The post Michelin-Recognized Lola 55 Expanding & Evolving appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>The Michelin Bib Gourmand taco shop is taking over the 8,800-square-foot space that formerly housed El Jardín and Go Go Amigo (near Moniker General). Despite the building’s resistance to Mexican cuisine concepts thus far, Vizcarra has eyed it for a long time.
“Liberty Station is one of those places that continues to grow,” he says, pointing to the steady flow of locals and tourists who flock daily to the one-time Naval training center along the bay. To completely transform the indoor/outdoor space, he’s bringing in JSa architects, who designed chef Enrique Olvera’s two-Michelin-starred Pujol in Mexico City and Michelin-recognized Criollo in Oaxaca.
Because of the size and massive outdoor patio, Vizcarra plans to emulate the beautiful but unpretentious dining culture of Mexico. It’ll feature Lola 55’s trademark fast-casual tacos, plus some plated options that feature plenty of wood-fired flavors from the outdoor grill.
“There are just so many things that you can do with wood and fire, and not very many places in San Diego have that luxury and that ability,” he explains. “We have it, and we have the know-how that goes with it as well.”
Frank and Nate Vizcarra
Over the next few months, he’s sending a number of his chefs to different corners of Mexico to hone their skills. Vizcarra’s aiming for an August/September opening, but it’s not the only project he’s working on. He’s also transforming the original Lola 55 location in East Village into a full-service restaurant.
When he opened the first Lola in 2018, he wasn’t sure how San Diegans would receive it. “We were changing the dialogue with tacos,” he says. Covid-19 disrupted their trajectory, but it also gave them an opportunity to evaluate the concept’s longevity.
Business was booming, but customers weren’t utilizing the grab-and-go approach as much as he anticipated. “People were standing there with trays, waiting for a table to open,” he explains. “And as much as you love that, you also don’t feel great because your customers’ food is getting cold.”
Lola 55 in East Village
The reimagined Lola 55 East Village will also have a taco omakase experience, not unlike the famed Pujol, plus tasting menus. Vizcarra anticipates switching all Lola 55 locations to full-service, while keeping the fast-casual concept at newer L55 concepts in Westfield UTC and the Rady Shell (plus future outposts).
He hopes (and believes) people will embrace the change. “Lola belongs to San Diego,” he promises. “We want people to come in and immerse themselves in the location… to be transported into a Mexican ancestral artisan experience.”
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Cheese, Please: New Expo Coming To Liberty Station
The annual Liquid City Cheese Expo has rebranded itself as Cheese & Libation Expo and will take place at BRICK at Liberty Station from May 16-18. It’s still a bonanza of artisanal cheese from around California and the globe (CheeseSmith, Cypress Grove, etc.) and AleSmith and the Women’s Wine Alliance pouring drinks over the three-day event. Don’t drink? Not to worry—plenty of NA beverages will also be available. Does dairy not agree with you? Pack your Lactaid pills and a prayer.
Beth’s Bites
- The talented Logan Kendall has departed from Cellar Hand, and Ashley McBrady—who helped Kendall develop it into one of Hillcrest’s most-talked about restaurant of 2024—is the new exec chef. The restaurant’s full-time fermentation chef Chris Ruhl (ex-Trust) remains by her side to continue their relentless pursuit of hyper-local cuisine. As long as they keep the chicken liver pate, I’ll live.
- Trying to get into Tribute Pizza next week? Hit pause on your plans—the North Park pizzeria is closing for a week starting (Jan. 20-28) to give their pizza oven some major TLC and a few necessary repairs. Try to manage your cravings for Grandma-style pies until then.
- Despite its acclaim as a citrus cultivator (they even have a World’s Biggest Lemon sculpture), Lemon Grove isn’t known (yet) for its thriving restaurant scene. However, the small town just southeast of San Diego is about to get a new mariscos spot called El Cata Mariscos & Sushi at 8099 Broadway in the short-lived Barn House BBQ location. I’m not sure if it’s the same people behind Mariscos El Cata in Old Town, but either way, I wish them luck—and more longevity than their predecessors.
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].
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]]>The post Popular Ensenada Taproom Opening in San Diego appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
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Valdez operates three Lucky Irish pubs across Ensenada and Valle de Guadalupe, but the Bonita beer garden—the group’s first outpost in the U.S.—will serve Mexican craft beer from across Mexico, including Insurgente (Tijuana), Cervecería de Colima (Colima), Wendlandt Brewery (Ensenada), and Cerveza Cardera (Ensenada), plus locals like Burgeon, Goal, and Fall. For now, Valdez says the beer garden won’t offer the beer he brews in Mexico, but he plans to invite brewers from across Mexico to collaborate at Citizen Brewers in Mission Gorge to serve in the future.
Sarah Lopez of Bonita Food Market and chef Jorge Aranda of Monterrey Ribeye Burgers are the food partners for Lucky Irish. Expect American-style pub food, like truffle fries and burgers made with ribeye meat, and some more elevated dishes that will rotate with different guest chefs every month. They’ll also be doing beer and wine pairings (wines from Valle de Guadalupe). Despite the name, don’t expect much Irish pub grub to dominate the menu.
“We do sell Guinness,” Valdez chuckles, saying they do celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with corned beef sandwiches and Irish stew.
The food concept is still in its final planning stages. Valdez says he hopes to throw a grand opening party with both Monterrey Ribeye Burgers and brewers/vintners sometime this month. Hours will run 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, open until midnight on weekends.
