Racetrack season, bluff-top dining, and upscale coastal rooms.
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Quick answer
Rare Society is the best steakhouses in Del Mar & Solana Beach — scored 88/100 in our citywide ranking. The best modern steakhouse in the county and the most fun wagyu tasting format. Also worth the trip: Ruth's Chris Steak House.
Del Mar & Solana Beach, before you go
Del Mar and Solana Beach: bluff-top dining, the racetrack and fairgrounds, and the county's most expensive per-square-foot coastline. Small, tidy, and priced accordingly.
Getting there
Coaster to Solana Beach station; I-5 to Via de la Valle, about 25 minutes from downtown.
Parking
Metered downtown Del Mar and paid beach lots. Racing season reshapes parking for miles.
When to go
Outside racing season (July–September) if you want the village quiet; during it if you want the spectacle.
Local note
Cedros Avenue in Solana Beach is the design-district strip and a better browse than Del Mar's short main street.
Also worth your time in Del Mar & Solana Beach
These didn't make our citywide steakhouses ranking, but they're real local options worth knowing about when you're already in Del Mar & Solana Beach.
Rare Society
Solana Beach
Order: A dry-aged steak with the seasonal sides
A modern steakhouse just inland from the Del Mar village, with a more energetic room than a classic white-tablecloth chophouse.
steakhouses in Del Mar & Solana Beach, specifically
Del Mar steakhouse dining is racetrack-and-coast money: valet out front, a wine list priced for expense accounts, and a season that swells dramatically during the summer race meet. The rooms are polished rather than clubby, and reservations behave more like Los Angeles than like the rest of San Diego County.
Which one to pick
Rare Society is the more interesting meal — the wagyu flight format lets a table taste across cuts instead of committing to one steak each, and it's the best modern steakhouse in the county. Ruth's Chris is the safe reservation when the table includes someone who wants exactly the steak they expect, executed exactly the way they expect it.
Before you go
During the Del Mar racing season, dinner tables from 6pm onward go weeks in advance and the surface lots fill. Book ahead, or take an early 5pm seating and eat before the track crowd arrives.
At a glance
The Best Steakhouses in Del Mar & Solana Beach — comparison
The best modern steakhouse in the county and the most fun wagyu tasting format.
Rare Society updated the steakhouse formula with a loud room, a good cocktail list, and small-format wagyu flights that let you taste several grades in one sitting. It is a better night out than most of the old-guard rooms, even if the beef sourcing isn't quite Born & Raised level.
Local tip: Split the wagyu flight between two people — full portions of A5 get overwhelming fast.
A chain, but the sizzling-butter execution is genuinely consistent across visits.
Ruth's Chris is where the chain format works: 500-degree plates, butter, and cooks who hit temperature every time. You are paying a premium for reliability rather than personality, and for a lot of diners that trade is worth making.
Local tip: The happy hour bar menu is the only affordable way into this room.
We score every steakhouses pick in San Diego on the same criteria, so these 2 Del Mar & Solana Beach entries can be read against the other 5 on the citywide list. Del Mar & Solana Beach averages 88/100 here against a citywide average of 88/100, with Born & Raised holding the citywide top spot elsewhere.
Sourcing, aging, grade, and how the cut is trimmed.
25%
Cooking
Crust, temperature accuracy, and rest.
15%
Sides & extras
Sides, sauces, and the rest of the menu.
15%
Service & room
Pacing, knowledge, and atmosphere.
10%
Value
What you get for a $100+ per person check.
Steakhouses are expensive, so temperature accuracy matters more here than anywhere else on our lists. A mis-cooked $70 ribeye is a failed dish regardless of sourcing.
FAQ
What is the best steakhouses in Del Mar & Solana Beach?
Rare Society is our top-scored pick for steakhouses in Del Mar & Solana Beach (88/100). The best modern steakhouse in the county and the most fun wagyu tasting format.
How many steakhouses spots in Del Mar & Solana Beach made the list?
2 Del Mar & Solana Beach spots scored high enough to make our citywide steakhouses ranking. Every pick is scored with the same criteria we use across San Diego.
What does it cost?
Expect roughly $$$, $$$$ across these Del Mar & Solana Beach picks.
Where do you park for steakhouses in Del Mar & Solana Beach?
Metered downtown Del Mar and paid beach lots. Racing season reshapes parking for miles.
When is the best time to go in Del Mar & Solana Beach?
Outside racing season (July–September) if you want the village quiet; during it if you want the spectacle.
How do Del Mar & Solana Beach picks compare to the rest of San Diego?
Rare Society ranks 4th of 7 in our citywide steakhouses ranking. Del Mar & Solana Beach picks average 88/100 against a citywide average of 88/100, and the closest alternative outside the neighborhood is Cowboy Star in Downtown & Gaslamp.
Written and fact-checked by the Sandi Spots Editorial team — San Diego residents publishing under Sleep Coast LLC. Every place we recommend has been visited in person or verified against an official source, and no business can pay for inclusion or a higher ranking. Last updated .
Local, first-hand. Reported on the ground in San Diego County.
Kept current. Prices, hours, and closures reviewed on a rolling basis.
Independent. Affiliate links never influence rankings.
