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Partner Content JULY 19, 2022

27 Best Face Serums for Men of 2023

If there is only one thing you should add to your skincare routine, it’s a good face serum

27 Best Face Serums for Men of 2023
Serums

Serums

If you’re like most men, you probably don’t even think about skincare all that often. But the truth is, your face is your first impression to the world, which is why it’s so important that it looks its best.

So if there is only one thing you should add to your skincare routine, it’s a good face serum. A good face serum can make all the difference in terms of your appearance. 

One of the best things face serums can do is repair a damaged skin barrier. Your skin barrier is the outermost layer of the skin on your face, and it’s responsible for retaining moisture and preventing it from evaporating during the day. When your skin barrier is damaged, your skin is not only dehydrated but it’s also more susceptible to wrinkles, acne, and dullness. This might sound serious, but a damaged skin barrier is easy to fix with a good face serum. Once your skin barrier is healthy and repaired, you might just see all other skin problems disappear. 

With hundreds of different face serums out there, it can be hard to figure out which ones are the best. That’s where we come in; we’ve done all the research for you. Our list of the 27 best face serums for men in 2023 includes some of the most popular and highly rated serums on the market. While all these serums focus on different skincare concerns, they are all full of high-quality ingredients your skin will love. So whether you’re just starting your search or you’re almost ready to buy, read on to find the perfect serum for you.

1. Blu Atlas Vitamin C Serum

The first face serum on our list of the 27 best face serums for men of 2023 is the Blu Atlas Vitamin C Serum. Blu Atlas tops our list because they have become a pioneer in men’s skincare. All their products are made of natural ingredients and are backed by science to ensure you’re getting the best possible products. When you use Blu Atlas products, you can feel good about the products you’re spending money on and putting on your face. 

The Blu Atlas Vitamin C Serum will step up your skincare game. This serum is a powerful antioxidant that helps tone and improve the appearance of dark spots while also providing smoother, even-toned skin.  Mulberry root extract has antioxidant properties, can calm signs of irritation, and fades the look of discolorations and uneven skin tone. Aloe acts as a natural moisturizer.

2. Innisfree Green Tea Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Innisfree Green Tea Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum is a lightweight serum that delivers up to 24 hours of hydration. The serum contains Hyaluronic Acid which delivers layers of amplified hydration. Jeju Green Tea Extracts deliver amino acid-rich moisture while the Green Tea Tri-biotics care for the moisture barrier. This serum is free of parabens and formaldehyde and contains less than 1% synthetic fragrance. Although it’s mainly marketed to women, this Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum is a great option for men as well! 

3. Vichy Mineral 89 Prebiotic Face Serum 

If your main concern is fighting signs of aging, the Vichy Mineral 89 Prebiotic Face Serum could be the serum for you. This serum is packed with niacinamide, which helps to boost elasticity and repair skin barriers. There are also ingredients formulated to help accelerate skin barrier repair, making your skin look healthier and more radiant. The fast-absorbing, non-greasy serum is perfect for men or women and can be used morning and night after your cleanser and before your moisturizer.

4. The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Hydrating Serum 

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Hydrating Serum is a lightweight, water-based serum that replenishes lost moisture and helps maintain healthy-looking skin. Key ingredients are hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5. This product is formulated without fragrance, alcohol, gluten, or parabens and is great for men’s tough skin. For best results, apply to a damp face after cleansing and before applying any creams. 

5. COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence 

COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is a game-changing product because it contains 96% snail mucin. The snail secretion filtrate is a nutrient-rich extract that helps to nourish, repair, and plump the skin. It also contains hyaluronic acid to boost skin moisture levels and support healthy collagen production. 

The result is brighter, healthier skin with improved elasticity and a natural glow. Plus, it provides long-lasting hydration without leaving a greasy residue. The COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is dermatologist-tested and hypoallergenic—perfect for all skin types.

6. Caldera Lab The Good Multi-Functional Serum 

Caldera Lab The Good Multi-Functional Serum is a clinically-proven, multi-functional, non-toxic formula of 27 active botanicals. This serum uses only wild-harvested, non-GMO, and organic ingredients that moisturize the skin with fireweed oil, apricot kernel oil, jojoba oil, meadowfoam oil, sunflower seed oil, and echinacea. 