“We’re going to have live music, food from Monterrey… [and] the best beers, from what I know, from California and Mexico,” he promises. “Everything’s coming together.”
Lucky Irish Beer Garden soft opens on Friday, January 17 at 4068 Bonita Road.
Beth’s Bites
- WhistlePig is one of my all-time favorite brand names (you can’t tell me that’s not fun to say!!), and the famed American whiskey brand is heading to George’s at the Cove. On Friday, January 24 at 6 p.m., guest chefs Jason Knibb from Nine-Ten and Mike Reidy from The Fishery join chefs from George’s to host a family-style feast with accompanying WhistlePig samples, plus a few cocktails just for fun. Is it just me, or does a dram of Boss Hog X inspire some… creative visuals?
- TIL (that’s Today I Learned for those not chronically on Reddit) that Q&A Restaurant and Oyster Bar closed inside the Brick Hotel in Oceanside. Even as a raw oyster fiend, I can live with the change, because now it’s The Lobby Tiki Bar & Grill and features a whole bunch of rum drinks. I’m a beer and cider girl at heart, but when the urge strikes, I run to rum, so yes I will have a Mai Tai.
- I finally scored a reservation to eat at Books & Records for an all-too-rare date night with my husband. What can’t I miss? Let me know at [email protected] or ping my Insta here with your food and drink suggestions!
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].
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]]>The post Celebrity Chef Claudette Zepeda Opening New Lounge in Leucadia appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>And now she’s gonna hunker down in a tiny kitchen in Leucadia to cook a nightly dinner party at a new lounge called Leu Leu. It’s a 1930s bungalow next to Pannikin on Highway 101. Unlike her other restaurants, she’s a partner in this. It opens in a couple weeks.
“You know me, it came to me in my witchy ways,” she says. “I get an instagram DM from the person who sat behind me at the Padres game. He said, ‘I have this project I want you to check out.’ I met with him about it, and a month later I’m signing a contract.”
I’ve known Zepeda for years, a friend. She’s a spitfire with a Category 5 IQ and a mystical hush-now-the-ancestors-are-talking approach to life. If ayahuasca were a chef, it’d be her. In other words, she’s a TV producer’s dream. And after being a crucial part of elaborately ambitious, James Beard-nominated San Diego restaurants—first Bracero in Little Italy as Javier Plascencia’s chef de cuisine, then as exec chef of El Jardin in Liberty Station—Leu Leu feels perfect for her. Tiny place where a cook can cook and a high-wattage personality can radiate.
What she liked about her partners on Leu Leu—Jason Janececk, who co-owns Corner Pizza, and Britt Corrales, a born-and-raised Leucadian by way of Sonora, Mexico who apostles about growing your own food and throws parties around it with her Mariposa Events Co—is that they’re just as ambitiously hippy as her.
“You’re gonna roll your eyes,” she says. “But when Jason and Brittany presented it to me they talked about restaurants being about mystery and secrecy, just a room of creators organically drawing people to them. They talked about Leu Leu as a ‘she.’ This kind of character—I picture a Holly Golightly coming home with her heels in her hand, super chic but a little messy, eating a burrito, playing poker and smoking cigarettes.”
The Leu Leu food will be anchored in her Mexican-American roots, but also Mediterranean (her mentor is James Beard Award-winning chef Gavin Kaysen), Moroccan, Eastern, whatever the hell, because that’s how chefs cook for their friends.
“Unpretentiously munchy,” she says. “In Spanish we call it munchoso, the food you want to eat with your friends. Mom’s-house rules. It’s just me riffing, cooking for people who like food. Mexican, African, Chinese—immigrant food, my love letter to San Diego. We’re not going to be ‘turning tables.’ You’re going to vibe to the music. You’re going to have a seat in our home until you’re done.”
There’ll be Leu Leu’s faberge egg, a perfect egg with sushi rice and panko, deep-fried with beef tartare with sweet and sour glaze. A duck confit tamal. Masa Koji roasted beets with whipped herb toum (Lebanese garlic sauce). Pibil lamb shank with beans. Sea bass kofta meatballs with naan and yogurt and zhoug, masa ball soup (a Mexican riff on the Jewish classic). Plus crudos and salads and a whole “rip and dip” section with breads and sauces (including a deviled-egg dip). For desserts, sundaes featuring ice cream from beloved Oceanside indie shop, Little Fox Cups & Cones.
The vibe will be vibey. Interior will be created by the sister duo behind Design 4 Corners, who’ve handled other local projects like Kaito Sushi and Van de Vort at One Paseo. Janececk is a landscape architect, so the outside patio will have gorgeous trellised arches with vines growing, some epic candelabras, LED lights on a giant pine tree. Corrales’ family is one of Leucadia’s heritage flower growers, so it’ll be O’Keefey. Music will be curated, and key. Zepeda’s bringing out her vintage tupperware collection for the Moroccan tabletops. There’ll be beer and funky wines with stories behind them, largely the stories of women winemakers. The whole place fits a whopping 65 people.
“It’s not a restaurant or like any project I’ve ever done,” she says. “It’s a lounge, the most indie project I’ve ever been a part of. We’re not trying to pull the stars down from the sky—we’re just punk kids doing something fun. And I love Leucadia because it reminds me of Imperial Beach where I grew up. It’s such a feral community, they embrace my weird.”
As for the timing, Zepeda was ready for this intimate, personal thing. She’s been through it. The highs, lows, bright lights, high-profile gigs leading straight into paying-bills terrors, motherhood, acclaim and hater bile. She’s finishing her book right now, with editor and respected food writer Francis Lam.
