The magic of convoy right now is the convergence of two (sometimes three) generations.
Grocery store Woo Chee Chong opened along Convoy Street in 1979. From its aisles fanned a whole scene of mom-and-pop cooks and chefs, often first-generation Americans launching humble spots in the area’s innumerable strip malls— like Tina Tran, who cooked phở and Vietnamese signatures for her neighbors until the demand grew into Phuong Trang (opened 1992).
Now, the next generation is sprucing up the area, bringing modern design and obsessive maker culture, a movement arguably kickstarted by Common Theory and its pan-Asian speakeasy Realm of the 52 Remedies. The Convoy charm is expanding beyond Kearny Mesa, too. The family behind popular seafood boil room Crab Hut got a James Beard nomination for Kingfisher in Golden Hill a few years ago, and Cross Street’s Korean fried chicken is now in Del Mar.
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Three things especially marked the area this year: After being destroyed by a fire in 2020, beloved made-to-order Cantonese dim sum spot China Max reopened under next-gen ownership who leaned into dumplings, noodles, and xiao long bao but retained the footprint for weddings and cultural events. Longtime local Japanese grill master Tatsuro Tsuchiya (Yakyudori, Yakitori Hino, Sushi Tadokoro) opened Yakitori Tsuta, his 18-to- 20-course concept with 12 seats, giving the binchōtan coal-art of Japanese grilling its first omakase experience. And super grocer Zion Market started working with designer Michael Soriano (Vin de Syrah, Realm of the 52) and should be unveiling a wildly immersive, multiple-restaurant-and-bar world on the rooftop later this year.