This serum includes ingredients to smooth and tighten the skin like prickly pear oil, frankincense extract, nettle extractions leaves and root, and red raspberry fruit extract. To fade dark spots, this serum has frankincense extract, prickly pear fruit extract, alfalfa leaf extract, and yarrow flower petals. Finally, spilanthes whole plant extract and chinacea are included to reduce wrinkles and fine lines. This serum was made by men for men. 

7. Lumin Anti-Wrinkle Serum 

Get ready to turn back the clock with Lumin Anti-Wrinkle Serum. This miracle worker is packed with natural ingredients that help boost hydration, repair sun damage, and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. 

Vitamin C helps to maintain skin structure and clarity while hyaluronic acid locks in essential moisture for a youthful complexion. Pomegranate extract protects against puffiness, fine lines, and signs of early aging. Use the Lumin Anti-Wrinkle Serum nightly for smoother, healthier skin. 

8. Biossance Squalane + Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Serum 

Biossance Squalane + Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Serum is a serum that will help you achieve smoother, more luminous skin overnight. With 10% lactic acid, this serum delivers dramatic results quickly—as soon as overnight, or after only 1-2 weeks. It helps fight uneven texture and minimizes signs of aging for a more youthful complexion. 

Biossance Squalane + Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Serum also won the Glamour Beauty Awards “Best Exfoliator” in 2021. Even though most of Biossance is marketed towards women, this serum is still an excellent choice for men who need an exfoliator. 

9. Maapilim Serum with Hyaluronic Acid

Maapilim Serum with Hyaluronic Acid will give your skin an incredible boost of hydration. This powerful serum contains a high content of hyaluronic acid, as well as anti-oxidizing pomegranate extract, which nourishes the deeper parts of the skin before sealing off with a moisturizer. 

Plus, hyaluronic acid holds 1,000 times its own weight in water, providing long-lasting hydration for your skin. This product is great for women or men who need to add some moisture back into their skin. 

10. OleHenriksen Dewtopia 20% Acid Night Treatment 

OleHenriksen Dewtopia 20% Acid Night Treatment hydrates, brightens, and smooths skin while fighting the signs of aging. The serum contains 10% AHAs and 10% PHAs to exfoliate and smooth skin texture, as well as aloe juice, nordic birch sap, and cotton water to nourish and support. Licorice extract helps reduce the look of dark spots for a brighter complexion. This vegan and cruelty-free product is perfect for normal, dry, combination, and oily skin types.

11. Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum

Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma Fresh Day Serum is a revolutionary vitamin C serum that contains 15% L-Ascorbic Acid plus Ferulic Acid and 1% Vitamin E. The serum firms and brightens skin while minimizing the signs of photoaging from pollution and other environmental stressors. It also enzymatically dissolves dead surface skin cells, minimizing the appearance of pores for a more youthful-looking complexion. This serum is designed to be mixed together before your first use to ensure maximum potency. 

12. Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA) Blemish + Blackhead Serum by The Inkey List 

Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA) Blemish + Blackhead Serum by The Inkey List is a great serum if you need a product to help control oiliness and clear pores. Featuring a powerful blend of Salicylic Acid 2%, Zinc Compound 1%, and Mutli Molecular Hyaluronic Acid 1%, this serum helps to unclog pores, target blackheads, and reduce excess oil. It’s also vegan and cruelty-free, making it a great choice for those with oilier skin types.

13. Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate Face Serum 

Introducing Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate Face Serum, a powerhouse of natural ingredients that help reduce fine lines, refine skin texture, and boost radiance. Formulated with lavender essential oil known for its calming and soothing properties, as well as primrose essential oil which helps maintain hydration and skin elasticity, this face oil leaves skin looking healthier overnight. 

Added squalane oil helps improve the skin barrier while adding essential moisture, resulting in smoother, firmer, and more radiant looking skin come morning. Alcohol-free, silicone-free, and paraben-free, this serum is perfect for those with delicate or sensitive skin types. Apply it before bed for optimal results—your skin will thank you!

14. First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum 

First Aid Beauty’s Facial Radiance Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum is great for a man that is looking to restore a healthy tone and texture to their skin. This gentle, niacinamide-powered serum reduces the look of dark spots, sunspots, hyperpigmentation, discoloration, and post-blemish marks. 

