In San Diego, where fall hovers in the mid-70s and roasting a turkey in a warm SoCal kitchen isn’t for the faint of heart, Thanksgiving takes on a whole new meaning. Fittingly, the city offers a cornucopia of restaurants for the holiday where chefs mix local California freshness with influences from around the world. Whether you’re gathering for a festive restaurant dinner or celebrating at home, there’s no shortage of options: prix fixe multi-course menus and lavish buffets to mouthwatering sit-down feasts and Michelin-approved take-home meals. This year, let San Diego’s natural beauty and culinary creativity do the work for you. Here are 30 of the city’s best spots serving Thanksgiving dinner in San Diego this year.
If you’re looking for traditional flavors with a coastal twist, then swing by George’s at the Cove for their ocean view Thanksgiving prix fixe menu. For over 40 years, the award-winning culinary team has wowed guests with locally sourced dishes and unbeatable sunset views…and this Thanksgiving is no exception. Chefs Trey Foshee, Masa Kojima, and Anna Adams are serving up an elevated classics, from roasted Diestel turkey with cranberry cornbread stuffing and smoked potato purée to sweet potato casserole and cheesecake topped with salted crème fraîche whip and pepita brittle.
Escape to Rancho Bernardo Inn’s picturesque gardens and rolling hills for a Thanksgiving dinner that has something for every mood. Guests can choose from an elegant buffet in the Aragon Ballroom, a carefully curated four-course dinner at Avant, or enjoy a cozy three-course meal at Veranda. Every option is thoughtfully prepared with Thanksgiving classics, seasonal highlights, and the warm flavors of fall, making it the quintessential setting to reminisce with family and friends in the Inn’s serene and scenic surroundings.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | Aragon Ballroom at 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Avant at 4-8 p.m. | Veranda at 1:30 a.m.-9 p.m
Price: Aragon Ballroom: $145 per adult, $60 per child | Avant: $125 per adult, $65 per child | Veranda: $75 per adult
Address: 17550 Bernardo Oaks Dr, Rancho Bernardo
Le Coq
For a lavish feast, Le Coq is offering its French-Asian twist on Thanksgiving classics featuring a four-course menu with tuna crudo with chili tamarind, lamb chops with sorrel and grape, and a turkey roulade with cranberry sauce and fried sage. Seasonal sides like pomme purée and roasted acorn squash round out the spread, while decadent desserts such as chocolate mousse cake or Mont Blanc make for a sweet ending to your festive gathering.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | 1 p.m.–7 p.m.
Price: $107 per adult | $42 per child
Address: 7837 Herschel Ave, La Jolla
Old Hickory
At Old Hickory Steakhouse you can harness the beauty of modern California architecture for the finest Thanksgiving dining. Overlooking the Chula Vista Bayfront, they’ll be offering a refined three-course menu with options like chestnut agnolotti, bouquet of lettuces with honey whipped ricotta, prosciutto-wrapped turkey breast, dry-aged prime rib, or Chilean sea bass. And, end the meal with indulgent desserts including pumpkin pie, chocolate cinnamon millefeuille, or even a sweet potato ice cream sundae. Don’t miss out, grab your seat here.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | Time details coming soon
Price: $95 per adult
Address:1000 H St, Chula Vista
Provisional Kitchen at The Pendry
“Dine Diego,” are you ready for Thanksgiving twice this year? Dive into the season with a culinary celebration for a cause at the Pendry’s Chefsgiving dinner on Nov. 13. This community-centered evening supports the San Diego Food Bank and is hosted by San Diego Magazine’s co-owner and content chief Troy Johnson, featuring some of the city’s top culinary talents, including chefs from Provisional Kitchen, Ember & Rye, 31ThirtyOne, Serea, and more. Tickets include a $30 donation to the San Diego Food Bank and artfully arranged wine pairings. Reservations are required, so grab yours ASAP.
If you’re looking for round two, the Pendry is keeping the Thanksgiving spirit alive on Nov. 27. Executive chef Brandon Sloan at Provisional Kitchen will craft a specialty three-course prix fixe menu perfect for friends and family. Reservations are required for this experience as well.
Date & Time: Chefsgiving: Nov.13 at 6 p.m. | Thanksgiving Dinner: Nov. 27 from 2-4:30 p.m.
Price: Chefsgiving: $150 per person (ages 21+) | Thanksgiving Dinner: $100 per adult, $40 per child
Address: 425 Fifth Ave, Gaslamp Quarter
Lilian’s at Rancho Santa Fe
Lilian’s offers a storybook Thanksgiving dinner featuring tender roasted turkey, buttery mashed potatoes, savory and sweet stuffing, and pumpkin pie. With a four-course menu and flexible seating options, it’s perfect for family, friends who want a classic celebration without lifting a finger.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | 1 p.m.-8 p.m.
Price: $175
Address: 5951 Linea Del Cielo, Rancho Santa Fe
Mister A’s
Give thanks with a side of San Diego skyline at Mister A’s, the iconic 12th-floor dining destination where its views make indulging in extra pie feel effortlessly glam. On November 27 only, start with appetizers like Vidalia sweet onion soup and baked carbonara mac & cheese. Then move into mains such as herb-crusted lamb loin with squash purée or an 8 oz prime beef filet, alongside sides like truffle fries and more. Oh, and did I mention the pumpkin sticky toffee pudding and apple cranberry cobbler? Mister A’s three-course prix fixe has it all. Reservations are open now.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | 12 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Price: Buffet: $110 per person
Address: 2550 Fifth Avenue, Ste 406, Bankers Hill
Sea & Sky
Take your Thanksgiving to the next level at Sea & Sky, where breathtaking ocean views meet a meticulously crafted two-course experience with dessert. Partake in a culinary journey through the freshest seafood and locally sourced ingredients with dishes like fairy tale pumpkin soup, grilled apple and Pt. Reyes blue tart, or baby kale salad piled high with local pear, serrano ham, and spiced candied pecans. Then choose your main event: heritage roasted turkey with all the classics, coffee-dusted filet of beef, grilled red snapper, or butternut squash Casareccia pasta, all paired with family-style sides. Top it all off with pumpkin pie or mixed berry crostata with pistachio gelato and you’ve got a Thanksgiving worth savoring.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Price: $85 per adult | $50 per child
Address: 7955 La Jolla Shores Dr, La Jolla
Café Sevilla
Experience Thanksgiving “from another feather” at Café Sevilla, where Spanish flair meets holiday tradition. Enjoy a three-course menu featuring Thanksgiving classics with a Spanish twist, from champiñónes y crema soup, Spanish beer-glazed duck, and pumpkin empanadas. These bold, flavorful dishes are available all day, either à la carte or as a full menu (dinner menu also available). Reservations aren’t required, but you won’t want to miss the authentic Spanish ambiance, tapas, Spanish wines, and refreshing sangrias, all bringing the flavors of Spain to your Thanksgiving table.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | All day
Price: $49.50 per adult
Address: 353 Fifth Ave, San Diego
Herb & Wood
For a rustic Thanksgiving that doesn’t involve doing the dishes, join celebrity chef Brian Malarkey’s flagship for a traditional menu featuring shrimp cocktail with smoked sauce, beef tartare, pork belly with roasted apple and squash purée, lamb lollipops, and roasted turkey with all the classic sides. Secure your spot, sit back, and enjoy a timeless yet approachable fall celebration.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | 1 p..m.-7 p.m.
