The latest retro-tinged boutique on La Jolla Boulevard feels way more Brooklyn than Bird Rock, but that’s precisely where the owners grew up surfing. Brothers Benny Walter and Attila Betyar spent their youth in the micro-neighborhood of Lower Hermosa, and have been dreaming up the ultimate tribute in Hermosa Surf Shop.
Featuring matcha lattes, minty-hued twin-fins, and design by Solstice Interiors, consider it a 2022 nod to ’60s surf culture. The high-end hangout is equal parts shop and café: Racks brim with local brands—Raen sunglasses, Unhinged candles, Moon wetsuits, and hand-painted denim—while the midcentury chairs are an ideal spot to play chess and sip the Kale-r Wave, a vegan smoothie made with ashwagandha, kale, and house granola. Mitch’s Surf Shop this is not.
“We want all of our customers to feel like this is an extension of their home, because that’s the way we feel about it,” Betyar says. “This space is so much more than a surf shop.”
Walter is the shaper in the family; he earned his chops old-school style at Clairemont Surf before moving into sales for leading surf hard-goods supplier Surf Hardware. Meanwhile, Betyar took a radical departure from his mechanical engineering degree at USD to become an artist and muralist. He did creative work with Huntington Beach artist Blake Sandoval (aka Yung Pinch).
In back of Hermosa, Solstice Interiors designer Katie Gebhardt has set up a breezy little studio. The vibe she created throughout is fresh, airy, and modern with muted pastels and natural wood accents. In curlicue script, a poster proclaims, “Have a Swell Day” while a hazy homage to Super 8 films plays on the vintage TV.
Need help deciding which of La Jolla’s seemingly endless beaches to lay your towel out at today? Each little sandy sliver between the neighborhood’s sea cliffs has its own name and character: the Cove for swimming, Children’s Pool for seal-watching, Wipeout Beach for skim-boarding. Head to La Jolla Shores for that wide, sandy, picnic-with-the-family feel, and if you know what you’re doing, go surfing at Windansea or Bird Rock (if you’re a beginner, opt instead for the Shores, where most of San Diego learned to surf).
Of course, beachy isn’t La Jolla’s only vibe. The Village (locals don’t call it downtown anymore, says La Jolla resident and senior editor of lajolla.ca Elisabeth Frausto) is La Jolla’s most walkable area—highlighted by the main drag, Prospect Street—with a wide radius of shop-lined roads sloping down to the coast.
At long standing neighborhood staples like Warwick’s bookstore and Harry’s Coffee Shop, “old-timers still belly up to the counter and talk politics,” Frausto says. Art enthusiasts visit to peruse through its many galleries, including Quint and Joseph Bellows, and check out what’s on at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD). Shoppers wander Girard Avenue, picking out activewear at Lululemon and Vuori and fancier digs at Thread + Seed and Sigi’s Boutique. Friends gossip and sip coffee at locally owned outposts like Flower Pot Cafe and Il Giardino Di Lilli.
Courtesy of Il Giardino Di Lilli
Once isolated from the rest of San Diego, La Jolla became a popular resort destination when the San Diego, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla Railway arrived in the 1890s and made the area more accessible to visitors (who wanted to spend time there so badly they stayed in tents during the summer). Some of those tourists got creative, too.
“Our tradition of supporting the arts goes back to the days of the Green Dragon Artist Colony that was founded in 1894,” says Athenaeum Music & Arts Library Executive Director Christie Mitchell. Anna Held started the Green Dragon Colony to attract visiting artists to La Jolla for a weekend getaway; it quickly became a venue for ad-hoc performances and bohemian artists’ salons.
However, it was Ellen Browning Scripps more than anyone who shaped La Jolla into the neighborhood we know today, commissioning buildings like the structure that now houses MCASD. The arrival of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1907 laid the foundation for the establishment of UC San Diego 53 years later at the longtime site of the military base Camp Matthews. All of these developments helped establish La Jolla’s layered identities: high-dollar beach town, arts magnet, academic research hub.
Photo Credit: Ariana Drehsler
Facts About La Jolla, CA
Ellen Browning Scripps commissioned Irving Gill to design a building for the La Jolla Woman’s Club in 1914; it still meets today in the same building.
La Jolla’s scenic beauty is a backdrop for many movies, including Thor, Gattaca, Traffic, Mr. Jones, and Andy Warhol’s 1968 experimental film San Diego Surf.
Every summer, thousands of pregnant female leopard sharks gather in La Jolla’s Marine Protected Areas to incubate their pups.
Zillow reports the average home price in La Jolla is $2.3 million.
Old Hollywood film star and La Jolla native Gregory Peck was one of the founders of La Jolla Playhouse, which opened its doors in 1947.