Featuring niacinamide that’s boosted by licorice root extract, this serum visibly evens skin tone while protecting it from free radicals. It’s also vegan, gluten-free, and cruelty-free. 

15. Youth To The People 15% Vitamin C + Clean Caffeine Energy Serum 

Bring life back to tired, lackluster skin with Youth To The People’s Clean Caffeine Energy Serum. Formulated with 15 percent vitamin C complex and clean caffeine from yerba mate and guayusa, this serum helps to reduce hyperpigmentation and puffiness while providing a brighter, more youthful appearance. Passion fruit and dragon fruit provide antioxidant protection to help scavenge free radicals and replenish moisture levels. This is a great option for the man who has been experiencing dull skin. 

16. Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum 

Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum is a serum to correct hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone. This advanced formula contains 2% TeraCeutic TXVector (Cetyl Tranexamate Mesylate) to visibly fade dark spots, acne scars, melasma, and sun damage. 4% Niacinamide helps improve the appearance of uneven skin tone and texture, dullness, and enlarged pores. 

The serum is suitable for daily use and targets existing dark spots while preventing future hyperpigmentation from occurring.

17. Origins Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Advanced Face Serum

Origins Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Advanced Face Serum is perfect for men and women with normal, dry, combination, or oily skin. This serum contains two powerful mushrooms—Chaga and Reishi—to reduce visible redness and restore resilience. Sea Buckthorn oil nourishes the skin while Fermented Chaga Mushroom and Reishi Mushroom help reduce visible redness. It rapidly restores visible resilience and leaves skin comfortably calm and is also vegan.

18. Oars + Alps Wake Up Face Serum

Oars + Alps Wake Up Face Serum is the key to healthier looking skin. It’s perfect for men who have red or blotchy skin, dry or dull skin, hyperpigmentation, or wrinkles and fine lines. This powerful anti-aging serum is packed with a powerful proprietary combination of 15% Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid, and Vitamin E. It infuses skin with antioxidants and deep hydration, fighting free radicals from UV exposure and pollution that cause skin damage. 

Probiotic extracts minimize bad bacteria on your skin, while hyaluronic acid provides long-term hydration for a more youthful appearance. 

19. AP Botanics Acadia Day Face Serum 

AP Botanics Acadia Day Face Serum is a natural way to get yourself that youthful glow you’ve always wanted. This handcrafted serum is enriched with Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, which quickly absorb into your skin and leave it hydrated and protected. The moringa oil in this serum helps to give your skin a healthy glow, while the neroli oil provides calming and soothing effects. And if that’s not enough, the pumpkin seed oil is packed with vitamins A, C, and E to help rejuvenate tired skin. 

Best of all, this serum contains olive squalane, a natural anti-inflammatory agent similar to those produced by our own facial cells as we age. The serum absorbs into the skin quickly, so for best results, apply 4-8 drops to a freshly cleansed face. 

20. Jack Black Protein Booster Skin Serum 

Jack Black Protein Booster Skin Serum is an advanced anti-aging serum that is specifically made for men. This advanced anti-aging serum can help to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, while also providing a daily dose of anti-aging defense. 

The silky liquid texture feels great on skin and is perfect for guys with normal, oily, combination, dry, or sensitive skin. So if you’re looking for an advanced daily dose of anti-aging defense, Jack Black Protein Booster Skin Serum is your go-to choice.

21. Clinique For Men Super Energizer Fresh Daily Anti-Fatigue Booster with Pure Vitamin C

Clinique for Men Super Energizer is a powerful anti-aging and brightening cream specifically made for men’s skin. The men’s line of Clinique has been created to provide the modern man with everything he needs to keep his skin healthy and radiant. 

This serum is specifically designed to meet the needs of men with dry skin, and it contains anti-aging, anti-pollution, and brightening properties. It also helps to protect your skin from the stressors of city life. Keep your face looking its best with this powerful antioxidant defense.

22. Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum 

Aesop’s Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum is great for any man who wants to keep their skin looking young and hydrated. This complex blend of antioxidant-rich ingredients will help to fortify and protect your skin while the Aloe Vera base will soothe and hydrate. 

