North Park · Best Restaurants in San Diego
Wormwood Review
Last updatedRanked #9 of 12 in Best Restaurants in San Diego
The most interesting seafood cooking in San Diego right now.
Score breakdown
- Experience95/100
- Consistency88/100
- Value78/100
- Atmosphere90/100
- Uniqueness96/100
The verdict on Wormwood
Ranked #9 of 12 — 89/100 in our Best Restaurants in San Diego coverage
A tiny, dark, ambitious room doing modern seafood with French technique. Menus change constantly, which is exactly the point.
What to order at Wormwood
Across our coverage the recommendation is consistent: The chef's counter menu and anything raw.
Sit at the counter — the plating and the conversation are half of it.
Is Wormwood worth the price?
Wormwood sits at $$$ ($60–90 per person) — the top of the market for this category. Nothing else we ranked in this category lands in the same price bracket, so the comparison is against cheaper or pricier alternatives rather than a like-for-like rival.
Wormwood FAQ
Is Wormwood expensive?
Wormwood is priced at $$$ ($60–90 per person), which puts it in the top of the market band for this category. There is no other option at the exact same price point on the same list, so treat it as its own bracket.
Is Wormwood worth it?
It scores 89/100, 0.8 points below the 89.8 average for its list. It still ranks, but there are stronger options nearby in score.
What should I order at Wormwood?
We recommend the The chef's counter menu and anything raw.
What else is nearby Wormwood?
Tribute Pizza (93/100 in our best pizza in san diego list) and Hammond's Gourmet Ice Cream (93/100 in our best ice cream in san diego list) are also ranked in the same neighborhood, so it's easy to pair a visit.
What works
- Strong uniqueness — scored 96/100 in our ranking
- Strong experience — scored 95/100 in our ranking
- Strong atmosphere — scored 90/100 in our ranking
Know before you go
- Value is the weak point — 78/100, below the rest of its scores
- Sit at the counter — the plating and the conversation are half of it.
The full review
A tiny, dark, ambitious room doing modern seafood with French technique. Menus change constantly, which is exactly the point.
On our weighted scale it earns 89/100 — good for #9 of 12 places we evaluated for best restaurants in san diego. We eat at the places we rank, pay full price for what we order, and re-score when a kitchen, chef or menu changes.
What to order at Wormwood
The chef's counter menu and anything raw
Price: $$$ ($60–90 per person)
How we scored Wormwood
Every score on this page comes from the same editorial rubric we apply to the whole category: experience, consistency, value, atmosphere, uniqueness. The criteria are weighted toward what matters most in the category, compared against every other place we ranked in the same list rather than against an abstract ideal. We eat at the places we rank, pay full price for what we order, and re-score when a kitchen, chef or menu changes. Scores are editorial judgments rather than aggregated user ratings.