Photo Credit: Ariana Drehsler
Locals’ Guide to La Jolla, CA
Athenaeum Music & Arts Director Christie Mitchell is a bona fide La Jolla local, having grown up in the LJ neighborhood of Bird Rock. Her dad still surfs, and Mitchell met her own surfer husband at La Jolla High (their toddler has already tried surfing, too). Mitchell’s mom still lives in Bird Rock, and “it’s gotten a lot livelier and more pedestrian-friendly,” she says.
On weekends, she makes sure to hit Wayfarer Bread for “the gooiest, heaviest, stickiest cinnamon loaf—definitely preorder because there’s always a line,” she advises. Friday and Saturday are pizza night at Wayfarer, and the bakery’s industry collabs produce some unique pies. For coffee, head to Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, of course, where you can grab a cup and hang out in the open-air seating or stroll to La Jolla Hermosa Park for ocean views (and a skate park and bike paths for little ones to tire themselves out on).
One of Mitchell’s favorites for lunch with coworkers in the Village is Peruvian-inspired Pepino, owned by one of her high school classmates. “The sweet potato bowl is really good,” she says.
Courtesy of The Marine Room
She also cherishes La Jolla institutions. The Ascot Shop, a longtime men’s clothing boutique, is a go-to for gifts; founded by a local fisherman, El Pescador Fish Market is the place for the freshest seafood and fish tacos; and The Marine Room is for special occasions, with on-point service against a backdrop of crashing waves. “And nothing says ‘La Jolla’ like George’s at the Cove,” Mitchell adds. “With the John Baldessari mural and the view, it’s a great mix of the arts and the ocean.”
There’s a surprising amount to do on the weekdays in La Jolla, Mitchell says, with free live music every Monday at the Athenaeum (and weekly ticketed events), late-night DJ sessions at Le Coq, acts at The Comedy Store, concerts at the The Conrad (home of La Jolla Music Society), and the monthly First Friday Art Walk.
Photo Credit: Kimberly Motos
What’s About to Happen
The biggest talk of the town for La Jollans? Possible secession from the city of San Diego, Frausto says. Proponents want to separate so La Jolla can maintain its own infrastructure and make decisions about development (critics say La Jolla should contribute taxes to the rest of the city). If the initiative advances, final say would come down to a city-wide vote.
Additionally, locals and visitors alike are witnessing a genuine culinary explosion. Restaurateur Sami Ladeki’s Roppongi, a Japanese fusion and sushi favorite that closed in 2015, reopened in December 2025 under returning chef Alfie Szeprethy. Michelin-starred chef Elijah Arizmendi launched tasting-menu-only restaurant Lucien last year, and chef Accursio Lota of North Park’s Cori Trattoria Pastifico opened his new spot Dora in November. Local designers Paul Basile and Jules Wilson are building Roseacre, 5,000 square feet of culinary concepts on Girard Avenue. And one of La Jolla’s favorite restaurant families is opening a completely new eatery near Torrey Pines Golf Course in summer 2026: From the guys behind Puesto and Marisi comes an Eastern Mediterranean spot called Ikaria.
Back in the Village, a new boutique hotel by Orli is landing in the old nurses’ quarters (now condos) next to the original 1924 Scripps hospital (the institution moved to Genesee Avenue in 1964). La Jolla is also getting in on the thrifting trend—Goodwill opened a shop on Herschel Avenue in early 2026.
Pedestrian-friendly changes are afoot in two of LJ’s walkable areas. At La Jolla Shores, look for enhancements to Avenida de la Playa from El Paseo Grande to Calle de la Plata, where the street has been closed to vehicles since 2020 for outdoor dining. The Village Streetscape Plan is coming to Girard Avenue between Silverado Street and Prospect Street, bringing expanded walking areas, corner parks, improved lighting, new seating, public art, and landscaping to create shade canopies and gathering spaces.
Photo Credit: Ariana Drehsler
Also look for beautification projects along the coast. The 1920s stairs leading down to the tide pools at Whale View Point are finally getting a redo; Ellen Browning Scripps Park will receive fresh sod and much-needed widened sidewalks. And ADA trail improvements and a new restroom facility are on their way at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, making the beloved natural area more accessible.
As for housing, Frausto says, affordable units are hard to come by, and that probably won’t change soon. Most new homes and apartments are geared toward the luxury market, like La Jolla’s first new gated community in 40 years, Foxhill, which broke ground in October 2025 on the site of a former golf course—with empty lots selling for more than $8 million.
Think mood lighting, red velvet booths, lacquered wood, verdant plants, and an inviting 36-foot, stone-topped circular bar that welcomes you into the space. Complete with a “more functional and modern kitchen,” Monsod says, it’s a total overhaul of the 1930s La Jolla building at 7837 Herschel Avenue that once housed Puffer Malarkey’s Herringbone.