It is perfect for men or women with normal, combination, or sensitive skin. The serum will help to keep your skin looking healthy and hydrated with a matte finish. Apply it on freshly cleansed skin morning and night for best results.

23. Mancave Age Defence Face Serum

Mancave Age Defence Face Serum is an invigorating start to any man’s day. This hydrating formula contains Hyaluronic Acid and Glycogen to help restore suppleness to tired, damaged skin. Plus, the addition of caffeine helps reduce the appearance of fatigue whilst L-Arginine helps moisturize and give a smooth after feel.

24. Tame the Beast Anti-Aging Face Serum 

If you’re looking for an anti-aging serum that smells great and is good for your skin, Tame the Beast Anti-Aging Face Serum might be the serum for you. These natural ingredients, including vitamins A, C, and E, help reduce wrinkles and keep your face looking young. The light citrus scent is refreshing and invigorating, while the all-natural essential oils are soothing and calming. 

And it’s vegan, cruelty free, gluten free, and GMO free—perfect for anyone with sensitive skin. Apply a few drops to your face each morning or night with the dropper, then spread evenly with warm fingers. You’ll love how great your skin looks and feels.

25. Brickell Men’s Reviving Day Serum for Men 

Brickell Men’s Reviving Day Serum for Men aims to give you a more youthful appearance. This powerful, clinically proven serum is specifically formulated for men’s thicker skin and is ultra concentrated to penetrate multiple layers of skin. It significantly boosts skin elasticity and restores firmness while reducing wrinkles. 

The protein peptides in this serum stimulate collagen production, and the hyaluronic acid retains over 1,000 times its weight in water, providing long-lasting moisture that plumps the skin and minimizes lines and wrinkles. So if you’re looking for a powerful, clinically proven men’s face serum, look no further than Brickell Men’s Reviving Day Serum.

26. No. 7 Men’s Protect and Perfect Intense Advanced Serum 

No. 7 Men’s Protect and Perfect Intense Advanced Serum is a product specifically designed for men’s skin. This product is a powerful serum that instantly leaves skin looking healthier. This serum is perfect for men who want to look younger. It can be used morning or night after cleansing.

27. BullDog Age Defense Serum 

The last entry on this list of the 27 best face serums for men of 2023 goes to BullDog Age Defense Serum because BullDog skincare was created with men’s skincare needs in mind. BullDog Age Defense Serum will leave your skin feeling firm, smooth, and nourished. 

This serum is formulated to be quickly absorbed and won’t leave you feeling greasy or sticky after use. It also contains twice the antioxidative power of its companion moisturizer, providing an intense boost for the skin. Plus, it features a concentrated antioxidant complex of Rosemary, Echinacea, and Vitamin E.

Closing Thoughts

If you’re still not sure whether or not a face serum is for you, consider the many benefits they offer men. Not only do serums help to keep your skin looking hydrated and healthy, but they can also reduce wrinkles and signs of aging. In addition, using a serum can help protect your skin from the sun and other environmental pollutants. With all these benefits, it’s easy to see why every man should be using a face serum as part of their daily skincare routine.

You’ll also notice that many of these serums have similar ingredients. For one, hyaluronic acid is a game-changing ingredient when it comes to skincare. Hyaluronic acid is able to retain up to 1,000 times its weight in water, meaning it is one of the best ingredients for hydration. Men typically have tougher skin, so a good hyaluronic acid is essential for ultimate hydration. 

For best results, be sure to apply hyaluronic acid to a damp face. Even better, apply it once you’re out of the shower and the bathroom is still humid. The hyaluronic acid will pull the water from the air and trap it in your skin, making dehydration a thing of the past. 

Another standout ingredient you’ll notice in a lot of these serums is Vitamin C, which is why the Blu Atlas Vitamin C serum tops this list. Even if your skin is hydrated, you won’t get that glow you’re searching for without Vitamin C. Not only does Vitamin C brighten your skin, but some people also claim it helps with acne scars or discoloration. If you want to take your skincare to the next level, make sure you get yourself a good Vitamin C serum. 

