If your camera always eats first, it’s in for a feast. Saya Brasserie, a cafe with five locations across Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is opening its first U.S. location in the former Gaslamp Fish House space this spring.
Yuliana Cardenas spoke on behalf of her mother, Lena Vanessa Alayón Holguín, who owns the San Diego Saya franchise. She explains that the concept is specifically designed to be shared on social media by customers for both the decor and the food.
And the decor is Instagram gold—or in Saya’s case, a lot of pink. Each Saya location is absolutely doused in every shade of blush, rose, dusty rose, cherry blossom, flamingo, cotton candy, fandango, pinks not yet named—from Pepto-Bismol booths to floor-to-ceiling cascades of fuchsia, rose, mauve, and magenta flowers. Pink chairs. Pink walls. Pink pillows.
You get the idea.
Mike Spilky with Location Matters closed the deal for the 4,500-square-foot space with seating for 170 guests, including two patios. Saya’s menu spans breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch. Cardenas says the chef from Dubai will come to San Diego for about a year to train the staff and make sure this location is up to the same standards as the ones in the Middle East—which is where she and her mother first came across the cafe.
“We saw Saya and fell in love,” Cardenas says. “The food was insane, and the place is just so nice. So hopefully we will create that same experience for both locals and tourists that come to San Diego.”
Some of her favorite items are the pastries (all baked in-house), the Hokkaido egg drop sandwich (a Japanese breakfast sandwich with soft milk bread and scrambled eggs), a rotating dessert shaped like a designer handbag, and the signature cascading cakes that are equal parts dessert and ring-mold performance art. Saya thrives on bringing the virality of food and design ideas to life for an over-the-top, theatrical experience.
“Honestly, any viral drink you see on TikTok, you’ll probably see at Saya,” Cardenas laughs.
She hopes to partner with local hotels for room service, and become an event space for Downtown. And if San Diego thinks pink, this might not be the last we see of Saya in the States.
“We’re definitely excited to expand in the future,” says Cardenas.
Saya Brasserie will open at 411 Broadway, San Diego in late April or May 2026. Initial operating hours will be Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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