than cold but it was a good snack, the mustard sauce was very strong in the best way!
Andouille Sausage Pizza| the best thing we ate behind the pork belly… thin crust so you don’t feel guilty but it was full of different flavors that melded perfectly. Can’t wait to try their other pizzas!
Buttermilk Pie| I was scared to try this, thinking it would taste sour like buttermilk, but it was so creamy and not too sweet it was just perfect. Some fresh strawberries on top would really hit this out of the park.
Perfect service as well, knowledgeable and visited our table at the appropriate times. Would like to come back when they have music playing as well.

I initially came in because they have a good section of local craft beer. Come to find out it is Southern Creole restaurant which serves fried chicken and po’boy sandwiches. The creole noodle soup was amazingly spicy! You Know that food Is prepared with great care and love when in takes just a little while for it to be served. I will definitely return next time I am in the area.

Found this place on Travelzoo ($ 25 Coupon for $ 40 Spend). Ordered Brussel Sprouts, Portobella & Jack Pizza and Duck with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction.
Everything was very good and Organic too except for the Duck which was Excellent. For Desert we had the French Toast Bread Pudding which was very good. They had a lot of different craft beers on Tap and Wine. They validate (for 2 hours) parking in the lot behind the restaurant.
Surprised the place wasn’t very full on Saturday night at 6:30. Hillcrest must have a lot of good restaurants. It did get a bit more busy later in the evening.
The dishes were unique and I will definitely being coming back! Will try the Fried Chicken next time.

Just another awesome gastropub in Hillcrest. Not really sure how this place is different from other gastropubs – they have craft beer, dishes that use fried chicken, pork belly, mac and cheese, oysters, etc. Their servers (at least ours) are «young» and bubbly. Ours used the phrase «–esque» when describing things and made vague/​general beer recommendations.
The food was pretty good. My group and I tried a lot of different dishes and the only thing I would not recommend is the fried chicken – just wasn’t that good/​juicy as I would prefer. Just be sure to at least get the mac and cheese with truffle oil and bacon and have a good day.
Local Habit is surrounded but a lot of other great spots like Salt & Cleaver and Snooze which makes Hillcrest a top neighborhood for good eats in San Diego.
Highly recommend joint!

Really had high hopes for this place I really did. I love Cajun food, but this place was a huge disappointment. Ordered the pork Po boy and fried chicken. The sandwich came out extremely bland and the meat had the consistency of a tuna sandwich. The chicken was way over cooked and were pieces that didn’t contain very much meat. Staff didn’t seem very concerned that neither plate was barely touched.
The one saving grace was the Mac n cheese appetizer. That was great but I still can’t bump it up to any more than one star. Really disappointed in this place.

Been looking for a place fill the void for New Orleans style food that I have.
Ambiance — Small space w a rustic style. I love all the collection of classic New Orleans photos they have in their restroom
Service — Chummy
Food — Ordered only the fish po boy. Homemade bread was very nice, not chewy. Menu does not say comes w onions which mine had, but easy to pick off. Fish was very flaky and moist. Pleasing cornmeal crust. However, the sandwich all together really lacks flavor. Fish needs seasoning. Batter could use spice. Homemade tarter sauce needs salt and pepper or something.
Was off putting to walk in while employees are being scolded by the chef.

Awesome service and food. Crawfish Boil is always fun and exciting. Will definitely come back next year and I got lucky with front row parking.

I am on a cloud of foodie pleasure and happiness after a meal here :)
DO NOT MISS the house andouille and smoked Gouda pizza. OMG. Layers of smokiness — house made/​smoked andouille with smoked Gouda on a subtle but deeply umami roast garlic sauce. Heaven.
And plenty of Paleo options! We started with the Cali-​Creole shrimp (delightful housemade remoulade) and the roasted Brussels sprouts with house mustard. Get it with the bacon!
A thoroughly pleasurable and surprisingly sophisticated meal — washed down with the 22 oz. Julian Hard Apple Cider! Though next time, I’m gonna pair it with one of their LEGIT California reds.

Good beer. Great outdoor area. Still has the good food supporting positive causes… Service has dropped. Significantly. I’m sure they’re working through reopening, but clearly a struggle.
After coming a few times, I’ve consistently had servers have to ask me multiple times about the beer I ordered. It took 20 minutes to order… because the server didn’t know what they had and didn’t (she came back twice after a bit of time in between).
I’m sure they’re working on it, but definitely a struggle. It doesn’t have the same «local» feeling it used to.