“I went to Santiago and walked 160 miles to un-fu** myself, came back cracked open and ready to receive,” she says. “Everything lifted when I got home. I just let go and noticed the magic around me, and the ****ing Tetris really started Tetrising. And then I get a random DM at a Padres game.”
Claudette is about to Claudette.
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].
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]]>The post Hi-Fi Listening Bar Coming to Little Italy This Summer appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>That space was the original location of San Diego’s iconic indie-music box, The Casbah (which moved down the street to its current location in 1994).
Richter and business partner Paul Scappechio plan to honor that history when they open Kiku Room, San Diego’s newest listening bar and cocktail lounge. Whereas most listening bar concepts lean toward a chill vibe, Richter says Kiku will up the energy.
“Music with a pulse is definitely the key here,” he explains, pointing to dark disco, international dance music, Balearic house music. It won’t be a club environment, he’s clear to point out—more of an intimate neighborhood bar that spins tunes with a beat.
Listening bars depend on prime acoustics and prime drinks. On the drinks side, Kiku enlisted Taylor Ivision, a bar consultant who tended at CH Projects’ Youngblood and Noble Experiment. The core will be riffs on classics—Negronis, martinis, and Midori sours—at a neighborly price.
“We’re just kind of tired of paying $18 for a drink, and a lot of other people are too,” Richter says. Kiku will always have a rotating option of three or four classic cocktails for $10. “We’ll have our specialty cocktail menu that’s a bit higher priced, but we at least want to give the option to get a classic for 10 bucks.”
The space doesn’t have a kitchen, and they’ve got no interest in adding one. “It’s always been a bar, on and off since the ’60s, and we’re going to keep that alive,” he says. Expect drink-friendly (nuts, olives), though Richter does hope to partner with food trucks and other pop-ups.
Ralitsa Kombakis of Studio Rallou is designing the stripped-down space that Richter calls “a reprieve from the maximalist trend sweeping the city. We really want the space to feel like your neighborhood bar.”
Kiku Room opens summer 2025 at 2812 Kettner Boulevard.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Michelin Star Chefs Coming for One Night at Valle
On January 30, Michelin-starred Valle hosts the fourth iteration of its Tres Amigos chef series. To kick it off, Valle chef Roberto Alcocer invites two fellow Southern California chefs to play for a night: Tony Esnault of Michelin-star L.A. spot, Knife Pleat, whose restaurants Church & State and Spring made Jonathan Gold’s annual “101 Best Restaurants;” and Chris Barnum-Dann (another Michelin man and James Beard semifinalist who’s done the Food Network thing). With three Michelin stars between the chefs, it probably won’t suck. Tickets are available right here while they last.
Oceanside Launches Inaugural Swell Plates Series
Oceanside’s recent-ish food revolution has been well-documented, and this month you can taste a decent portion of the buzz in one fell swoop. From January 15 through February 13, the new Swell Plates Series will bring together restaurants like Flying Pig, Allmine, Matsu, 333 Pacific, Dija Mara, 24 Suns (newcomers from chefs who worked at Addison). See the full list of restaurants and dishes here.
Beth’s Bites
- Westfield UTC’s culinary transformation just added two more arrivals to its food city. Melo Melo’s silky jelly desserts have landed right behind Uniqlo, and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream lands on January 17. Would I try a ranch-flavored scoop? Inconclusive. Would I smash a pint of their coffee affogato on a Friday night? Absolutely.
- San Diego is finally getting the bagel scene we’ve all been waiting for. Spill the Beans is a coffee shop first, but their bagels shouldn’t be overlooked. Chef Karina Orozco’s signatures range from standards like plain and everything, plus sweets like French Toast and cinnamon raisin, and savories like onion and garlic and sundried tomato-cheese. She also does housemade spreads (like red chili & garlic, my personal obsession). Their fourth location at 980 Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach is now open seven days a week, and yes, after what feels like 200 years, their Ocean Beach spot is still coming soon.
- It’s time to say farewell to beloved bakery and cafe La Clochette in Pacific Beach, but the concept isn’t gone. Their Mission Valley location in Civita remains open, so we can still get our Croque Monsieur fix.
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].
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]]>The post SD’s First Cannabis Lounge Coming to National City appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
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The brainchild of San Diego natives and married couple Alex and Pearl Ayon and co-owned by the Sycuan tribe, Sessions took nearly four years to bring to life. The 16,000-square-foot venue is spread across three stories, starting with an Apple Store-esque dispensary on the ground floor, a sprawling 5,000-square-foot lounge on the second floor, and—eventually—a rooftop bar with sweeping bay views.
While Sessions hopes to host guests someday and serve alcohol on the rooftop, cannabis consumption will remain a second-floor privilege, and the rooftop plans are, at present, just a heady dream until the lounge is up, running, and smoothly sailing.
Inside, the space feels lush, like the Rainforest Café sans the kitsch. Dim lighting, natural wood accents, and foliage give the lounge a moody, upscale vibe. Sectional seating invites communal vibes, while sleek dab rigs and gravity bongs offer state-of-the-art consumption experiences. Trained staff are on hand to guide guests, whether they’re looking for a microdose or a full-on sesh.
“We’ve been in the cannabis industry for years,” Alex says, referring to his and Pearl’s 15-year-long history running dispensaries through the medical era into adult-use legalization. “But Sessions is about more than selling products, it’s about creating a space that reflects San Diego’s creativity and community.”
