One of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods has overcome a bad reputation

“We’re going to see a whole different side of San Diego. It had a bad rap for a long time, but now Barrio Logan is one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world.”

Tour guide Stefan Calvaruso talks a good game, but he does have reason. For many years the Mexican-American neighbourhood of Barrio Logan was perceived as being on the wrong side of the tracks; sliced by a freeway and hemmed in by polluting industries, it was a district that most San Diegans knew about but never visited.

In recent years, its proximity to the city centre has seen the barrio follow the well-worn path of gentrification, sprouting excellent food outlets and interesting shops. In the midst of this change, however, there’s an appetite to keep its Latino traditions alive – something we’ll be hearing about on the Art Walk Through the Barrio tour.

Interestingly, our starting point is an Italian restaurant, Ciccia Osteria. Set on the main drag, Logan Street, it features a pleasant courtyard dining area with trees and colourful banners. The owner, originally from Milan, talks to us about the “little Italian house” he’s created here, and the pasta dishes which follow are excellent. The gnocchi in particular, sitting in a light pesto sauce, melts in the mouth.

Next we embrace the district’s Mexican heritage, with a stop at Border X Brewing. We walk through this craft brewery’s bar to an open-air backyard featuring timber tables with benches, vivid murals, and a barbecue area at which marinated meat is cooked.

Our group is soon working through beef and pork tacos with a lively selection of toppings, including an avocado crema. Accompanying them are glasses of Mexican-style kolsch beer, served on an arched metal frame.

Something that’s notable about Barrio Logan on this warm Sunday afternoon is its friendliness. Back on Logan Street, we’re stopped by a stranger who tells us his family has been here for 130 years. “This was the tuna fishing capital of the world,” he says. “My dad came from Costa Rica and met my mom here.”

At Art Hub we find a cluster of boutiques selling art and clothing created by local designers. Here I spot a series of aprons each bearing an image with a number – and learn that they’re based on a set of picture cards used for loteria, a traditional Mexican game of chance similar to bingo.

Past a big mural featuring Latin-American heroes (Kahlo, Rivera, Guevara, Villa) we reach Chicano Park. This is a highlight of the tour, with famed murals painted upon the freeway pylons which march through its greenery.

The park was created in the 1970s after protests over broken political promises, and its art is a diverse mix of Aztec imagery, local heroes, and historic scenes, all depicted in bright tones. It’s a fascinating place to walk, the colourful soaring pylons and freeway deck suggesting to my mind an open-air cathedral.

Our spirits lifted, we exit the park and visit a maker of spirits, Liberty Call Distilling. A mainstay of the new Barrio Logan, it has a big, modern interior with a timber-topped bar, along with a spacious outdoor area. Here our group enjoys flatbread with savoury toppings and a selection of cocktails using the company’s products: including the refreshing Pomsizzle, made with vodka, pomegranate syrup, and lime.

There’s one more stop, just across the road: Tocumbo, which serves Mexican-style ice cream with flavours ranging from the usual suspects to unfamiliar choices such as nopal (cactus) and guanabana (soursop). I choose a serve of maracuya (passionfruit), which is cool and refreshing with a strong, vibrant flavour. It’s the perfect way to end a day in the barrio.

United flies to San Diego via San Francisco, see . San Diego can also be reached by Amtrak trains from Los Angeles, see

The Sofia Hotel offers comfortable rooms within a historic building in Downtown San Diego, from $US300 (NZ$477) a night. See

An Art Walk Through the Barrio takes place each Sunday, and costs $US85 a person. See

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