Price: $92 per adult | $38 per child
Address: 2210 Kettner Blvd, Little Italy
Animae
At Animae, Thanksgiving takes on a new form where sleek modern design meets culinary theater. Chef Tara Monsod brings her Filipino-American perspective to the holiday with a four-course feast featuring scallop crudo, duck confit arroz caldo, soy-glazed turkey roulade, and pumpkin and coconut profiteroles. Make this year a futuristic take on Art Deco, where time and space feel suspended. The full menu and reservations are available now.
Skip the hours of prep and cooking (that feel like days) this Thanksgiving and treat yourself to bold Indian flavors at Charminar in San Diego. While the exact menu changes each year, past holiday offerings have included traditional dishes and special weekend treats like Goat Dum Biryani and Tandoori Fish Pomfret. Follow along online for this year’s holiday menu and special offerings, perfect for adding spice to your Thanksgiving table.
Date & Time: Nov. 27
Price: To Be Confirmed
Address: 6755 Mira Mesa Blvd Ste 111, San Diego
Giardino
The 2025 Critics’ Pick and Runner-Up for The Best Restaurant in Lemon Grove, Giardino is a casual Italian-inspired cucina where San Diegans gather for fresh, flavorful classics from across Italy. This Thanksgiving, enjoy a three-course preset menu for $55 per adult, with a kids’ menu available for $19. Secure your spot early and check its website to view the full menu with details coming soon.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | 12–8 p.m.
Price: $55 per adult | $19 per child
Address: 7067 Broadway, Lemon Grove, San Diego
Courtesy of Catamaran Resort
Thanksgiving Buffets in San Diego
Brickmans Restaurant and Bar
Skip the stress of cooking this year and let Brickman’s do the work. Its Thanksgiving Day Buffet at Lakehouse Resort features a towering spread of fall classics like apple cider and clove-glazed ham, citrus maple–glazed salmon, lemon oregano seasonal squash, mini corn dogs for the kids, and more, all accompanied by live music on the patio and in the dining room. Gather with family and relax with serene lakeside views; it’s a chaos-free yet classy way to celebrate. Reservations are now available.
Thanksgiving at The Del is the kind of holiday scene that belongs in a rom-com: Seaside windows, families dressed in their fall best, and a table that feels straight out of a dream. Dine in the beautifully restored Crown Room and Coronet Rooms, or the Ocean Ballroom (home to a newly uncovered 1888 fresco mural) and enjoy a lavish buffet of favorites, regional specialties, and mouthwatering desserts.
Beneath the Crown Room’s 33-foot sugar pine ceilings and chandeliers designed by The Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum, guests can savor every bite surrounded by the hotel’s signature grandeur. After dinner, explore the resort’s “A Holiday in Oz” celebration, complete with oceanfront Skating by the Sea, thousands of twinkling lights, and stunning seasonal décor. The menu is coming soon, but reservations are open now.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | Crown Room at 12:30-7 p.m. | Ocean Ballroom at 1-6 p.m.
Price: Adults: $274.25 (prices increase by $25 on Nov. 1), $125.36 per child (ages 5–12)
Address: 1500 Orange Ave., Coronado
Rumorosa
A Cali-Baja Thanksgiving? Sign me up. At Rumorosa’s bountiful buffet overlooking the water, expect Turkey Al Pastor, Rumorosa paella, specialty cocktail stations, and all the festive favorites imaginable. Even add in an Apple Cider Hot Toddy or Ferrero Rocher martini for a chef’s twist on tradition. Reserve your table for a flavorful holiday celebration on Harbor Island.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | 12 p.m.-5 p.m.
Price: $89 per adult | $45 per child
Address: 1380 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego
Rancho Valencia
Thanksgiving at Rancho Valencia is a full-on family affair. The buffet features a legendary raw bar, carving stations, and endless seasonal favorites, plus a dessert spread that’s as rich as it is impressive. Kids can roam the lawn with a petting zoo, bounce house, carriage rides, face painting, and arts and crafts.
Maybe you prefer to celebrate at home. Thanksgiving To-Go lets you bring the feast to your kitchen table. Order online by Nov. 21 for pickup on Nov. 26 for a dinner serving four or more, with oven-ready dishes including Diestel Farms herb-brined, free-range turkey, plus vegan and gluten-free options, all designed for effortless holiday entertaining. Call 858-759-6246 to reserve.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Price: Thanksgiving buffet: $245 per adult, $95 per child (ages 3–11) | To-Go: $350 minimum order
Address: 5921 Valencia Cir, Rancho Santa Fe
Ember & Rye
At Ember & Rye, Thanksgiving starts at brunch overlooking the 18th green at the Arnold Palmer–designed Aviara Golf Club. Guests can enjoy poached jumbo shrimp, Peruvian ceviche, lobster roll verrines, and a rotating selection of sushi and sashimi, followed by carving stations featuring cedar-plank Ora King salmon, and mala-spice crusted prime rib. Hot dishes and sides include brown butter sweet potato tartlets, roasted root vegetables, veal scallopini with shaved truffle, and charred lemon chicken gravy. The dessert spread is equally insane with pumpkin pies, pistachio orange blossom tartlets, raspberry lime cheesecake, and pumpkin macarons.