Food is key to the experience. The lounge has paired up with next-door Kimball Coastal Eatery, which has designed a separate menu and food service specifically for Sessions. Kimball co-owner and executive chef Jorge Bendesky, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, elevates—forgive the pun—cannabis-friendly cuisine with dishes you’d expect at a top-tier restaurant.
His menu includes an 18-ingredient ahi tuna crudo on crispy rice waffles, brioche French toast stuffed with peanut butter and jelly, and salads featuring herbs grown in the lounge’s onsite garden. They’ll even have high-end mocktails, which you have the choice to drink straight or infuse with low-dose THC drink additives. A dumbwaiter shuttles food from Kimball Coastal Eatery’s second kitchen directly to the lounge. It’s a seamless operation designed to impress cannabis novices and seasoned users alike. “This isn’t stoner food,” Bendesky emphasizes. “This is food that stands on its own. But if you’re high? Yeah, it’ll blow your mind.”
Sessions by the Bay is also a historical moment for California’s cannabis industry, thanks to AB 1775. Signed into law in 2024, the legislation permits cannabis lounges to serve freshly prepared food and beverages—a game-changer in an industry long restricted to prepackaged snacks. The bill also comes with strict requirements for air filtration, which Sessions meets with a system that keeps the air fresh and odor-free.
Prop 64 may have legalized recreational cannabis sales, consumption, and production in 2016, but the reality is more nuanced. Technically, the law only allows legal cannabis consumption inside someone’s home—that’s good news for homeowners, but most rental agreements disallow smoking of any kind, including cannabis, even for medical reasons. Sessions bridges that gap, offering a safe, legal, stigma-free environment for public consumption. For activists and pro-cannabis advocates, it’s more than a lounge; it’s a space designed to normalize cannabis use while educating guests about safe consumption practices.
“We wanted to create a place where everyone feels welcome,” Alex says. “Whether you’re a tourist, a first-timer, or someone who’s been part of this culture for decades, you’ll find something here.”
To that point, Sessions is stocked with state-of-the-art consumption devices, from gravity bongs to vaporizers, all well-cleaned between uses. They also have a variety of microdosed products, as well as CBD products, designed for people who are newer to using cannabis or who prefer either a muted high or none at all. Smokeable cannabis flower, oil cartridges, concentrates for dabbing, edibles, and other cannabis consumables will be available for purchase both on the ground-floor dispensary and in the lounge.
Then there’s the art. Sessions features a 12-room immersive exhibit that takes guests through cannabis history—from its medicinal ancient roots to the War on Drugs to today’s complex regulatory landscape. Alex says each room is designed to provoke thought and inspire wonder, even if you’re just there for the visuals. “Instagram-worthy” bathrooms and a hidden installation exploring cannabis’ complicated legal past and present round out the experience.
The goal is “unreasonable hospitality,” says assistant lounge manager Steph Diaz, who has also long been active in the San Diego cannabis community. When the doors open on February 28, Sessions by the Bay will be more than just the region’s first cannabis lounge. It will symbolize how far the industry has come and also how far it still has to go. Whether you’re here for the ahi tuna waffles, the art, or the dank nugs, one thing is clear: Sessions will set the new standard for cannabis hospitality in San Diego. Spark ‘em if you got ‘em.
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]]>The post Wine Director from Three Michelin-Star Addison Opening Wine Shop appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>That’s what’s coming to center city this spring when Victoria O’Bryan opens Electric Wines, her new wine shop at 4241 Park Boulevard (in that what-part-of-town-is-this area on the edge of Hillcrest, North Park, and University Heights).
“[Electric will] be a little bit more expansive in selection, focusing more on international styles,” she explains, adding that while there are plenty of wine shops nearby, many specialize in local or natural wines. She wants Electric to add something new, not replicate. So it’ll be “as far reaching as possible to maximize value and quality.” Electric will be an evolving collection of her favorites from iconic Old World (France, Spain, Italy) plus lesser played regions (Portugal, Greece, Slovenia, Georgia, England, etc.). Same thing for New World (California and Pacific Northwest, but also Mexico, South Africa, Chile, New Zealand, etc).
O’Bryan lives in North Park, giving her a front-row seat to the area’s booming culinary evolution. After serving mostly visiting hotel guests at Addison, she says she’s been waiting for the chance to connect directly with her neighbors. “The audience is very different… It’ll be a learning experience.”
Electric will start small (about 200 different wines) and grow from there—with some minimal food, plus a small lounge to enjoy wines on-site. She hopes to launch tasting events and educational opportunities once she gets things going. Design is still a work in progress, but says the environment will live up to the name.
“I want something more exciting, more engaging. A lot of wine shops are going very minimalist these days… I’m leaning into a more colorful experience. [The name Electric is] about the general excitement that wine gives people, or at least used to. I’m trying to have a collection of very high energy wines that create a spark inside people.”
Electric Wines will open sometime in Q2 2025 at 4241 Park Boulevard, at the intersection of El Cajon Boulevard, Park Boulevard, and Normal Street across from The Winslow Apartments.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Taste of Third Returns to Chula Vista This March
The Chula Vista food scene is ascending. On Thursday, March 20, over 25 restaurants and bars will offer specials from 4-8 p.m. for CV’s annual Taste of Third. There will be live music, too. Check out the best of the area—Balboa South, Mmm… Cakes, Lime in the Coconut, La Nacional (get the chicharrones), Vogue Tavern, Don Pedro, you name it. Tickets go on sale January 10.