If Herringbone was a fairy grotto, Le Coq is a little more grown-up and libidinous, catering to modern running-away-to-Europe fantasies over storybook escapes. It’s made for tét-â-tét, flirting, lingering over dinner.
Certain elements of the 1930s warehouse, which once housed an Oldsmobile dealer, are still intact: exposed brick walls, naked steel trusses. Designer Megan Power of Workind Studio chose to keep some raw industrial elements, blending the building’s working history with retro ’70s supper club intimacy and hospitality.
“[There’s] old-school Parisian service [and] white-hatted chefs,” Monsod says. “But [it’s] not buttoned-up. We want you to relax and enjoy the experience.” To prep for her role in a French kitchen, Monsod, fresh off her James Beard nom, spent a couple weeks in the City of Light in February, soaking up knowledge and saucisson from Parisian chefs.
“Le Coq’s menu is an ode to the classics, [but it’s also] inspired by a new wave in French cooking,” Monsod says. “There are no rules; there’s influence from every which way.”
Energized by conversations with Asian chefs in Paris, Monsod added nods to Asian cuisine to the dishes she and her team developed for Le Coq. Take the jambon salad, for example: a Parisian bistro staple Monsod updated with chrysanthemum leaves (from Girl + Dug farm in San Marcos), Japanese sour plum, and ume vinaigrette. Under Monsod’s auspices, canard a l’orange becomes duck with tamarind puree, kumquat, and chicory, a twist on the sweet-sour classic that takes the flavor further east.
Look for Monsod’s version of mussels à la Les Enfants du Marché, a tiny counterside establishment with an outsized reputation nestled in Paris’s oldest open-air market. Her approach to land-and-sea dishes differs by focusing on the flora the ocean has to offer—“pork and seaweed,” Monsod explains, “and lamb and sea beans.” You’ll find hyper-local steak, pork from Thompson Heritage Ranch in Ramona, yellowtail from San Diego waters, and produce from San Diego farms on the menu.
And, of course, it wouldn’t be French without wine and dessert. French and Californian bottles share the wine list. Basque cheesecake, strawberry mille-feuille with vanilla cream, pistachio Paris-Brest with pâté à choux, and Herbsaint sorbet crowd the proverbial dessert cart. Executive pastry chef Laura Warren developed several sweet offerings around fresh fruit from San Diego growers. Warren and Monsod both worked with Puffer Malarkey Collective in the Herringbone days.
“It’s a full-circle moment,” says Puffer Malarkey Collective marketing director Lillian Dang. “It’s like a homecoming.”
Two old friends at the helm may help the Le Coq team cultivate the dinner party vibe they’re aiming for. “In Paris, we saw people gathering inside and outside restaurants, hanging out, talking, eating,” Monsod says. “That’s what we want to see here: diners engaged with each other, with lots of wine, lots of laughter, enjoying each other’s company. This restaurant is not meant to be quiet.”
Le Coq opens on June 20 at 7837 Herschel Avenue in La Jolla.
As part of its 95th anniversary, the Pink Lady has overhauled its front patio (as well as the rest of the hotel)
By Madeline Yang
Patio Sol at La Valencia
Imagine the silver screen. Imagine the mythical faces that once lived on it—the ones in black and white, their makeup divine, filmed in that dreamy, almost hazy way. They were good as gods. Now imagine these faces sitting around a table in La Jolla. The iconicLa Valencia Hotelowned that table, provided social harbor for stars like Ginger Rogers, Gregory Peck, and Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss). Mostly, they’d gather inside. The Pink Lady always had a front patio—Patio Sol—that was once a thriving alfresco dining scene of its own. But the most recent redesign didn’t have the come-hither it used to.
For their yearlong 95th anniversary celebration, La V fixed that.
La Valencia Hotel – The Med – food
James Tran
“The front patio was underutilized,” says General Manager Summer Shoemaker. “It didn’t have any charm or real sense of space.” The team installed folding terrace doors to make it a fully indoor-outdoor great area that bleeds into the hotel’s signature restaurant, the Mediterranean Room. They added a satellite bar (La V cocktails tend to be a beacon for humanity), opened up the landscape, and inserted design elements like a long fire-pit table that invites guests to sit, talk, and watch the throb and pageantry of Prospect. They’re casting it as more of an alfresco lounge, with weekly live music.
Being careful to respect the legacy, La V has been modernizing the entire hotel, including the Mediterranean Room. The pink Spanish Revival–style still echoes that elegance and nostalgic ambience. But there’s now all-new flooring and epic furniture. The hand-painted tiles adorning the fireplace, walls, and ceiling? Fresh paint, same signature design.