Once you start seeing results with your face serum, you need to maintain it. If you stop using your serum once your skin clears up, all those issues you were concerned about will come right back. Additionally, make sure you’re wearing sunscreen every single day to protect your skin barrier and prevent further sun damage. Some of these serums might also make your skin more sensitive to the sun and UV damage, so make sure you wear sunscreen so you can get the most out of these serums. If you’re not protecting your skin, the help these serums do for your skin won’t last as long as you’re looking for. 

So, gentlemen, if you’re looking for a little bit of help when it comes to keeping your face looking young and healthy, reach for a serum.

 

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Studio S OCTOBER 22, 2026

Milan Design + Build Helps San Diegans Remodel With Confidence

The San Diego home remodeling company works on full homes, kitchens, bathrooms, home additions, ADUs, garages, landscapes, and hardscapes.

Milan Design + Build Helps San Diegans Remodel With Confidence
Courtesy of Milan Design

Most homeowners want two things before they commit to a remodel: a realistic sense of cost and a clear picture of what the finished space will look like. Milan Design + Build helps deliver both through its online remodeling estimator and personalized design consultations, supported by a showroom experience and 3D renderings.

“The online estimate gives homeowners a starting number in about a minute, and the showroom and 3D renderings let them see materials and layouts before anything is built,” says David Noriani, CEO of Milan Design + Build. “Keeping design, permits, and construction with one team helps us manage expectations and keep everyone working toward the same vision.”

Courtesy of Milan Design

Modern design is a particular focus for Milan, with an emphasis on clean lines, natural light, functional layouts, and carefully selected materials. The team adapts each design to the homeowner’s lifestyle and the character of the property. Milan Design + Build combines thoughtful design with construction expertise, creating spaces that are as functional as they are beautiful.

The online estimator covers kitchen remodels, bathroom renovations, full-home remodels, and ADU construction. At Milan’s showroom on Carroll Road, visitors can review real materials, finishes, and design options, meet the design-build team, and discuss project scope, budget, and timing. Consultations can also be held virtually for homeowners who prefer to start remotely.

At Milan Design + Build, one integrated team works on the entire project. Design and construction aren’t divided between separate firms. The process begins with a consultation and feasibility review, followed by design, space planning, and 3D renderings developed from detailed measurements and digital scans. The team also coordinates architectural plans, structural engineering, city approvals, and material selection, with construction overseen by a dedicated project manager.

Homeowners can explore their remodeling options, get an initial estimate, or request a design consultation at MilanBuild.com.

Courtesy of Milan Design

Partner Content
Partner Content NOVEMBER 10, 2026

La Jolla Institute for Immunology Announces $55 Million Fundraising Campaign

The Campaign for La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) will fuel scientific innovation and medical advances

La Jolla Institute for Immunology Announces $55 Million Fundraising Campaign
Courtesy of La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Philanthropists and Scientists Join Forces for a Bold $55 Million Campaign

La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) is going public with a bold bet: a $55 million campaign to propel medical research into a new era. The Campaign for LJI will fuel discovery, empower scientific innovation, and expand the impact of immunology on human health. 

The Institute quietly kicked things off in 2023, guided by its Board, campaign volunteers, and early believers. Nearly 80% of the $55 million goal is already in hand. Now LJI is opening the doors and inviting the whole community to carry their visions across the finish line and back discoveries that change how LJI researchers understand, treat, and prevent disease. 

And there’s a bonus. To mark the public launch, LJI Board member and Campaign Honorary Chair Anthony R. Carr is offering a special matching gift so new donors can double their impact. Full details are here. 

The Promise of Immunology

Immunology has already rewritten human history. Advances in immune science helped wipe out smallpox, pushed polio to the brink of elimination, and revolutionized how we prevent and treat infectious disease. Today, immune-based therapies are opening doors for patients with cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other serious illnesses once considered untreatable. 

For nearly four decades, LJI scientists have stood on the front lines, driven by one insight: the immune system shapes disease in virtually every organ in the body. By decoding how the immune system works and how to harness it to prevent and treat disease, LJI researchers are chasing the Institute’s ultimate mission: Life Without Disease®. 

To make that mission real, the Institute pairs world-class scientists with cutting-edge technology, speeding up breakthroughs and turning discoveries into transformative new therapies that ease suffering worldwide. 