Beth’s Bites
- After 10 years in business, both Crushed in Pacific Beach and Lucha Libre in North Park have closed their doors. Lucha Libre’s Mission Hills location is still open, so you can get your tacos, nachos, and burrito totes starting every day at 9 a.m.
- Mothership’s new menu just launched, and it’s out of the world (joke groans go here). I’ve been on a jackfruit kick lately, so I’m particularly excited to check out the new al pastor jackfruit bao buns, with a star float cocktail that contains rum, more rum, creme de banana, and a bunch of other tropical goodness topped with soft serve. I’m a proud dessert drink girlie.
- It seems like Dry January options get better every year, from the city’s first non-alcoholic bottle shop Monday Morning to Puesto and Roma Norte’s new NA specials, like a nitro Carajillo with Cafe Moto cold brew and vanilla cordial, or the Nadachelada with NA Corona and housemade michelada mix. Did I mention they clarify the michelada? If there’s one thing Roma Norte’s head of bar Beau du Bois loves to do, it’s to clarify.
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].
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]]>The post Carbonaro’s Fast-Casual Italian Coming to SDSU appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>Founder Andrea Carbonaro, who’s also involved with Trattoria da Sofia in Kensington, as well as Aromi Italian Cuisine and Pizza by Aromi in La Mesa, wanted to bring an affordable taste of Italy to the area. The focus will be on imported Italian ingredients and fresh pasta bowls that can be customized per order, which, despite some backlash against carbohydrates, he believes can be healthy and flavorful.
“In Italy, carbs are celebrated, not feared,” he says. “Our mission is simple—make America enjoy carbs again. When done right, [they] can be wholesome, nourishing and even part of a healthy lifestyle.”
Carbonaro has already secured a second location slightly east, and hopes to eventually franchise. The first spot will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to midnight. The Pop Art-inspired decor acts as a bridge between the “high art” and “low culture” of the 1950s and 1960s—similar to what he hopes to accomplish.
“Pop art democratized art, and we’re making quality Italian cuisine approachable for all,” he says.
Liberare carbs.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
A Bevy Of Brewery Birthdays in January
Despite a rash of brewery closures in 2024 (and one already in 2025), San Diego remains the Capital of Craft with plenty to celebrate. This month, there’ll be back-to-back anniversary parties with Burgeon Beer Company’s eighth anniversary on January 18 at their flagship location in Carlsbad, followed by Pure Project’s ninth anniversary the next weekend on January 25 at their Miramar location. Kids under 12 get in for free at Pure Project (Burgeon’s is 21+), but no animals. The pouring list should help soften the no-dog blow.
Beth’s Bites
- Call me Boil Daddy. (Actually, please don’t.) The rapidly expanding Cajun seafood concept has quite a few locations across SoCal, and will open this year in Liberty Station. More spots are slated for Santa Ana, Anaheim, Georgia, Texas, Colorado, and beyond. As a longtime fan of crab boils, take it from me—wear dark clothes and ask for the extra bib. Just in case.
- Drew Deckman had one hell of a 2024, opening 31ThirtyOne after his wild success in Baja at restaurants like Deckman’s en el Mogor. Now, he’s bringing all that energy into 2025. On Monday, January 13, he heads up north for “Stores from the Soil,” a farm-to-table dinner at Fox Point Farms in Encinitas. Over four courses (and with plenty of natural wine), Deckman will walk guests through what it means to cultivate and spotlight sustainable ingredients in order to nurture community ties. The dinner will take place in the garden in front of Haven, so dress accordingly and snag your tickets right here.
- On Jan. 30 The Blank Table will host their first dinner of the season, with Blue Bridge Hospitality chefs Matt Sramek and Ronnie Schwandt preparing the five-course meal with cocktail pairings and a portion of ticket sales going to Feeding San Diego. Want to know where it’s happening? You’ll have to buy a ticket to find out…
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].
The post Carbonaro’s Fast-Casual Italian Coming to SDSU appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>The post INCOMING: Mia’s Solana Beach appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>Ulcickas says Mia’s menu will feel similar to Alce, renovated and reimagined. “Peruvian ceviche to vegetarian enchiladas, whole roasted fish, and some classic Mexican shrimp dishes,” he says of the menu, adding that they plan to source as much sustainable, organic, and local ingredients as possible, which has been a core philosophy of their restaurant since the get go. “Mexican-Baja style with a good tequila and mezcal program.”
Plus tacos, salads, oysters, tostadas, and prime cuts of steak, plus a kid’s menu, with no seed oils used in any dishes. The vibe will be fun, warm, and youthful, with soft pinks and dark greens inspired by the Southwest and Baja California. The partners plan to open in April, pending permits and renovations spearheaded by architecture and design firm PGAL (who designed Palihotel and Gravity Heights Mission Valley).
Ulcickas and Staunton have built restaurants together for nearly 30 years, opening the first Bluewater Grill in Newport Beach’s Cannery Village in 1996, then expanding to seven more locations across Southern California and Phoenix, as well as El Galleon, an American comfort grub spot on Catalina Island. “Our real estate philosophy is waterfront Southern California,” Ulcickas explains. When the space at 243 N. Highway 101 became available, the pair asked themselves “What concept do we feel would work in this community?”
Ulcickas believes Alce’s approach of upscale Mexican food was sound—it was just bad timing post-pandemic. The crowds were there, from summertime visitors to locals to people going to the races at Del Mar. “It’s a great location,” he says. If Mia’s proves successful here, it may be the first of several locations. “We have to prove the concept first,” he laughs. “[But] we’re confident… we’re excited to come to Solana Beach.”