The Mediterranean Room at La Valencia
The Mediterranean Room also comes with newly appointed executive chef Fabian Aceves, formerly of The Resort at Pelican Hill, Arlo, and L’Auberge Del Mar. Born in Guadalajara, Aceves incorporates subtle nods to his Latin heritage in his Cal-Med menu. Dinner highlights include a shawarma-spiced octopus made with ’nduja, black garlic, arugula, and pickled Fresno chiles; lamb sugo with pistachio, pappardelle, spicy breadcrumb, and burrata; and clams and guanciale with grilled bread, mushroom butter, and herb broth. For dessert, Kari Cota (ex-Market Del Mar, L’Auberge) is serving a dark chocolate gâteaux with ginger and Valencia orange-bourbon-tangerine sauce, and a toffee rum cake with candied walnuts, honey rum sauce, whipped cream, and mint.
Stake Chophouse & Bar isn’t your average steakhouse. Blue Bridge Hospitality’s Coronado outpost is a modern interpretation of a big-city steakhouse nestled in the heart of the small coastal community. The team at Stake has reimagined the whole steakhouse experience. By prioritizing a seasonal farm-to-table sourcing philosophy, a personalized guest experience, and unique service touches, like a formal steak presentation and a bespoke knife selection process, Stake distinguishes itself in a sea of steakhouses.
Exceptional steaks, including Wagyu from Japan, Australia, and the U.S., and fresh seafood flown in daily form the core of Stake’s culinary identity. The menu features a five-course omakase-style steak experience highlighting house favorites, plus an array of cuts, and classic steakhouse staples—think a wedge salad, baked potato, or pasta carbonara—refined for a contemporary palate without losing their traditional appeal. Stake focuses on seasonal sourcing from the region’s best family farms and specialty purveyors, and incorporates intentionally unexpected touches to create something truly unique.
“I challenge our chefs and myself to take it a step further in sourcing,” says Chef Ronnie Schwandt. “It’s important to us to highlight different farms, unique one-off farms—whether it’s cattle, strawberries, a local fisherman or from anywhere in the United States, we’re always trying to find that niche.”
Beyond the menu, Stake emphasizes outstanding service, says Vinny Spatafore, Director of Hospitality Operations. Staff maintains detailed notes, allowing them to remember guests by name, recall previous orders such as a favorite martini (also memorable for the customer since it’s served in an extra tall, distinctly-shaped glass), and celebrate special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.
“When you have those points of topic that you remember about a guest, they appreciate that,” he says. “Our servers are really good with that—we have a couple servers who have been here since the beginning and they’ll remember somebody from years ago, their name, their kids’ names, where they live. I’m really thankful to have a great front of house staff.”
Award-winning wines, rare whiskeys, special events, and a complementary black car service that provides transportation for guests throughout Coronado add to Stake’s appeal.
Schwandt stresses that Stake offers more than a meal; they aim to give patrons something unforgettable.
“It starts when you walk up the stairs and are greeted by the hostess—that sets the tone for the night. Then you’re greeted by a server, who may know you by name, and can guide you through the menu and curate as they get to know you,” says Schwandt. “Most people leave kind of blown away; they leave feeling like they just had an experience. That’s the goal, right? Whether you’re serving smash burgers or high-end steak, you want somebody to leave thinking, Wow, that was awesome.”
The April 27 La Jolla Half Marathon, a stunner for runners and spectators alike, explores the San Diego coastline starting at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and ending at La Jolla Cove’s Ellen Browning Scripps Park. (A great place to watch: the island in the middle of North Torrey Pines Road.) Net proceeds from the Half are donated to the La Jolla Kiwanis Foundation, which supports programs such as high school key clubs and youth sports, while a $1,000 cash prize awaits the first man and woman to break the course record—1:06:23.2 and 1:16:52, respectively. But everyone’s a winner: A live music festival and beer garden will be waiting for runners at the finish line. $90 for individual registration.
The April 27 La Jolla Half Marathon, a stunner for runners and spectators alike, explores the San Diego coastline starting at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and ending at La Jolla Cove’s Ellen Browning Scripps Park. (A great place to watch: the island in the middle of North Torrey Pines Road.) Net proceeds from the Half are donated to the La Jolla Kiwanis Foundation, which supports programs such as high school key clubs and youth sports, while a $1,000 cash prize awaits the first man and woman to break the course record—1:06:23.2 and 1:16:52, respectively. But everyone’s a winner: A live music festival and beer garden will be waiting for runners at the finish line. $90 for individual registration.
While glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agents have been used to treat Type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years, their recent emergence as weight-loss wonder drugs marked a new frontier in medicine. But their effectiveness has left some patients wondering what to do once they’ve reached their goal. Stopping the medication could mean regaining some, if not all, of the weight. A Scripps Clinic internal medicine physician recently conducted a small study of whether GLP-1 patients who had reached their goal weight could maintain that weight by taking their regularly prescribed injection every other week instead of weekly. Spoiler alert: 30 of 34 patients did. Read more about the study here and what that may mean as pharmaceutical companies roll out oral GLP-1s.
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