Every month in major cities around the world, local businesses in a community agree to hold one special night where they all (or most of them) provide specials to customers. For the most part, this day depends on the day of the week. For example, First Friday in Venice reigns as one of the most popular attractions to visit food trucks and check out the local shops. Many other places hold First Friday events, while Downtown Los Angeles sees a monthly art walk every second Thursday. For some other cities, they host their event dependent on the actual date, not the day of the week. This comes at the tradeoff that the event occurs on a different day of the week each month, but at least visitors will know exactly how to plan for the next occasion. Travelers can find such a location that follows this method in San Diego for their monthly 30th On 30th crawl.
Ritual Tavern‘s Bacon Poutine
The monthly 30th On 30th event takes place on 30th Street in the North Park community of San Diego on the 30th of every month, with the exception of February, when this event turns into 30th On 28th (or 29th). Home to a slew of premier restaurants and bars, 30th Street carries some of the best in local flavor of all types. Numerous restaurants, pubs, and bars take up residence on the street or just off of it, and many other small shops carry neat goodies. Besides all the local businesses, travelers regard 30th Street at the nation’s best street for craft beer, thanks to all the local businesses that proudly serve craft beer. For those not into beer, many of 30th Street’s establishments also serve select wines from top wineries from around the world. For those not looking for alcohol, 30th Street loves their coffee and tea, so travelers will find a handful of coffee and/or tea houses.
Tiger!Tiger!‘s Fried Pig Ears
On the 30th of each month, many restaurants, bars, and shops on & near 30th Street offer specials, often in mini sizes so that visitors can check out multiple locations. Many locations start their specials in the evening, while some offer it during the day. Specials range from food samples to drink specials, and sometimes even free food! In addition to all the pictures in this post, we also got to try Pulled Pork Sliders from The Linkery, Pot Stickers from Sipz Vegetarian, Caramelized Onion & Feta Cheese Tarts from Hipcooks, and a Peanut Butter Joy Bar & Guinness Cupcake from Heaven Sent Desserts. Some of the beers we ordered included Hangar 24‘s Orange Wheat (now officially called ‘Orange 24’) and AleSmith‘s X.
Tiger!Tiger!‘s Kale Chips
Those who have visited First Friday in Venice before will recognize 30th On 30th as a similar event of feasting on your feet. Although you may not find food trucks at 30th On 30th, the local flavor will more than make up for it. If you ever find yourself in or around San Diego on the 30th of the month, stop by North Park and check out what 30th Street has to offer. You may discover something so great that you end up telling all your friends about it!