Best Nights of the Week to Dine Out

It should come as no surprise that one of our absolute favorite things to do here at San Diego Restaurant Week is to go out to eat. With all the R&D that tends to go into deciding where to eat, it’s easy to neglect another key consideration: is there an ideal day of the week to dine out for the best experience? Let’s see what the experts have to say on the subject.

Sunday Funday or Fiasco?

We’re not just referring to the sequence of events that generally unfolds from the all-you-can-eat-buffet to bottomless mimosas. Turns out, in the restaurant biz, Sundays can be tough. “After a busy Friday and Saturday night, it’s not uncommon for restaurants to be running low on product on Sundays,” says one restaurant manager.

It’s also not a peak staff day—according to dining editor George Mahe, more experienced personnel tend to take Sundays off after powering through the busy weekend. The late Anthony Bourdain made no secret of his disdain for brunch, lamenting “highly traumatic memories” of his years on the Sunday midday shift.

But for diners, Sunday staples like all-you-can-eat specials offer the best deals in terms of bang for your buck. And if you ask us, we need not know what’s happening behind the scenes—so long as the Bloody Marys keep comin’.

Mondays: A Hidden Dining Gem?

For reasons similar to Sunday, Mondays aren’t generally at the top of the list, either. With many restaurants receiving their food deliveries on Tuesdays, inventory can be running low following the weekend rush, and, again, you’re probably not going to find the executive chef behind the line on a Monday night. In fact, many restaurants are closed altogether.

That being said, we actually love dining out on Mondays. Assuming the place is open, it’s easy to snag a table, you don’t have to wait forever for a drink, and, hey—we all deserve something to look forward to on a Monday.

The Tuesday-to-Thursday Sweet Spot

Tuesdays are ideal because, well, tacos. But there does seem to be somewhat of a legitimate consensus among industry insiders that Tuesday is the best day to go to a restaurant.

In a 2014 article, Bourdain named Tuesdays—and weekdays in general—as the optimal days for dining out. Not only do many restaurants get the “good stuff” on Tuesdays, but according to Bourdain, you’re more likely to get a well-rested, creatively-inclined chef during the week than on the weekend.

Tuesday seems to be the starting point for a kind of midweek sweet spot—the time when the food is freshest, restaurants are well-staffed, and you don’t have to pull out a bag of tricks to get a table. As the weekend nears, restaurants are increasingly well-equipped for the impending Friday-Saturday rush. Plus, if Thursday’s happy hour turns into a few too many, Friday is generally an easier one to get through at the office.

Friday & Saturday: Hit the San Diego Restaurant Week Scene

Yes, it’s busy. Yes, it’s crowded. But it’s the weekend—and we’re not going to sit idly by and not partake in our favorite activity during our favorite time of the week. And with more restaurants open for lunch on the weekend, it’s the perfect time to snag a spot by the water and enjoy the best of San Diego—sunshine, coastline and world-class cuisine.

No matter your favorite time of week, day or night to dine out, San Diego Restaurant Week is ensuring you get the best food at the best value. Check us out at axs2ow70g8-staging.onrocket.site and follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the best prix fixe, three-course menus coming up September 22nd-29th.