Late-night meals aren't a big part of San Diego life outside downtown and the immediate area. In La Jolla, your best bet might be the Hard Rock Cafe, open till midnight on Friday and Saturday only.

Downtown--The kitchen at Croce's stays open till midnight all week. You can order inexpensive appetizers from the eclectic menu, or opt for a full meal. The stylish coffeehouse Café Lulu, a block from Horton Plaza, stays open till 2am Sunday through Thursday and 4am Friday and Saturday. It serves health-conscious, vegetarian light meals, and bread from Bread & Cie. Or go for traditional British pub food at the Princess Pub & Grille in Little Italy. You can get Cornish pasties, steak-and-kidney pie, or fish and chips till 1am nightly.

Hillcrest/Uptown--These two places stay open until midnight on Friday and Saturday. The relentlessly 1950s-themed Corvette Diner serves up terrific coffee shop-style food--and a page-long menu of fountain favorites. Or satisfy your sweet tooth with a sublime creation from Extraordinary Desserts, which also serves imported teas and coffees along with not-so-sweet scones and tea cakes.