The Campaign for LJI supercharges that momentum, uniting the vision of the Institute’s scientists with a community that believes in research. Focused on advancing LJI’s most promising areas of study, the campaign aims to help build a future free from the burden of disease, a goal that demands bold ideas, lasting partnerships, and generous philanthropic support.

The Campaign for LJI will advance research across three critical pillars: 

1. President’s Priority Fund. Flexible, unrestricted dollars let big ideas move now, not later. Scientists can launch high-risk, high-reward projects, bring experts together across disciplines, build transformative technologies, and train tomorrow’s scientific leaders. 

2. Center for Sex-Based Differences in the Immune System. Male and female immune systems don’t respond the same way, and LJI researchers are tracing the fundamental differences down to individual cells and molecular pathways. The Campaign will speed up this pioneering work, revealing hidden drivers of disease and paving the way for more precise, biologically informed therapies for autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, cancer, and beyond. 

3. Center for Vaccine Innovation. Immunologists, bioengineers, and vaccine experts are teaming up to design the next generation of vaccines and immune-based therapies. With donor support, LJI scientists can engineer longer-lasting and more personalized vaccines, pinpoint the cellular mechanisms driving protective immunity, and refine delivery methods to prevent autoimmune disease and treat cancer. 

A Lasting Impact

As the campaign enters its public phase, LJI welcomes new partners and supporters to join this landmark initiative. Community support is essential to accelerating scientific discovery, and there are many meaningful ways to help shape the future of immunology. Donors may direct their gifts to any campaign priority or other area of interest. As a comprehensive campaign, all gifts to LJI count toward the campaign goal, regardless of designation. Join the campaign, and multiply your impact with our limited-time matching opportunity. 

To explore the campaign, visit imagine.lji.org.

Partner Content
Partner Content NOVEMBER 9, 2026

Paving the Way for New Knee Treatments

Scripps orthopedic surgeons are investigating stem cells as an alternative to joint replacement

Paving the Way for New Knee Treatments
Courtesy of Scripps Health

Shiley Center for Orthopaedic Research and Education at Scripps Clinic recently received a $12.7 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to investigate whether they can transform stem cells into tissue that can repair some types of knee injuries. Currently, if a patient has lost most, if not all, of the cartilage in their knee, then their doctor will recommend a total joint replacement. Joint replacement is safe and effective, but patients who’ve only lost part of their cartilage often don’t qualify. A stem cell-based treatment would provide these patients an option that doesn’t involve donor tissue. Click here for more on the preclinical trial process. 

For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.

Partner Content
Partner Content NOVEMBER 9, 2026

Healing by Design

Artwork throughout the Lusardi Tower at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas promotes hope and healing

Healing by Design
Courtesy of Scripps Health

The recently opened Lusardi Tower at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas is a state-of-the-art addition to the hospital staffed by dedicated team members who’ve helped make Scripps one of the nation’s leading healthcare systems. Complementary to that medical excellence, the Lusardi Tower also represents the latest expansion of the Scripps Arts for Healing Program. The philanthropic initiative strategically places nature- and community-based artwork throughout the hospital to support health and well-being. Both Scripps Encinitas and Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla have healing arts programs as part of new building projects and growth on the campuses. Click here to read more about the Healing Arts Program and how residents from a nearby retirement community showed their support. 

For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.

Partner Content
Partner Content NOVEMBER 4, 2026

A Guide to South Park

From century-old Craftsman homes to vegan fantasy bars, dive bars, and a tiki room built for exactly two people, this is one of San Diego’s great little neighborhoods

You may not realize it, but Balboa Park is bigger than Central Park (in fact, 1.5 times larger). Pressed right up against its southeastern edge is a little architecture farm built on old trolley bones, where houses look like someone was collecting architectural styles and local businesses are still run by people who seem personally invested in keeping this place interesting.

This is South Park. 

To understand why it feels the way it does today—less like one commercial strip and more like a handful of tiny villages—you have to go back to the trolley.

How the Trolley Built South Park

The land that became the original South Park Addition (the subdivision’s original name) was surveyed in 1870 and officially filed in 1890, but the neighborhood really started becoming a neighborhood in the early 1900s. The Bartlett Estate Company began developing and marketing the tract in earnest around 1906, pairing lots and new homes with something extremely useful if you lived outside Downtown in the horse-and-buggy era: an electric streetcar.