If breakfast isn’t your thing, swing by the vintage clubhouse in the evening for dinner specials of smoked turkey with yuzu cranberry sauce or Kurobuta porchetta with Wagyu tallow gravy. Finish with pecan pie drizzled in maple passionfruit caramel and served with brown butter ice cream.
Date & Time: Nov 27 | Brunch: 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. | Dinner: 5 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Price: Brunch: $165 per adult, $65 per child (ages 2-12) | Dinner: À la carte
Address: 7447 Batiquitos Dr, Carlsbad
ARLO
The 2025 Reader’s Choice winner for Best Hotel Restaurant, ARLO, is hosting an all-day Thanksgiving buffet where you can chow, sip, and catch every NFL play without missing a bite, whether you’re inside or out on the patio. Start with Agrumato and Aleppo pepper poached shrimp or a roasted butternut bisque before digging into the carving, Santa Maria, pasta, and plancha stations. Expect rosemary-crusted prime rib, butter-roasted turkey thighs, pan-seared Skuna Bay salmon, and sides like chestnut and sage stuffing and buttery mashed potatoes. And if you’ve still got room, don’t pass up the apple pie, just one of several dessert options. RSVP for your plate.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | 12p..m.-8 p.m.
Price: $95 per adult | $45 per child under 12
Address: 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego
The Lodge at Torrey Pines
Celebrate Thanksgiving with the smoky flavors of The Grill at Torrey Pines. From chimney-roasted turkey with traditional fixin’s to pumpkin pie with candied cranberries and whipped crème fraîche, plus chimney-smoked carrots, creating your own staple feast is a breeze. Your chair (and plate) are ready for a dinner to remember.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | 5 p.m.-10 p.m.
Price: Buffet: $75 per person
Address: 11480 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla
Fairmont Grand Del Mar
Thanksgiving at Fairmont Grand Del Mar is an experience made for indulgence. Choose between Amaya’s refined three-course tasting menu or the Grand Ballroom’s lavish family buffet, both set against the resort’s elegance. Amaya’s menu leans sophisticated, with scallop ceviche, rosemary turkey roulade, and black pepper king salmon, followed by pumpkin crémeux or apple tarte Tatin.
The buffet features baked brie with Grand Del Mar honey, vibrant winter greens with roasted squash and persimmons, a raw bar of Carlsbad oysters and citrus ceviche, and even carving stations with prime rib, porchetta, and roasted turkey. Whichever you choose, this is Thanksgiving served with a touch of style.
Price: Amaya: $175 per adult, $75 per child (ages 3–12) | Ballroom & Solana Buffet: $195 per adult, $85 per child (ages 3–12)
Address: 5300 Grand Del Mar Court, San Diego
Vessel – Kona Kai
This year, let executive chef Ethan Brown do the cooking while you soak up the Vessel waterfront. Let the morning unfold over a buffet brimming with mini crab cakes and prime rib with horseradish cream or settle in for a refined prix fixe dinner featuring pumpkin velouté, Chioggia beet salad, turkey roulade, salmon en croûte, and an array of desserts from pumpkin and Southern pecan to chocolate peanut butter and classic apple pie. With flavors that nod to tradition but carry chef Brown’s signature finesse, this is Thanksgiving done effortlessly and deliciously. Reserve your table here.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | Buffet 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | Prix fixe 5–9 p.m.
Price: Buffet: $89 per adult, $39 per child (ages 5–12), free for kids under 5 | Prix fixe $55 per adult, $19 per child
Address: 1551 Shelter Island Dr., San Diego
The Bahia Resort Hotel
Spend Thanksgiving by the water at Dockside 1953, where the celebration comes with panoramic Mission Bay views and more dining options than you could possibly taste in one sitting. Dockside 1953 has a holiday-themed brunch followed by a signature dinner with à la carte offerings and a traditional turkey plate.
Want to sample it all? Don’t worry, the Thanksgiving Buffet Feast in the Mission Bay Ballroom features oysters with apple mignonette, a build-your-own poke bowl, apple cider and citrus-brined turkey breast, seafood or pumpkin risotto, tender beef medallions, and desserts like coffee and pumpkin pie crème brûlée, all paired with a complimentary glass of bubbles. Families can also climb aboard the Thanksgiving Day Cruise for a festive spin around Mission Bay complete with face painting, balloon art, and holiday crafts for the kids. For any additional questions, call them at (858) 539-7634.
Price: Brunch and Dinner à la carte | Buffet: $115 per adult, $50 per child (5–12), complimentary for ages 4 and under | Bay Cruise: $24.05 per adult, free for ages 0–4
Address: 998 W Mission Bay Dr, San Diego
Courtesy of Juniper & Ivy
Thanksgiving Take-Home Meals in San Diego
Juniper & Ivy
Spend Turkey Day at home with Juniper & Ivy. Back by popular demand, their highly anticipated Thanksgiving Take-Home packages deliver a no-fuss feast featuring fresh ingredients and elevated flavors that have made Juniper & Ivy a San Diego favorite. This year, the culinary team is putting a chef-driven spin on holiday classics while keeping the flavors you know and love. Every hyper-local, show-stopping dish comes ready to heat and serve, taking the stress out of hosting so you can actually enjoy the day (outside of the kitchen). Last year, packages sold out fast, so bookmark this page and snag yours in time.
Elevated comfort food meets seasonal at Great Maple’s Thanksgiving pickup. This modern American eatery has crafted a sustainably sourced, crave-worthy Dinner Box featuring fall squash soup with caramelized apple and toasted hazelnuts, thyme-rosemary roasted turkey breast with pan gravy, maple mash yams with golden raisins, an all green apple margarita for two, and pumpkin pie with a gingersnap graham cracker crust.
Founded by award-winning restaurateur and San Diego native Johnny Rivera, Great Maple brings Michelin-guide flair right to your home. The Hillcrest spot is also offering Thanksgiving 2025 whole pies, ready for pickup. Pick one, or both—either way, it’s a Thanksgiving win.