Mia’s Solana Beach is planned to open in April 2025 at 243 N. Highway 101, Suite 7. Stay tuned for the chef announcement coming in January.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Little Victory Lands Chefs Elliott and Kelly Townsend
Carlsbad’s first natural wine bar and shop Little Victory Wine Market has new chefs in the kitchen—Elliott and Kelly Townsend, the pair behind Long Story Short. Elliott, who previously worked at Cowboy Star and The Fishery, and Kelly, who previously worked at Juniper & Ivy, will create the menu of small, seasonal, and shareable plates designed to pair with Little Victory’s collection of minimal intervention wines. Between their experience and Little Victory owners Jeremy Simpson and Kirsten Potenza, who also have star-studded resumes themselves (Jeune et Jolie, Bestia), Carlsbad is showing no signs of slowing down.
Beth’s Bites
- San Diego’s only 2024 addition to the Michelin-recognized list is going away—sort of. Ambrogio by Acquerello is closing their La Jolla location on Fay Avenue to focus on reinventing themselves at Ambrogio15 in Pacific Beach. The project was an ambitious romp into modern Italian, a collaboration with Milan chefs Silvio Salmoiraghi and Choi Cheolhyeok, of Michelin-star Milan restaurant, Acquarello. They promise the pizza isn’t going anywhere (thank goddess); they’re also opening another location in the San Diego airport next year.
- Hotel La Jolla’s penthouse restaurant Sea & Sky is throwing a 50th birthday party for Napa Valley’s Caymus Vineyards (oh, those cabs). The five-course wine pairing dinner starts at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 30 with chef Ernest Lopez’s menu of “land and sea” offerings like scallop crudo, herb-crusted lamb. Good chance to see the newly renovated La Jolla classic with views of the Shores. Reservations are a must.
- Did someone say chilaquiles? Pop-up concept Chilaquilers is slated to open two spots in 2025, one in Vista and one in Chula Vista. I’ve found myself crossing the border to Tijuana to get my crunchy breakfast fix, but I guess I can stash my passport for now.
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].
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]]>The post The Top 20: Best New San Diego Restaurants of 2024 appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>It was a tough year for restaurants, yet the silver linings were plenty. After another year of eating through the city, these were the silveriest of linings—the new restaurants that you gotta check out.
31ThirtyOne
Drew Deckman is a chef who worked his way up through the Michelin-star ranks in Europe before dropping out of that scene to work on fishing boats in the Southern Hemisphere. He became a better, sustainability-obsessed restaurateur because of that experience, and he recently earned more Michelin stars. It’s a full circle, which finally brought him to San Diego with this North Park spot. He’s about as good as they come.
Yakitori Tsuta
If you were making a pantheon of San Diego’s yakitoris (Japanese grill joints), Yakitori Hino and Yakyudori would be on that list. So it was big news when a longtime chef who cooked at both, Tatsuro Tsuchiya, opened Yakitori Tsuta this year in the Nijiya Market on Convoy Street. He’s doing an 18- to 20-course yakitori omakase that focuses primarily on every part and every rendition of chicken, fired over those famed binchotan coals (high-grade Japanese charcoal that burns hotter and cleaner). The dinners finish with a bowl of ramen.
Roma Norte
Arguably the top cocktail-bar opening of 2024. The brothers and cousins who run Puesto have imported some serious talent into San Diego’s food scene, and two of them get their own cocktail show with this Mexico City–inspired cocktail joint in The Headquarters near Seaport Village. Beau DuBois was the beverage director of three-Michelin-starred The Restaurant at Meadowood, and his partner in crime Derek Cram made drinks at PDT and Momofuku. From a fig leaf old fashioned to mezcal habañero margaritas and a rum and housemade Coke (with a killer chicken sandwich), this is an evolution in city drinks.
Happy Medium
If you had a great cocktail in a cool place over the last couple of decades, good chance these two excessively likable dudes created it. Happy Medium is the partnership between Eric Johnson and Christian Siglin, two of the principal architects of San Diego’s craft cocktail scene. They met at Noble Experiment way back when, then went on to lead spots such as Craft & Commerce, Sycamore Den, Camino Rivera, and Fernside. A laid-back, kid- and dog-friendly joint with excellent drinks (including booze slushees and on-tap negronis), plus chef-built riffs on fish n’ chips, sloppy joes, corn dogs, beef dips, and the like.
Knead Bakery
Adrian Mendoza went from Spago to Herb & Wood to Wayfarer to Urban Kitchen Group, earning a name as one of the top pastry chefs in San Diego in the process. Deserving a place of his own, he gets it with Knead. On the bottom of the new Symphony Towers, it’s part of the University Club’s impressive culinary revival (Knead is open to the public). Everything hits, but the croissants are the big pastry bang at the center of his talent universe (try the one with egg).
Leila
We’re running out of superlatives with CH Projects (the architects of always-packed spots like Born & Raised and the Lafayette Hotel). The restauranteurs took an ordinary storefront in North Park and created a Lucas Films–caliber otherworld that evokes a pan-Middle Eastern night bazaar. It’s a group project, but it’s also personal for CH founder Arsalun Tafazoli. With breads (khobz, naan, barbari) and kabobs (koobideh, shishlik, joojeh) and sauces and sprinkles and dips (toum, amba, dukkah, zhoug), it’s a long-overdue main-staging for Middle Eastern food in San Diego. With 7,000 reservations before Leila even opened, the hype is real.
