Barrio Logan Neighborhood
The historic Barrio Logan neighborhood is on San Diego’s harbor front next to downtown and the Naval shipyards. This neighborhood is known for its celebration of Hispanic culture. Recently it has not only become a hub for Chicano art and culture but an up-and-coming trendy destination.
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Overview
Like the Little Italy neighborhood, Barrio Logan saw much of its growth with the rise of San Diego’s world-leading tuna industry. A statue on the corner of Cesar Chavez Parkway and Crosby Road commemorates this history. Unfortunately, in the 1970s the tuna fish industry in San Diego started to die out. The San Diego Union-Tribue had a good article on what they called San Diego’s Cannery Row.
The small Barrio Logan neighborhood is surrounded by industrial San Diego. It is right next to the large NASSCO/General Dynamic shipyards and the 32nd St Naval Station. In 1963, the I-5 interstate was built right through the center of the neighborhood. This was followed in 1969 by the construction of the San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge.
Today much of Barrio Logan is under the shadow of the Coronado Bay Bridge. However, the community has taken full advantage of this location. The center of Barrio Logan is Chicano Park. Chicano Park is located right under the bridge. The park is best noted for its murals painted on the bridge supports.
The 2004 opening of Petco Park directly to the north of the Barrio Logan neighborhood saw a resurgence in the once downtrodden East Village neighborhood. This resulted in the building of high-end restaurants, hotels, and condos.
The gentrification of East Village is trickling into Barrio Logan, but this neighborhood is still very focused on its historic roots. The Barrio Logan neighborhood is a nice mixture of old and new.
Barrio Logan is an easy stop from downtown San Diego. It is within walking distance from East Village and the hotels around Petco Park. If you are driving it is easy to find street parking. Barrio Logan can be a quick stop on the way to Coronado. We have a walking guide from Barrio Logan to downtown San Diego.
The center of Barrio Logan is the intersection of Logan Av. And Cesar Chavez Parkway. The entrance to the Coronado Bay Bridge is at this intersection. Starting here Logan Ave runs southeast straight through Chicano Park.
Chicano Park
Chicano Park is a 7-acre park under the Coronado bridge. It was established in 1970 to protect the neighborhood as the freeway and bridge were built. Today it is a national landmark. The park is best known for its dozens of murals, many depicting key figures, and events in Mexican-American history.
Chicano Park can be seen by driving through on Logan Ave. However, it is best appreciated by a walkthrough. Past Chicano Park, Logan Ave has shops and restaurants. This includes the Chicano Art Gallery and La Bodega Gallery.
Cesar Chavez Park
Heading towards the harbor down Cesar Chavez Parkway is the Barrio Logan Gateway sign and the official center of the neighborhood. This ends at Cesar Chavez Park, a small park on the harbor. This is the location of the statue honoring the tuna industry. However, as an industrial neighborhood, there is little public waterfront in Barrio Logan.
Cesar Chavez Park has a small grassy area and a short pier. From the pier, you can get nice views of downtown San Diego, the Coronado bridge and the large shipping vessels bringing cargo into San Diego.
Food and Drink
We admit we have not tried out many of the places in Barrio Logan. Las Cuatro Milpas is one of San Diego’s most famous Mexican restaurants (right at the intersection of Logan and Cesar Chavez Parkway). We love Las Cuatro but the lines are long and the hours short so we do not get here as often as we would like. One of our favorite new go-to places has become Salud! Taco shop.
Some restaurants on our list to visit include:
- MishMash: Said to have one of San Diego’s best burgers
- Barrio Dog: Mexican-style hot dogs are a specialty we have not really tried. We are not big hot dog fans but this place looks awesome
- El Carrito: We have seen this new restaurant (2018) right down the street from Salud! It is located in an old cable car from the 1930s. The specialty is chilaquiles (generally a breakfast/brunch dish)
- Dough Nations Pizza: They have birria pizza as a speciality!
Barrio Logan has also become a spot for coffee shops and breweries. In this neighborhood, you are likely to come across spicy Mexican deserts and beverages. Tajin is a spice made of chili peppers, lime, and salt that is commonly used to spice fruits or as a rim around beverages (like salt around a margarita). This can be acquired taste so test first.
Notable coffee places include
- Por Vida: Por Vida is owned by the same people behind Salud! They are in the process of expanding, including opening some regular community events.
- Café Moto
- Café Virtuoso
- Panchitas Bakery
Since Border X Brewing opened in 2014, several other breweries have opened locations in Barrio Logan.
- Border X Brewing: This brewery focuses on beer inspired by Mexican flavors.
- Iron Fist Brewing: Iron First opened in North County San Diego in 2010 (Vista). The Barrio Logan Taproom opened in 2014.
- Thorn Brewing: This North Park Brewery (on Thorn St) opened a Barrio Logan location in 2017.
Art Galleries, Shops, and Events
La Bodega Art Gallery: This award-winning art gallery is located right next to Salud! They hold regular art exhibitions that are usually free to attend.
Barrio Logan Art Crawl: The art crawl occurs every second Saturday of the month. This is a free, self-guided tour of the arts scene in Barrio Logan.
Chicano Art Gallery: This small store/gallery is located right by Chicano Park on Logan Avenue.
Barrio Logan Flea Market: Starting in June 2019 the Barrio Logan Flea Market will move to 1900 Main Street. The goal is to add more vendors and live music. More information can be found on their Facebook page, but usually, the market would occur on the second Saturday of each month
Lowrider Cars: Lowrider cars are very popular in Southern California culture. You can almost always see lowriders in Barrio Logan, especially on weekends. From April to August, the La Vuelta Car Cruise occurs every other Wednesday evening along Logan Avenue.
Where to Stay
Barrio Logan is next to downtown. This is where the closest hotels will be located. The nearest areas of downtown are East Village by the San Diego Padres home Petco Park and the Gaslamp area by the convention center.
For those on a budget, National City, right next to Barrio Logan has several chain hotels right off the freeway.
For more information see our guides to San Diego hotels and especially hotels near downtown San Diego.
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