On May 1, 1906, the South Park and East Side Railway made its first trip. Developers didn’t just build near transportation; they helped pay for the transportation, then used it to sell the dream. Downtown had industry, noise, and congestion. Out here were palms, sidewalks, utilities, room to breathe and a four-cent ride back to the city.

It worked. Homes began filling in around the streetcar route, and little commercial clusters grew around the places where people got on and off. That transportation pattern is still written into South Park’s geography. Some of the neighborhood’s odd street geometry is also due in part to the trolley—the old line cut across parcels instead of politely obeying the grid, leaving behind pieces of land that later businesses learned to build around. Places like Station Tavern sit on the former easement and station site of San Diego’s No. 2 trolley line.

Then San Diego went big for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in neighboring Balboa Park. The exposition transformed much of the park and helped push the city through another burst of building and growth. South Park was right there to absorb some of that momentum.

And the people building houses here had taste.

Walk the residential streets now and it can feel like somebody planted an architectural sample garden: Craftsman, Prairie, Mission Revival, Tudor Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival. Creedence Clearwater Revival. All the revivals. The neighborhood includes work by Irving Gill, one of the defining architects of early modern California; Gill-designed Prairie homes still stand along Granada Avenue.

The city formally designated the South Park Historic District in 2017, recognizing roughly 400 properties and a period of significance stretching from 1906 through 1949. In other words, a lot of what makes the place feel old is actually old.

South Park Today

While the trolley eventually disappeared, the basic idea behind it didn’t. South Park is still a neighborhood organized around little pockets of human activity: a couple blocks where you can buy a record, drink a beer, find a 60-year-old lamp, eat a vegan burger beneath gothic beasts, browse a bookstore, and walk home past a century-old Craftsman.

The 30th-and-Fern area may be the clearest example. Several surviving buildings there date to South Park’s early development, including the old Fire Station No. 9, Rose Grocery building, and Burlingame Garage. What began as infrastructure for a young streetcar suburb became the neighborhood’s commercial heart.

That history is also partly why buying a house here can be competitive. There isn’t some endless supply of vacant land waiting around the corner for another subdivision. Much of the neighborhood filled in generations ago, and the architecture itself is part of the appeal.

San Diego Mag’s been documenting the city for 78 years. And we’ve been looking for a partner who loved the city enough to help us tell its stories. Redfin is that partner. They’re helping us tell the story of some of the city’s most unique neighborhoods. They launched Redfin Early Access this year to get their people in first and to see certain coming-soon and exclusive listings on Redfin before they appear on other major real-estate sites.

First up: South Park.

Here are some of the people and places worth knowing here:

Whistle Stop Bar

Big Kitchen Cafe

Start with Judy “the Beauty” Forman, because it’s difficult to explain South Park without her. The former social worker bought Big Kitchen in 1980 and turned a neighborhood breakfast joint into a gathering place for artists, musicians, activists, politicians, eccentrics, and pretty much anyone who needed somewhere to belong. As Judy puts it, “I built this for people who others passed over.”

One of those people was a young single mom named Whoopi Goldberg, who worked as a dishwasher here before the Whoopi Goldberg part of her career happened. Today Big Kitchen still serves breakfast and lunch Thursday through Monday.

3003 Grape Street

Whistle Stop Bar

Whistle Stop reopened in 2001, right as South Park’s little independent-business ecosystem was finding a new generation. Owner Sam Chammas—also connected to Live Wire and, later, Station Tavern—helped turn it into the kind of neighborhood bar where the calendar can jump from a DJ night to live bands to some strange communal event nobody at a normal sports bar would propose.

The room still has that laid-back, slightly sweaty house-party quality. Check what’s happening before you go, because Whistle Stop changes personality depending on the night: sometimes neighborhood beer, sometimes everyone dancing beneath the disco ball like work tomorrow was canceled.

2236 Fern Street

Station Tavern

Station Tavern may be the most literal example of old South Park becoming new South Park. It opened in 2009 on land once crossed diagonally by the No. 2 trolley line, and architect Lloyd Russell incorporated that history into the design rather than pretending the weirdly shaped lot wasn’t weirdly shaped. The project won the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s Grand Orchid Award the same year it opened.

