Best Spot for a Business Lunch: Dakota Grill & Spirits, 901 Fifth Ave., in the Gaslamp Quarter (tel. 619/234-5554), has the three most important ingredients of a business lunch locale--great location, appropriate atmosphere, and excellent food--but without prices that scream "power lunch."

Best View: Many restaurants overlook the ocean, but only from Brockton Villa, 1235 Coast Blvd., La Jolla (tel. 858/454-7393), can you see sublime La Jolla Cove. Diners with a window seat will feel as if they're looking out on a gigantic picture postcard.

Best Value: The word "huge" barely begins to describe the portions at Filippi's Pizza Grotto, 1747 India St. (tel. 619/232-5095), where a salad for one is enough for three, and an order of lasagna must weigh a pound. There's a kids' menu, and Filippi's has locations all over, including Pacific Beach, Mission Valley, and Escondido.

Best for Kids: At the Old Spaghetti Factory, 275 Fifth Ave., in the Gaslamp Quarter (tel. 619/233-4323), family dining is the name of the game--so if your kids are noisy, nobody will notice.

Best Chinese Cuisine: Emerald Restaurant, 3709 Convoy St., Kearny Mesa (tel. 858/565-6888), is in the most unromantic of locations, yet the culinary wizardry that transpires in the kitchen draws the Chinese community citywide for Hong Kong-style seafood, much of it plucked from live fish tanks.

Best Class Act: The polished service and elegant setting at Laurel, 505 Laurel St., next to Balboa Park (tel. 619/239-2222), are urbane and discriminating, like the best New York restaurants. But the food is prepared with inventive flair and the Rhône-heavy wine list soars, making Laurel a rewarding splurge for a special occasion.

Best Seafood: At Star of the Sea, 1380 N. Harbor Dr. (tel. 619/232-7408), you'll find the city's best package of fresh seafood, graceful presentation, and memorable views from the edge of San Diego Bay.

Best New-American Cuisine: Chef Deborah Scott's menu at Indigo Grill, 1536 India St., in Little Italy (tel. 619/234-6802), cleverly fuses the flavors of the Pacific Coast from Mexico to Alaska. The results create the city's most adventurous menu, and one of its most delicious.

Best Mexican Cuisine: Rather than the "combination plate" fare that's common on this side of the border, El Agave Tequileria, 2304 San Diego Ave., Old Town (tel. 619/220-0692), offers a memorable combination of freshly prepared recipes from Veracruz, Chiapas, Puebla, and Mexico City--along with an impressive selection of boutique and artisan tequilas.

Best Pizza: For gourmet pizza from a wood-fired oven, head for Sammy's California Woodfired Pizza, a local institution with several locations, including 770 Fourth Ave., in the Gaslamp Quarter (tel. 619/230-8888. For the traditional Sicilian variety, line up for Filippi's Pizza Grotto.

Best Desserts: You'll forget your diet at Extraordinary Desserts, 2929 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest (tel. 619/294-7001). Heck, it's so good you might forget your name! Proprietor Karen Krasne has a Certificate de Patisserie from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and makes everything fresh on the premises daily.

Best Late-Night Dining: Open later than anyplace else downtown, Café Lulu, 419 F St. (tel. 619/238-0114), serves eclectic meat-free fare and inventive espresso drinks until 1am during the week, 3am on weekends.

Best Fast Food: Fish tacos from the burgeoning local chain Rubio's, 4504 E. Mission Bay Dr. (tel. 619/272-2801), and other locations, are legendary in San Diego. Sounds strange? Taste one and you'll know why there's a line.

Best Picnic Fare: Pack a superb sandwich from the Bread & Cie., 350 University Ave. (tel. 619/683-9322), where the hearty breads are the toast of the city. Or head to one of several locations of Whole Foods, where the deli houses a smashing selection of delicious hot and cold items, the city's best cheese collection and a crisp salad bar; you'll find them in Hillcrest at 711 University Ave. (tel. 619/294-2800), and in La Jolla at 8825 Villa La Jolla Dr. (tel. 858/642-6700).