Pre-order a pasture-raised, naturally-fed turkey from Diestel Farms at The Wise Ox in North Park or La Costa this Thanksgiving. Birds come 16–18 pounds and can be paired with homemade gravy, meat butters, Italian sausage, and a pumpkin or apple crumble pie by executive pastry chef Jeremy Harville. How it works: Place a $50 deposit (open now) to reserve your bird and pick it up at the shop the week of Thanksgiving, starting Tuesday, Nov. 25 through Wednesday, Nov. 26.
Price: Turkeys $8.99/lb | Pies $35 each
Address: North Park: 2855 El Cajon Blvd | La Costa: 7755 El Camino Real
Tribute Pizza
Tribute Pizza might just make pizza a mandatory dish at every Thanksgiving table. Last year, owner Matthew Lyons served two versions of Thanksgiving dinner: a comforting vegetarian option featuring a decades-old family recipe for a savory cheese and nut loaf, and an all-natural turkey breast lightly smoked and roasted in the wood oven. Both were paired with porcini mushroom gravy, Aunt Lynette’s Southwest stuffing, wood-fired focaccia with butter, and an organic greens and walnut salad. While this year’s menu is still being finalized, Tribute Pizza is expected to offer a Thanksgiving dinner package in 2025. Keep an eye on its website and socials to snag your pre-order spot for a casual yet elevated holiday feast at home.
Date & Time: Thanksgiving Dinner Pre-Orders TBD
Price: TBD
Address: 3077 North Park Way, Suite 100, San Diego
Mama’s Pies
San Diego’s sweetest tradition is back. Mama’s Pies, the annual Thanksgiving bake sale from Mama’s Kitchen, returns for its 21st year, each pie funding 12 healthy meals for locals facing critical illness. Choose from pumpkin, traditional apple, pecan, Dutch apple, or the oh-so-secret mystery flavor, back by popular demand. Pies are $35 and on sale through Nov. 21 (or until they sell out) on its website. With pickup on Nov. 26 at nine sites across the county. With help from some of the city’s top culinary names—Sugar & Scribe, Bahia Resort Hotel, MIHO Catering, and more—Mama’s Pies proves that doing good can taste even better.
The charmingly chic neighborhood restaurant Finca is preparing a family-style feast to-go, taking all the work out of menu planning on the stress-cooking-induced holiday. The Thanksgiving spread is intended to feed 3 to 4 people, and chef Joe Bower and the culinary team are including whole roasted duck and leg confit with black pepper honey glaze, potato dauphinoise with parmesan cream, local honey nut squash with Calabrian chile, lemon, and almond crumble, rosemary duck gravy, and fresh baked Parker House rolls. Plus, all dishes will be par-cooked and sent with warming instructions. Meals will be available to reserve via OpenTable soon!
Date & Time: Pick up Wednesday, Nov. 26 | 12p.m.-6 p.m.
Price: $165 per family-style feast
Address: 3066 North Park Way, San Diego
Courtesy of Pop Pie Co.
Local Restaurants Open on Thanksgiving
Pop Pie Co.
What’s better than a cozy Thanksgiving? One that smells like turkey pot pie straight out of the oven. Pop Pie Co.’s Thanksgiving tradition is back, and it’s basically the shortcut to an at-home holiday feast. Last year’s menu brought pumpkin cream cheese, vegan apple cranberry ginger, and salted caramel apple crumble pies that had San Diegans lining up early. This year, expect the same mix of sweet, savory, and everything in between. Grab them hot and ready, or take them home frozen to bake once the food coma wears off.
Date: Pies available during business hours leading up to and on Thanksgiving Day.
Price: Check their website starting November 1 for this year’s price breakdowns
Addresses: 4404 Park Blvd. Suite A | 4195 Voltaire St. | 829 Garnet Ave. | 1517 30th St. | 2956 Roosevelt St. #3, Carlsbad
A true San Diego classic, Big Kitchen Café has been a South Park staple for over 40 years. Run by Judith “Judy the Beauty on Duty” Forman, this neighborhood spot is built on fresh ingredients and local love. With house-baked muffins and coffee cake, honey-baked hams, and freshly roasted turkey, Big Kitchen feels like a hug from Golden Hill itself.
Regular’s favorites include Whoopie’s Breakfast (eggs, bacon, potatoes, toast, and fresh orange juice), Nova’s Favorite (spinach, eggs, and cheese with fruit, tortillas, and salsa), and Judy’s Favorite Scramble with spinach, mushrooms, and sherry. Pancakes come piled high with chopped walnuts, strawberries, or creamy peanut butter. So if you’re looking for a Thanksgiving brunch out without the green bean casseroles, Big Kitchen Café is your place.
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | 8 a.m.–2 p.m. (normal business hours)
Isabella Dallas is a freelance writer for San Diego Magazine and the Arts and Culture Editor at The Daily Aztec in her final year at San Diego State University. She previously worked as an editorial intern for SDM, but when she’s not writing, you can find her trying the best coffee spots in SD, devouring the latest rom-coms, and indulging in anything and everything pop culture.
Not all monsters have to be scary. In fact, entrepreneur Pinyada “Ada” Primpray’s is delightful. Sea Monster, a small cafe that will serve poke bowls, fresh spring rolls, and matcha, will open in Mission Valley by the end of the year.
“The concept is a Hawaiian- and Japanese-style cafe,” Primpray explains. She calls it Sea Monster in homage to her friend’s popular restaurant Big Monster Sushi & Thai in Hawaii, but “the idea really started to take shape after I came back from a solo trip to Italy,” she says. The experience inspired her to start her own concept that mixed her culture, experience, and passion for food.
Sea Monster will be her first restaurant as an owner, but Primpray has worked in restaurants for 15 years in places like Kauai, Chicago, New York, and San Diego. She realized a similar health-conscious, seafood-forward, quick-service restaurant could work here, especially in that corner of Mission Valley where pizza and burgers reign. Plus, she points to the massive development plans for the area—between Riverwalk bringing thousands of new homes to the area and even more coming from San Diego State University, there are lots of new locals looming on the horizon.