Sam Chammas built the place as an open-air burger-and-beer spot with big communal tables, a backyard, room for kids, and room for dogs. It still works exactly that way: get a burger, get the tots, let everybody spread out, stay awhile.

2204 Fern Street

Kindred + Throne Room

Kindred arrived in late 2015 looking nothing like the beige-and-leafy vegan restaurant stereotype. The place went full gothic fever dream—heavy music, wild cocktails, decadent plant-based food—and eventually collected national vegan accolades plus local Restaurant of the Year and design honors.

And in 2026, it got even weirder. Hidden behind a chain-mail passage inside Kindred is Throne Room, a medieval-fantasy cocktail chamber whose mythology grew out of a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired map the Kindred team created for a 2017 Coachella pop-up. The 90-minute experience has scroll menus, plant-based mezze, cocktails and zero interest in pretending restaurants need to behave normally.

1503 30th Street

Bad Madge & Co.

Vinyl Junkies Record Shack

Vinyl Junkies has good music-scene DNA. Founder Eric Howarth previously ran indie label Hi-Speed Soul, whose roster included acts like Nada Surf and Swervedriver, then teamed with Casbah owner Tim Mays after the pair had spent years putting on Vinyl Junkies record swaps.

They opened the South Park brick-and-mortar shop in 2017, and it remains a buy-sell-trade temple for people who understand that owning music on a physical object is irrational in exactly the right way. Go flip through the new arrivals. Leave holding something you had absolutely no intention of buying.

2235 Fern Street

Bad Madge & Co.

Bad Madge is what happens when “vintage store” doesn’t quite explain the situation. Owner Tanya McAnear and her team fill the shop with furniture, clothing, barware, records, art, jewelry, collectibles, and various objects that seem like they may know things about their previous owners. The shop opened in 2011 and has made reuse and upcycling part of its identity ever since. Go in without looking for anything specific—specificity will only slow you down.

2205 Fern Street

Thread + Seed

Across the neighborhood’s vintage-and-vinyl universe sits Thread + Seed, a local boutique built around clothing, denim, gifts, and personal styling. Its South Park shop has an especially deep denim program—petite, tall, wide-leg, straight, flare—and the store also offers one-on-one styling built around color and body type. In other words, this is where you go after deciding the jeans currently on your body have betrayed you. South Park understands that sometimes personal renewal begins with pants.

2220 Fern Street

The Book Catapult

Seth Marko started The Book Catapult as a book blog in 2006. In 2017, he and his wife, Jennifer Powell, turned it into an actual bookstore in South Park, specializing loosely in fiction, local interest, and children’s books while maintaining the more important bookseller skill: putting something into your hands that you didn’t know you needed.

There are staff picks, author events, signed books, and the dangerous possibility of walking in for one title and emerging with four. Because no one ever died thinking, “I shoulda read less.”

3010-B Juniper Street

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Partner Content NOVEMBER 3, 2026

Tastemakers Fall 2026: Valle

Chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, and craft mixers - meet our 2026 Tastemakers, the minds behind the magic.

Tastemakers Fall 2026: Valle
E-SDM—Valle-2026—Tastemakers_WEB

Roberto Alcocer, Chef

Chef Roberto Alcocer showcases all that Mexican cuisine and culture has to offer at Oceanside’s Valle. The Michelin-guide recommended restaurant takes inspiration and techniques from all over Mexico—with a heavy Baja influence—and blends them with local San Diego ingredients to create original and delectable contemporary Mexican cuisine. The seasonal tasting menu allows Chef Alcocer to experiment with the freshest available ingredients, creating dishes that defy guests’ expectations, while the wine list features more than 100 labels from Mexican artisans. Even the restaurant’s walls are a celebration of Mexican culture, all decorated with work from artists of Baja.

“My favorite part of being a chef of Valle is being able to showcase the Mexico that I know to everyone who visits,” Chef Alococer says. “Not only through the food, but with the design, culture, and welcoming service.”  

Try This!

Lobster Taco: Flour sourdough tortilla with lobster shell bisque and local red spiny lobster

Valle

222 North Pacific Street, Oceanside, California 92054
866-723-8906  | valleoceanside.com

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