Rainbow flags hanging from shops and restaurants signal your entrance into Hillcrest, San Diego’s official LGBT cultural district. This hip, uptown neighborhood is just a few minutes from downtown and Balboa Park, with a great nightlife scene and locally-owned shops and restaurants dotting vibrant, pedestrian-friendly streets. Read on to find out what else makes Hillcrest so great.

The Basics

Boundaries: Hillcrest is bound by Washington Street on the north, Park Boulevard on the east, Upas Street and Balboa Park on the south, and Curlew Street and Dove Street on the west.

Borders: The neighborhood is bordered by Mission Hills to the northwest, while Bankers Hill and Balboa Park sit to the south. University Heights is on the north side, and hip North Park’s trendy thrift shops and retro bars are to the east. Just off Hillcrest’s main thoroughfare of University Avenue, the area’s east end is marked by a 30-foot rainbow flag that stands at 65 feet tall at the corner of Normal Street. Bordering the neighborhood to the west is a large ridge overlooking San Diego Bay. 

Commute: Hillcrest is extremely walkable neighborhood. It’s also located just a few miles north of San Diego’s bustling downtown: First Avenue is a straight shot, or commuters can take their traffic chances on the I-5. Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Avenues all connect Hillcrest to Downtown San Diego through Park West and Bankers Hill. Running up past Mission Valley and down past Balboa Park, State Route 163 lets off in Hillcrest at the University Avenue, Washington Street, and Robinson Avenue exits. 

Bus service connects to Downtown and to the Mission Valley trolley stops. Monthly and day passes are available for the MTS (Metropolitan Transit System) that runs every 15 minutes. You can hop on at the 1st Ave & Robinson Ave stop in Hillcrest and be Downtown in 17 minutes for just a couple bucks. 

Hillcrest Today

People of practically all ethnicities and sexual orientations make Hillcrest San Diego’s most diverse neighborhood. Known for its tolerance and acceptance, the welcoming neighborhood has a large and active LGBTQIA+ community and is the site for the city’s annual Pride Parade. The pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined streets are dotted with rainbow flags hanging over local vintage clothing shops, bookstores, and coffee houses. Shoppers, diners, and partiers can be found strolling University Avenue, which leads to the neon “Hillcrest” sign at the intersection of Fifth Avenue. The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Hillcrest is $1,750, while a two-bedroom apartment goes for around $2,400.

Eat

Brimming with cafes, bistros and five-star dining restaurants, Hillcrest’s varied restaurant scene is as diverse as its residents. The flavorful mix of ethnic restaurants includes global cuisines like Lebanese and Himalayan, in addition to your more run-of-the-mill Vietnamese and Thai. Located in the heart of Hillcrest, gay burger joint, Urban MO’s Bar & Grill, is the star of University Avenue, and is great for brunch, dinner, or drinks, touting itself as “The Best Gay Bar in the World”. University Ave is also home to Bread & Cie bakery, Ortega’s Bistro, and Lalo’s Tacos. 

Newly established restaurants and long-time favorites dot Fifth Avenue: its mix of cafes, brunch spots, and dessert-only places keep the area busy on the weekends. Get in line with the locals for red velvet pancakes and salted caramel French toast at Snooze: an A.M. Eatery, or check out the newly opened Breakfast Bitch. The brunch spot with an attitude serves croissant-centric dishes like the Bougie (lobster benedict) during the day and non-alcoholic CBD spritzers from midnight to 4am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Drink

Along University Ave, you’ll find plenty of nightclubs, acclaimed wine bars, and très gay bars, as well as the country’s only (and world’s first) openly gay brewery, Hillcrest Brewing Company. “Women’s bar”, Gossip Grill, and gay video bar, Flicks, host DJs, drag shows, and karaoke.

If you’re feeling swanky, Martinis Above Fourth is all about that lounge life, with live piano, comedy, and cabaret on weekends. Check out Two Seven Eight, a fun Fifth Ave drinking hole that doubles as a rooftop gathering/dinner party. For Buy One Get One drinks, head to the ever-vibrant Fiesta Cantina. If you’re looking to get a fancy cocktail, you’re just a 5-minute Uber or Lyft ride away from one of San Diego’s best bars, Starlite.

Play

Peruse home decor boutiques and shop for second-hand clothing and books along University and Fifth Avenues. Take in a new release, independent, or foreign film at Hillcrest’s Landmark multiplex. Hillcrest also offers fun annual events. In addition to the annual Pride celebrations, there’s CityFest in August. The annual street fest features food, live entertainment, a beer garden, and street vendors. It also hosts the nation’s largest LGBTQIA+ Mardi Gras celebration outside of New Orleans, complete with a night-time neighborhood bar crawl and party buses roaming the streets.

To the south, Balboa Park makes for a great outing, with 16 museums and performing arts venues, ornate Spanish-Renaissance architecture, 1,200 acres of gorgeous gardens, and the world-famous San Diego Zoo.

On Sundays, the weekly Hillcrest Farmers Market (one of the largest farmers markets in San Diego) takes over the DMV parking lot on Normal Street from 9am-2pm, with a variety of locally grown produce, ready-made food, arts and crafts, flowers, and more.

Between the gay bars, farmers’ market, ethnic eats, and Pride parade, Hillcrest is a pretty cool place to live. Search thousands of apartments on Zumper and make it your new home.

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