She brought on Head Chef Wasu Gibb Palipote from Sushisamba in Los Angeles to develop the menu and signature sauces, like ink wasabi and a larb sauce. “Every couple of months, we plan to introduce a new signature sauce created exclusively for Sea Monster by [Chef Palipote],” she says. All the sauces will be homemade, including a basil creamy sauce and sesame vinegar.
Courtesy of Pinyada “Ada” Primpray
Sea Monster’s menu centers around fresh poke bowls—mostly locally-caught bluefin tuna and hamachi as well as salmon, served California-style rather than Hawaiian-style (the sauces are added to order rather than marinating on the fish, which can overpower its flavor). Toppings will range from the usual, like edamame and green onion, to upscale, like uni (sea urchin). She’ll also serve fresh salad rolls, a popular light snack in Vietnam and her native Thailand, with vegetables and seafood like salmon, shrimp, and imitation crab. Everything will be served to-go, although there will be very limited seating for people who want to dive in right away.
The matcha program will start small, with six iterations planned for opening and potentially more in the future. “I really want to have mango sticky rice,” she adds. Beyond adding items to the menu, Primpray says she hopes Sea Monster will be more than a restaurant. “I want it to grow into a lifestyle brand with its own little world,” she says, pointing to the restaurant’s mascot, Smoo. A monster with aspirations of growing bigger and bigger until it takes over? Yeah, sounds about right.
Sea Monsterwill open daily for lunch and dinner in late 2026 at 6110 Friars Road in Mission Valley.
Oktoberfest season is closing in fast, and one of the first dirndl-laced events of the year kicks off at AleSmith Brewing Company this weekend. AleSchmidt Oktoberfest runs every Saturday from September 12 through 26, and the family-friendly event is chock-a-block with German food vendors, live oom-pah bands, stein holding, and a whole lot more. The free event starts at 11 a.m. each Saturday, and from personal experience, I recommend posting up on the early side to snag a seat.
Japanese fine dining restaurant Shio soft opened in August, bringing elegant plates and sunset views to La Jolla. (The area was hardly hurting for either, but I think we could always use some more sushi in our lives.) Has anyone checked it out yet? Let me know what I should order by dropping me a line at [email protected].
Restaurateur brothers Danny and Dante Romero have been on a tear the past few years, consulting at places like Una Mas and taking over The Lion’s Share last summer. It’s understandable to see they recently decided to pause their recurring pop-up concept Two Ducks to recalibrate and figure out its future in a permanent location, but it’s still a bit bittersweet. If it’s “see you later” and not “goodbye,” I can live with that (for now).
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Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
“A sharp knife is a safe knife,” says Joshua “Jhun” de Andres, owner of Kuya Sharpens. It only takes a light touch to guide a properly-sharpened knife, while dull knives require much more force to cut through an object, increasing the likelihood and severity of an injury. “If you slip, that’s a lot of force that is now going into your finger, your hand, and that’s where it becomes extremely dangerous.”
De Andres started sharpening knives as a meditative practice during a time of personal grief, a way to zone in on a task with a useful and satisfying outcome. “[It was a] reminder to myself that you can fix something that’s broken and give it purpose again.” Once he ran through his own collection of knives, he started asking friends and family if he could sharpen theirs. When he’d sharpened everyone’s knives he could think of, he started posting videos on TikTok, where his first professional chef customer found him: Chef Tanner Stanich, chef de cuisine at Michelin-recognized Bib Gourmand Mabel’s Gone Fishing.
Courtesy of Kuya Sharpens
“That’s when things really started to take off,” he laughs. He uses whetstones rather than motorized belt sanders to sharpen, which gives him the ability to make microadjustments during the process for a more customized and controlled result. Whetstones also preserve steel more efficiently than other mechanical processes, which are faster, but take off more of the knife’s edge in exchange, reducing the lifespan of the knife.
Learning how to master whetstones takes a lot of time and practice, and while de Andres specializes in sharpening Japanese knives, he’ll sharpen a knife from anywhere. “Every knife deserves to be sharp,” he says.
Japanese kitchen knives are designed for extremely specific purposes: there’s a knife to break down a fish (deba), cut through boneless raw fish for sushi and sashimi (yanagiba), slice vegetables (nakiri), carve meat (sujihiki), debone poultry (honesuki), and even knives only the executive chef can use (kiritsuke). Few other culinary cultures utilize such ultra-specialized tools, and Japanese steel is prized for its extreme hardness and ability to maintain a razor-thin edge for decades when properly cared for.
De Andres is still figuring out different ways to expand his business: hosting workshops at Home Ec on Adams Avenue, creating knife restoration tutorials, and launching private lessons, all while continuing to sharpen knives people bring to him or even send from across the country. And he knows that for both home cooks and professional chefs, sharpening a knife that may have cost hundreds of dollars on a whetstone can feel overwhelming. Will I ruin it? Will I break it?
“You’re most likely not going to break it,” he promises. “But you are going to make it yours, and you have to kind of be okay with that.” Knives age and change just like humans do. Sharpening is an essential part of maintenance, and shaving away the dull edges to restore a shine takes care. And de Andres cares a lot.
“It’s just been really life-giving to me,” he says. “I know it seems really silly that taking a knife and putting it on a whetstone can change your perspective on how you view the world, but for me, it came to me at a time when I needed it most.”
Photo Credit: Lauren di Matteo
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Beth’s Bites
Mesa Agricola, a tiny taqueria in Escondido, made this year’s New York Times50 best restaurants in the US list. If you’ve had the privilege of eating the guisado delicacies from chef Juan González and Megan Strom, you’ll understand why. Congrats on the recognition—and happy first birthday!
Ranchito Milkyway, a farmstand in Bonita, also has plenty of events to pencil into your calendar, starting with an Indian cuisine-inspired farm-to-table dinner on September 19 with chef Kanta from Sattvik to an Italian cooking class on October 17 with chef Elisa from Balsamico Italian Kitchen. If you’re chock-full of things to do over the next few weeks, there’s always the option to snag one of their CSA boxes for an abundance of winter greens, vegetables, and herbs for home cooking.
Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene
Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
Tickets to the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival get you in the door. The real fun is figuring out who you’ll run into once you’re there. This year’s weeklong schedule of exclusive events, running September 30–October 4, includes dinners, tastings, and loosely-supervised chaos where celebrity chefs and local icons finally let their hair down.