Ponyboy
Well, this is a clown car of talent. The dining space at San Diego’s cool, midcentury-modern motel in Point Loma has always been poolside-petite. And the Ponyboy roster is unfairly stacked, with chefs and drinksmen and sommeliers from Addison, Lion’s Share, Wormwood, and CH Projects. It’s food from the Russia-might-nuke-us era, from TV dinners to deviled eggs to ambrosia and one of the best chicken Kievs the city’s seen since Reagan’s immaculate hair was on every TV.
Wildland
Restaurateur John Resnick and chef Eric Bost are the Daft Punk of North County’s coastal restaurant scene. They pretty much own State Street in Carlsbad now. The only problem with their twin winners Campfire and the Michelin-starred Jeune et Jolie is that they’re dinner-only. So they partnered on this all-day bakery/cafe/bar/restaurant across the street, with wine director Savannah Riedler (Juniper & Ivy in SD, Saison in SF), baker James Belisle (Per Se), and chef de cuisine Kaitlyn Jean Smith (M.B. Post and Bost’s pandemic-crushed beloved restaurant, Auburn).
Haven Farm + Table
They built a commune in Encinitas around a farm and put a pretty stunning restaurant in the middle of it. Fox Point Farms is a new housing idea (or is it old, ancient?) in Encinitas where the restaurant has its own sustainable and regenerative farmer—plus one of my favorite humans in the food scene, chef Alex Carballo, paired with young-gun chef Kelston Moore.
Le Coq
Tara Monsod is a force of good in the city’s food culture and a massive talent. Fresh off becoming the first San Diego chef to be named a finalist in the James Beard Awards, she helms the last restaurant for Puffer Malarkey (Herb & Wood, Herb & Sea, Animae)—a French steakhouse with an absolutely killer tuna crudo and a creamed spinach with an onion soubise. If you’ve followed the city’s food scene for any amount of time, you gotta see the final show from one of its top duos.
Sushi Maru
If you lived near downtown say, 20 years ago, you had exactly one good option for sushi—Taka. Behind the sushi case was chef Tsuyoshi “Maru” Maruyama. After going home to Japan for a brief time to care for family, he returned this year to build a 20-seat, omakase-only concept on Cortez Hill. Twenty courses, two hours. A lovely little place from a beloved local.
Communion
People who are gray and ashen in their hearts have said the building is too pink. As if a pop of color is satanic. Personally, I love Mission Hills’ new Golden-Girls-on-Pepto blush pink residential tower, The Sasan. And on the rooftop is a view restaurant led by some of the bigger talents in the city—chefs Mike Moritz (Mister A’s) and Jon Hawkins (George’s at the Cove), pastry chef Aly Lyng (George’s at the Cove), and bar specialists Eliza Woodman (Camino Rivera) and Marina Ferreira (Botanica). Best for me is the family behind it: Jacquee Renna Downing and her husband created the SD classic Pacifica Del Mar.
Cellar Hand
There’s a lot to like about this project. Chef Logan Kendall is a real talent and one of the biggest local-ingredient nerds I’ve met in a long while, known to appear tableside to make you taste some rare herb he found growing behind a barn in Ramona. It’s owned by Pali Wine Co, a father-son, family operation that started making low-intervention wines on the central coast (in Lompoc). Get the Thompson Heritage Ranch chicken liver pâté with orange wine jello cubes.
Sea & Sky
This is still lowkey one of the best views in San Diego, just like when it was Elario’s and jazz musicians were playing in the corner. Now it got a makeover from Hirsch Bedner Associates, who handled the holy-expletive Sphere in Dubai.
Amalfi Llama
Where once, eons ago, there was only the mighty Orange Julius and soccer-practice pizza, UTC’s transformation into a food Disney World is nearly complete. Its business model seems to be recruiting the most raved-about concepts from across the country (the first Shake Shack in San Diego landed here, plus Din Tai Fung, Javier’s, and Marugame Udon) to go with some beloved locals (CH Projects’ Raised by Wolves, Menya Ultra Ramen). Amalfi Llama is a breakout hit from Miami chef Jeffrey Mondaca (it’s helmed locally by Jaime Sebastian Chavez Monte-Alegre, formerly of Coasterra). It’s live-fire cooking that straddles Mediterranean and Patagonian food, with everything from woodfired pizzas and pastas to steaks and branzino.
Bivouac Adventure Lodge
If there’s a group making progress in San Diego, Lara Worm is probably a board member. This year, the queen of local craft cider debuted the elaborate Adventure Lodge, which is like a warm, welcoming yurt for North Park culture that quadruples as a cider tasting room, café, event space, and zen third place for the remote-work generation.
Finca
Every neighborhood needs a wine bar with good food, and now this is North Park’s. It comes courtesy three vets of top San Diego restaurants: front-of-house pro Dan Valerino and chef Joe Bower from Juniper & Ivy, plus partner Ricardo Dondisch, who ran probably the best service in the city at The Hake (RIP). Obsessive, approachable wines from Spain and small California growers, plus a killer yellowtail crudo and patatas bravas.
Desserts by Clement
The excellent Le Parfait Paris has served as a talent incubator for the bread arts in San Diego. Much like Sushi Ota spun off Hane and Himitsu and other top sushi spots for the betterment of the city, this year one of Le Parfait’s pastry chefs launched his own shop in PB. Clément Le Déoré, a lifelong baker, came direct from France, was a finalist on Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship, and launched his own commercial bakery that supplied The Hotel Del Coronado and The Westgate Hotel. He finally got a storefront with partner Romain Bonnet of Selling Sunset. They’re serving savory croissants (prosciutto, fig, brie, arugula), tarts, petit gateaux, and other delights. You gotta try the croissant rolls dipped in various pleasures (nutella, pistachio).
