Roger has rated close to 800 places on Google Maps, but only a few dozen got a written review. Those are the ones where something was worth saying, good or bad. The food and drink reviews are now on SD Foodie, each linked to a place page with its star rating, his own words and a status check.
The oldest is a birthday dinner at The Patio on Lamont in Pacific Beach. The food was great, Roger wrote, but the server brought a birthday truffle nobody asked for, charged $1.50 for it and took fifteen minutes to bring the check. The same dinner is in the photo archive: a July 2013 Flickr post lists the Russian snow crab ahi tower, Jidori chicken and Portuguese garlic shrimp, with a line about the slowest server ever.
Some reviews are warnings. Saigon on Fifth, a longtime late-night default, got one star in about 2018 after new management served a $13 noodle soup with carrots and broccoli and frozen fish billed as sea bass. Guest Kabob on Convoy got two stars for tiny skewer portions at yakitori prices and a check-in discount it refused to honor. At Hane Sushi, once his backup when Sushi Ota was full, the rice was drenched in vinegar. At Ajisen’s San Diego branch, a server sneezed across the table.
Others are careful about what went wrong. The Smoking Goat and Sushi on the Rock both lost stars over service, and Roger said so while noting years of good visits before. Ristorante Illando had top-notch service and ambiance but disappointing pasta. Portside Coffee & Gelato was “nothing to rant and rave about,” but an easy fix on a Harbor Drive walk.
And some are pure recommendation. Hodad’s gets a full love letter — double bacon cheeseburger, frings, a Neapolitan shake big enough to share — written after nearly eight years of eating there. Tom’s Chinese BBQ is one of the best Cantonese barbecue joints in town, as long as you call ahead for the duck and bring cash. Mien Trung is a favorite for bún bò Huế and bún riêu. Prestons’ Ginger Beer is one of the best ginger drinks in Southern California.
The most recent reviews are also the strongest, and they are on Roger’s Picks. Teriyaki Grill on Third Avenue in Chula Vista has wings he calls some of the juiciest anywhere. The Grillery in Poway gets the steak with chimichurri every time. And at YOHED Coffee in City Heights, where the beans come from Ethiopia and are roasted in-house, the instructions are clear: drink it black.
Travel shows up too: late-night ramen burgers in the East Village, menudo and birria in Lincoln Heights, tea spirits in Portland, seared toro in Mexico City. Those places sit on the Travel Eats page under Reviewed on the road.
Google only shows how long ago a review was posted, so most of these dates are approximate years. Status checks are dated September 16, 2026, and closed places stay on the site as part of the record. The full list is on the Reviews page.