The festival has a track record of the unexpected: Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul once toasted their mezcal brand Dos Hombres with an intimate dinner at the Lodge at Torrey Pines (and then, evidently unsatisfied, kept drinking it on the cliffs above Blacks Beach with a rotating cast of San Diego and Food Network chefs. Alex Morgan showed up for a dinner under the lights honoring the country’s most badass women chefs). Drew Brees ran a celebrity pickleball tournament where the guy from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia got absolutely humbled by locals.
If you scored a ticket to last year’s Grand Tasting, you might’ve caught Guy Fieri doing exactly what Guy Fieri does: strolling the grass, signing t-shirts and foreheads, and hanging off the DJ surf van like it was built for him. Meanwhile, local chef Ethan Yang of Glass Box walked off with the Chef Competition surfboard.
So whether your plan for 2026 is to corner legendary San Diego chefs like Victor Jimenez of Cowboy Star and Jon Sloan of Juniper & Ivy in person, or just aim for a spontaneous golf cart ride with a Food Network star—here’s your cheat sheet for where to run into a celebrity chef, TV personality, award-winning winemaker, or pro athlete at this year’s Del Mar Wine & Food Festival.
Courtesy of Del Mar Wine & Food Festival
Troy Johnson, Karen Krasne
Signature San Diego Opening Night Party
September 30 | 6 – 9 p.m. | Monarch Ocean Pub
Consider this your soft landing into festival week—the walk-around tasting that eases you in before things get chaotic later on. Monarch Ocean Pub hands its patio over to the flavors that define San Diego eating: Baja seafood done right, coastal bites, Mexican flavors with some heat behind them, all the staples locals will fight you over.
The celebrity sightings here lean more “bump into” than “spot from across the room.” Troy Johnson—Food Network judge, San Diego Magazine chief content officer and co-owner, Emmy-winning host, a man who has eaten his way across the entire country professionally—is the type to materialize at whichever station has the longest line, because he already knows it’s worth the wait. Ask him what he’s had so far. He’ll have opinions.
Then there’s celebrity pastry chef Karen Krasne, owner and executive pastry chef of Extraordinary Desserts, James Beard House alum, and a woman Forbes once ranked among the top 10 pastry chefs in the country—which tracks, because you might find her holding court next to a tray of her roasted pecan shortbread dipped in white chocolate, explaining exactly why this is the flavor combination. You will listen to every word, too, because you’ll want to try that cookie.
This is an opening night party where the person next to you in line might just be the one who baked the thing you’re about to eat.
Courtesy of Del Mar Wine & Food Festival
Bryn McArthur, Mawa McQueen
Chateau Montelena’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
October 1 | 6 – 9 p.m. | Fairmont Grand Del Mar
Fifty years ago, a Napa Chardonnay beat France at its own game and rewrote what the world thought it knew about wine. This dinner is that legacy, poured by the family who built it, course by course.
Under the arches at Fairmont Grand Del Mar, Ernie Hahn and the Hahn family, who partnered with the Barretts to revive Chateau Montelena into the Napa powerhouse it is today, host an evening built entirely around the winery’s most iconic pours. Every course gets its own pairing straight from the Montelena portfolio, so you’re not just hearing about the Judgment of Paris, you’re tasting the wine that started it.
Chef Mawa McQueen, a former James Beard Best of the West winner out of Aspen, brings globally inspired cuisine and serious technique to the table. Alongside her, Fairmont Grand Del Mar’s executive chef Bryn McArthur leans into farm-to-table sensibility shaped by a career of global kitchens. Together they’re building a menu meant to hold its own against wine that already changed history once.
This is the rare dinner where the wine isn’t just accompanying the meal, it’s the reason the meal exists. Fifty years after Paris, the rematch is happening right here in Del Mar.
Isabella Dallas is a freelance writer for San Diego Magazine and the Arts and Culture Editor at The Daily Aztec in her final year at San Diego State University. She previously worked as an editorial intern for SDM, but when she’s not writing, you can find her trying the best coffee spots in SD, devouring the latest rom-coms, and indulging in anything and everything pop culture.
Implementing a farm-to-table model hardly deserves acknowledgement these days. It’s not a stretch. It’s not innovative. “It’s the bare f**king minimum,” says Herb & Sea‘s executive chef Aidan Owens.
When I arrive at the Encinitas restaurant, I’m ready to talk sustainability, farm-to-table stuff, with Owens. “Did you see the chin on that?” he says of the extra big jiggly chin on the sheephead that just arrived with the day’s fresh catch. I did. It was Jay Leno adjacent.
I learn quickly that he somehow oozes both charm and stone-cold honesty. Maybe he could construct a new dish with chin goo, like he did when he had a bunch of tuna scraps and voila’d it into a smooth and crowd-pleasing ‘nduja. “I want to know what’s in there,” he says.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
The instinct to look closer, to dig into what others might discard, says a lot about the chef’s approach. I guide him back to our topic, but he has something else on his mind. “We’re overcomplicating food—what happened to just cooking good food and having fun with it?”
Owens grew up on a farm in Byron Bay, Australia, where sustainability wasn’t a concept you chat about so much as a way of life. Think dirt roads, backyard chickens, pulling vegetables straight from the ground, and a mother who believed that if you couldn’t pronounce the ingredients on a package, you shouldn’t eat what was inside.
Food wasn’t precious or performative. Making it was what you did because you were hungry and that’s still what inspires Owens today. “I like to cook good food because I like to eat good food,” he says.
His approach to sustainability at Herb & Sea began so naturally that it felt just like instinct. “I was just like, ‘Let’s order food from the people who live and work here,’” he says.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
And why wouldn’t he when lives in San Diego? Cities all over the world vie for our goods. Our tuna is sent overseas. Our spiny lobsters hit dinner plates in China and Japan. Not to mention California’s producing a third of the country’s vegetables and three-quarters of its fruits and nuts.
“Why would we outsource when it’s all here?” Owens asks.
Sustainability, in this context, is about cooking what exists in abundance, nearby, right now. “I love the local fish here. It’s f**king delicious and San Diego citrus, I mean, it is so f**ing good,” he says.