Merenda
What happens when a PhD in food anthropology and a guy who was raised in Oceanside hook up with one of the city’s top wine minds (Heidi Greenwood of Herb & Wood and Cucina Urbana), a consulting chef from Rustic Canyon (Travis Hayden), and the design team that built Jeune et Jolie and Broken Spanish (Bells + Whistles)? This place does. The food anthropology background means local farmers and ingredients are core identities for the wine shop and third place’s small menu (it has just a couple induction burners) that includes scallop ‘nduja, lamb tartare, pork and apples, grilled duck, and mushroom ravioli.
Tanner’s Prime Burgers
A three-Michelin-starred chef does a smash burger in San Diego and it’s every bit as good as you’d imagine. Tanner’s is the collaboration between SoCal’s ethical, good ranch operation, Brandt Beef, and Brandon Rogers, who was chef de cuisine at three-Michelin-starred Benu in San Francisco. Tanner’s also does beef tallow fries and tallow ice cream sandwiches. Oh, dear carnivore lords.
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]]>The post The Jetty To Open in Former Voltaire Beach House Location appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>“We want to be a place for people in town,” says Jaworski. “Ocean Beach is a very unique community, and a unique market where it’s important that you cater to the locals.”
Jaworski says The Jetty is not a gastropub but is reluctant to define exactly what it will be. He calls it a beach pub-meets-lounge with an “eclectic menu” that will draw a lot from Widman’s craft beer and cocktail experience and dishes they feel OB currently lacks. “But I don’t want to give away too much about our menu ideas yet because it’s still a work in progress,” he laughs.
But he knows one thing for sure—they’re committed to contributing to the local OB community. Jaworski estimates he worked for the NZ Eats Group (Raglan Public House, Queenstown Public House) for around 14 years and has been on the Board of Directors of Ocean Beach Main Street Association for nearly nine years. Widman is part-owner of Ocelot Brewing Company in Virginia, was the sales manager for Amplified Ale Works for years, and was the bar manager at local OB spots The Joint and The Bowl. All this is to say that one, they have the industry chops, and two, Ocean Beach has become home to both over the years. They feel ready to create a gathering space that fits with the, shall we say, particular OB flavor.
Part of that means renovating the former Voltaire Beach House, both physically and psychically. Voltaire Beach House first opened in January 2017 and unceremoniously closed this September amid allegations of theft, assault, and other accusations from both managers and employees, according to Fox 5 San Diego.
“There were some bad vibes, bad blood,” he says. “Just not a good feeling about the place from the community… [but] we really feel that with our connections to the community, we can make this an anchor for his side of town.” Renovations will be primarily aesthetic, but Jaworski says they plan to rebuild the outdoor patio and update some paint and finishes to spruce up the place. They’ll also work on community events with adjacent businesses and subtenants, such as The Artist Outpost.
It’ll take a lot of work, probably some luck, definitely some money, and heaps of resolve. But Jaworski says getting the opportunity to leave their mark, especially in that area of OB, is worth it. “To be able to actually own a business in town is an awesome, awesome feeling.”
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
New Updates On That Brewpub on Adams Avenue
Well, it didn’t open this fall, out Collin Corrigan, founder of Cerveceria Transpeninsular in Ensenada and former partner in El Cruce in Chula Vista, says he and his wife are the new managers of what will be known as Una Mas, opening in March 2025.
The mixed-use space at 2611 Adams Avenue will still be beer-focused, with a heavy emphasis on San Diego local beer from places like AleSmith, Karl Strauss, Coronado, Ballast Point, and Pizza Port, as well as Baja breweries like Insurgente, Transpeninsular, Wendlandt, Baja Brewing, and more. Corrigan says there will also be wines, kombuchas, and NA offerings as well, with Mexican-inspired street food and pub favorites on the menu. The indoor/outdoor concept will be kid- and pet-friendly. “Myself and the partners are all born and raised here in San Diego, so that makes us very proud to do this,” he says.
Beth’s Bites
- Roseacre is coming to La Jolla in the spring 2025 from owners Paul Basile (Basile Studio) and Jules Wilson (Jules Wilson Design Studio). The duo will also be behind the design of the restaurant set to replace Adelaide’s flower shop at 7766 Girard Avenue, with chef Erik Anderson tapped to head the kitchen. Anderson has a star-studded past, working in kitchens like Coi in San Francisco and earning two Michelin stars as executive chef. His resume is glitteringly impressive—The French Laundry, Noma. We already had eyes on La Jolla, so now I’ll spare another one because that area just can’t stop, won’t stop.
- A grab-and-go concept called Quick Bites opens in Little Italy in January, promising high-quality convenience for us tornado people on the go. As a working parent, I have basically zero time to screw around on any given day, so I say hallelujah! Did I mention there will be cold brew, too?
- The Midway District is on the precipice of massive change but it’s not immune from the typical restaurant turnover. At 3145 Sports Arena Boulevard, Round Table Pizza is out (buh-bye!), and Kiiro Sushi Izakaya is in. I’m not sure yet when this swap will happen, but hey, there’s always an In-N-Out across the street while you wait.
- The sister businesses Tablespoon and Collins & Coupe are hosting The Twelve Tastes of Christmas this month, with a different local vendor on hand every day for you to meet, greet, and shop with directly. Check their Instagram for upcoming vendors’ schedules, including a mobile knife sharpener and a few local bitters companies.
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].
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