Instead of importing ingredients, Owens also looks for nearby alternatives. “You can find really cool things in the local waters,” he says, pointing out that stingray cheeks taste similar to scallops.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
Whatever he finds in that sheephead chin might just be the next substitute for marrow. But to make this work, it means getting diners amped up about the slightly unfamiliar.
Tasting menus, where diners are completely in his hands, become an opportunity to gently push boundaries. “I’ll serve mackerel, because people think they hate it,” Owens says, noting that the abundant local fish can have some fishiness. “But when it’s fresh, it’s arguably one of the best fish in the ocean.”
He also tweaks the language on the menu so people might feel more compelled to give dishes a try without preconceived notions. He might use “lengua” instead of “tongue.” “Whelk” instead of “snail.” When he puts “stingray throat” on the menu, he disarmingly calls it “skate.”
To reduce waste, scraps aren’t always discarded but rather turned into something new. Sometimes they’re smoked, cured or fermented. Apples going bad turn into apple ponzu. Lemons turn to marmalade, which stretches their usefulness far beyond peak season. “And it’s super tasty on our pizza,” he says.
What makes the food even richer, is the relationships he’s built with farmers. Though it didn’t always feel natural, Owens sought personal connection first. He recalls approaching a fisherman at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market. “I was awkward,” he says. “I went up to him and said, ‘I like your fish.’”
Owen’s is now so close to his suppliers—like fishermen Ryan Sebo and Joe Daly—that he gets texted pictures of fresh catches right as they flop on the boat. The messages always ask if he wants first dibs. “I say yes to a lot of fish,” Owens says, noting that Herb & Sea can go through 2,000 pounds of seafood a week.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
The next evolution of sustainability, in his view, will be chefs working directly with producers such as his alliance with Sebo, cutting out middlemen and purveyors where possible. “It will put more money in the pockets of the people doing the work,” he says.
It will mean that chefs can’t just know their local farmers and producers, but they’ll choose to work with the ones who have the best practices. Dining and sustainability will become much less about the final plate. “It will be more about the impact that plate has on the Earth,” he says.
Ultimately, he believes sustainability doesn’t need to be loud. It doesn’t need hashtags. It just needs to be honest.
“We aren’t saving lives. We’re feeding people good food,” he says.
And yet, in feeding people well—simply, thoughtfully, responsibly—something meaningful happens. Guests leave satisfied. Ingredients are respected. Local ecosystems are supported and food returns to what it has always been at its core: nourishment, pleasure, and a quiet reflection of the place it comes from.
After 15 years married, my husband and I tend to agree on most things. But there’s one argument we both refuse to bend on—I prefer okonomiyaki Osaka-style, and he’s a die-hard Hiroshima-style devotee. (To be fair, we both adore both styles, but at this point, it’s just fun to have a low-stakes disagreement.)
Okonomiyaki is one of Japan’s greatest comfort foods, a savory pancake that’s about the size of a DVD, if you aren’t too young to know what that is. It’s not terribly hard to make—it’s flour, eggs, dashi stock or water, and a whole heap of shredded cabbage, plus optional fillings like green onions, pork belly, or bonito flakes, all cooked fresh on a flat top griddle. Drizzle some kewpie mayo and okonomiyaki sauce on top, and you’re hot to go.
However, it’s not easy to make well, and as you now know, people have capital-O Opinions about Osaka-versus-Hiroshima. Hiroshima-style layers the ingredients one by one rather than mixing them together, adding a layer of soba or udon noodles and topping it all off with a fried egg. For Osaka-style, all the ingredients are mixed together and then cooked on the griddle, so every bite includes every ingredient in a hodgepodge of deliciousness. (One Osaka variation called modan-yaki does include soba noodles mixed in the batter, but they’re not traditionally used in that regional version.)
Despite a childhood spent in Osaka, Japan, Kumi Alexander specializes in making Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. “Okonomiyaki has been part of my life for as long as I can remember,” she explains. “My parents ran their own business when I was growing up, so Saturdays were often busy, and okonomiyaki was one of my mother’s go-to lunches because it was simple and easy to make.”
Alexander came to San Diego seven years ago with a desire to bring a part of her culture with her—not just a product, but a feeling. “When I thought about what could do that, the answer was almost obvious: okonomiyaki,” she says.
She originally launched Surf’n Slaw as a mobile pop-up food stand in August 2025, offering what Alexander calls Japanese-meets-California okonomiyaki. “Our full Surf’n Slaw includes cabbage, noodles, umami dough, beef, shrimp, and vegetables,” she explains. The menu also has a “Green Wave Slaw,” an Osaka-style version that can be made vegan and gluten-free, as well as matcha drinks.
Currently, Surf’n Slaw pops up at farmers markets in North Park, Scripps Ranch, Hillcrest, La Jolla, and La Mesa, as well as other local markets and community events. Eventually, she may expand to a permanent location, but that’s a future goal. And while Alexander hopes that one day okonomiyaki will be as well-known to American audiences as ramen or sushi, for now, she’s just happy to share a bit of home with San Diego.
Izola Bakery announced big plans for a second location and bakery HQ (checks notes) over three years ago and it’s kind of been crickets since then. But there may be movement in the expansion plan—the East Village bakery recently put out a hiring call for “the people we need to help us build what’s next.” Here’s hoping things get cooking (or baking, as the case may be) soon.
As a California-born, East Coast-raised foodie, I can confidently say the East Coast has the deli game on lock. So whenever anyone announces they’re bringing an East Coast-style sandwich to the West Coast, I remain cautiously optimistic until proven otherwise. (Big Jim’s in Pacific Beach is a phenomenal example of a transplant done exceptionally well.) Los Angeles-based Ggiata Delicatessen recently announced plans to open a location in Encinitas, promising authentic Italian staples like meatball parmesan subs, cheesesteaks, and Italian cold cuts. Don’t let me down, guys!
Unfortunately, it’s not all openings and expansions. Nola on 5th in Hillcrest permanently ceased operations without warning or explanation. We can probably pick from one (or more) squares on Restaurant Closure Bingo for the reason (increased costs for ingredients, labor, equipment, etc.), but for the jambalaya enthusiast, it doesn’t really matter why. It’s simply adieu to a slice of The Big Easy in San Diego.
Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene
Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
Tokyo unquestionably holds the title as one of the best, if not the best, food cities of the world. But despite the plethora of Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurants and hole-in-the-wall ramen joints, you’d be remiss in walking past glowing signs beckoning you to enter one of the 56,000-plus konbini across the country.
Konbini cafes like Lawson’s, FamilyMart, and 7-Eleven may look like run-of-the-mill convenience stores, but convenience store culture is a completely different animal there. Absent are the sad, floppy hot dogs sizzling sweatily on a rotating wheel of misery. Instead, konbini are stocked with a bevy of hot and cold drinks in every imaginable flavor, meals like tamago sandos (Japanese egg salad sandwiches) and prepacked bento boxes, snacks like onigiri (handheld triangles of rice and seaweed, often filled with fish or pickled plum), and even limited-edition merchandise (not unlike Wawa’s line of merch).
Soon, Hillcrest will get a taste of konbini culture. Hako Hako opens in front of Uptown Inn by Vantaggio, next to Ramen Ryoma, in early 2027.
Kenji Blouin-Ito, a half-Japanese, half-French San Diego native grew up eating Japanese food at home and during trips across the Pacific. “I remember looking forward to eating bentos on the train,” he says, grabbing quick items to munch on without sacrificing quality or succumbing to cost. When in France, he saw a rise of appreciation for casual Japanese cuisine, “long before it happened here.”
Courtesy of Hako Hako | Photo Credit: @josh_walker.26
So he decided to bring it here. After AB 626 passed in 2018 to allow different jurisdictions to permit Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKOs), Blouin-Ito joined Foodnome, the first legal marketplace for homemade food in the US, as a co-founder. Eventually, the national nonprofit The Cook Alliance took over the project, leaving him open to the next new idea but with the experience of running a food-based business.
“That experience changed how I think about food, not just what makes it good but what makes it work,” he explains. Bento boxes felt affordable in a time of inflation, convenient in a bustling world, and versatile to a variety of palates. When he got the chance to open a konbini himself, he went for it.
His family runs Uptown Inn, a mix of apartments and hotel rooms that’s seen increased food traffic over the past few years. “We had a small space in front of the building that wasn’t being used, and it just made sense,” he says. Hako means “box” in Japanese, a reference to both bentos and small space from where he’ll sling freshly made bentos, coffee, drinks, pastries, snacks, and a small retail selection.
Hako Hako will initially open for morning and afternoon hours, but you don’t have to wait until next year to get a taste of Japanese culture. Blouin-Ito’s concept is popping up at various coffee shops around San Diego, with a few coming up: Easy Does It on September 19 and Cafe Moto on October 17. Until then, practice the art of gaman: patience with grace.
Hako Hakoopens at 819 University Avenue in Hillcrest in early 2027.
Sushi Tadokoro held on to its Michelin star for three years—no mean feat for anyone. But now, the Old Town restaurant is changing things up, eliminating lunch and à la carte service at the end of September before transforming into an omakase-only experience in October. The dining room will close from October 1 through October 22 to make the change, but promises it will be “more intimate. More personal. More focused on each guest and every piece we serve.” Sounds worth the wait.
Bock brought new life to South Park when the German-inspired beer bar opened after a long construction process by owner Brian Jensen (Vino Carta, Bottlecraft). Now, Bock is getting its own shot in the arm with a new in-house kitchen from the people behind Majorette, Love Letters Pizza, and Scrimshaw Coffee. Kurz, or “quick” in German, is already open, serving European-inspired bites like the requisite currywurst, Bavarian pretzel, and schnitzel, along with some newcomers like a pierogi and famous “Majorette burger.” (I can confirm it’s a damn good burger.) Reminder: Bock and Kurz are 21+, so leave the kinders at home.
The popular Japanese dessert chain Warabimochi Kamakura already has 70-plus locations in Japan, Australia, China, Thailand, and the U.K. (to name a few), but is finally opening a location in Convoy District at 8322 Clairemont Blvd. After a successful pop-up test run at Asa Bakery, Warabimochi Kamakura will bring its signature warabimochi (a traditional simple, jelly-like dessert), plus tea like matcha and hojicha, as well as soft serve as soon as October, but possibly November. (Although warabimochi is sometimes considered a summer treat, I’m pretty sure I can make an exception for autumn.)
Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene
Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
National Philanthropy Day, presented by PNC Bank, Celebrates the Best of Philanthropy in San Diego
The 53rd Annual National Philanthropy Day Takes Place on November 21. Join us from 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the new Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center!
Once yearly, AFP San Diego joins with others worldwide to celebrate National Philanthropy Day (NPD), a special day set aside to recognize the great contributions of donors and nonprofits that enrich of our community and the world. San Diego’s NPD is one of the largest and most successful in the U.S., attracting nearly 900 participants, including philanthropists, nonprofit leaders, CEOs, board members, development professionals, and business, community, and civic leaders.
Sponsorship proceeds from National Philanthropy Day are reinvested in education, training, scholarships, career development, and the advancement of fundraising professionals throughout San Diego. These resources and training provide fundraising professionals with the tools necessary to support our region’s diverse array of nonprofit organizations, which rely on charitable giving for close to half of their annual revenues.
The National Philanthropy Day Honorees are selected by the NPD Honorary Committee, a group of highly respected, diverse nonprofit and business leaders. Our 2025 Honorees include:
Outstanding Development Emerging Leader – Taylor Thompson Self-Nominated
Outstanding Development Professional – Sharyn Goodson Nominated by: AJ Steinberg & Jeanne Schmelzer
Outstanding Organization for IDEA – Accessity Self-Nominated
Outstanding Philanthropic Institution – Life Science Cares San Diego Nominated by: Blair Search Partners
Outstanding Philanthropist – Dan & Phyllis Epstein Nominated by: CSU San Marcos & KPBS
Outstanding Student Volunteer – Camden Hall Nominated by: Curebound
National Philanthropy Day San Diego provides an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of giving and to celebrate the selfless contributions of individuals and organizations across the region. We look forward to celebrating with you!
Sponsorship opportunities and individual tickets are available. Please visit www.afpsd.org for more information.
