Mister Brown’s, A New Barbershop in North Park

Edgy boutiques and thought-provoking art are just some of the reasons to visit North Park. Known as San Diego’s hipster neighborhood, this little section of the city is filled with great places to see and experience. Save this handy North Park guide for the next time you’re in the area:

Things to Do in North Park

North Park Observatory

The North Park Observatory is a beautiful, restored 1939 theater that hosts live music (plus the occasional theater show or live podcast recording). The venue is a mosh pit mecca, so don close-toed shoes when stopping by to see bands.

2891 University Avenue

Juniper Canyon Trail

Juniper Canyon Trail is a hub of hiking, biking, birdwatching, and rock-climbing. If you’re on foot, plan for about two-and-a-half hours of trekking to complete the loop. Bring water, but leave four-legged friends at home—no dogs are allowed on the trail.

3331 Nutmeg Street

North Park Mini Park

Located behind the Observatory Theater, the mini park plays host to a variety of events through the year for locals to enjoy. From live music to vegan and vintage markets, the space is the epicenter of community gatherings in the neighborhood.

3812 29th Street

Vegan Food Pop-Up 

Every second Saturday of the month, vendors from San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County join together at the North County Mini Park to put on the North Park Vegan Food Pop-Up. The market features a variety of plant-based bites from over 60 different vendors and a live DJ. 

3812 29th Street

Queen Bee’s Art & Cultural Center

Queen Bee’s is home to an eclectic lineup of events, from pro wrestling and concerts with local musicians to poetry slams and dance classes. Recurring happenings include bimonthly open mics and weekly Sunday salsa nights.

3925 Ohio Street

North Park Thursday Market

Look out for tons of tables packed with fresh produce, homemade baked goods, and local products at the Thursday farmers market. Also slinging gift-worthy picks from small businesses and some tasty prepared food, the market is located right outside the Observatory on North Park Way.

3000 North Park Way

North Park Recreation Center

Looking to learn a new skill or meet some friends (or just get your little ones out of the house for the day)? Head over to North Park’s Recreation Center. It offers ceramic classes, sports leagues, kids’ camps and cooking lessons, and movies in the park.

4044 Idaho Street

Mural Walk

North Park is one of San Diego’s most colorful neighborhoods, thanks to vibrant murals decorating walls and buildings throughout the area. Use North Park’s Mural Guide to scout out a route to spot all your favorites, shopping local stores along the way.

Lips San Diego

The only West Coast location of the iconic New York drag club, Lips San Diego hosts fabulous dinner shows Tuesday through Sunday, plus raucous “gospel” drag brunches on Sundays.

3036 El Cajon Boulevard

Switzer Canyon

Head to Switzer Canyon if you’re looking for a hike with a little less mileage. Acting as the border between North and South Park, this 25-minute jaunt typically includes great views of San Diego’s native birds.

2800 Maple Street

North Park Shops & Boutiques

Verbatim Books

Hit Verbatim Books, a local rare and used bookstore, to peruse thousands of hardcovers and paperbacks. We love the zine corner with eclectic, independently published booklets and comics. The shop also regularly hosts readings and workshops.

3793 30th Street

Pigment

Glamorous bath products, stylish sunglasses, cool bar-cart accessories—Pigment has beautiful and trendy home and gift items. You can personalize a plant for your space at the succulent-potting station.

3801 30th Street

Artelexia

Artelexia founder Elexia de la Parra sources home- and kitchenware, packaged foods, colorful gifts, and more from Mexico for her vibrant North Park boutique. Check the website for curated shopping guides with themes like “Bachelorette Party” and “Pedro Pascal” (yes, this is purely products that feature the hunky Chilean-American actor).

3803 Ray Street

Casa Palma Dulce

If Artelexia is a nonstop party, Casa Palma Dulce—one of the shop’s two sister stores, along with kitchen-centric vendor Casa y Cocina—is its introverted, self-care-focused sibling. You’ll find everything you need for a perfect night in here: loungewear, tea leaves, bath soaks, skincare, and sage bundles to cleanse your space.

3830 Ray Street, Suite B

Day to Day Vintage

Constantly on the hunt for the perfect graphic tee? Day to Day Vintage is a local favorite for streetwear fans searching for sustainable options. Pick up pre-owned clothes from brands like Levi’s and Nike and check out the thrift market that the store hosts every third Saturday of the month.

3063 University Avenue

Skin Habit

Skin Habit focuses on personalized facial treatments that target your skin goals—while taking the sticker shock out of your spa day. A 50-minute facial will run you one Benjamin, and 30-minute refreshes cost just under 60 bucks. 

3570 30th Street

The Girl Can’t Help It

Originally established 25 years ago in London and re-opened in North Park, The Girl Can’t Help It features pre-loved fashion for all genders. The shop is packed with picks from the 1930s to the ’60s—picture sharp suits, swingy dresses, and even filmy vintage sleepwear.

3806 Grim Avenue

Overload

If you are on the move and looking for a place that can keep up with you, skate shop Overload has you covered on all of your skating needs—from colorful decks and durable helmets to funky footwear and fanny packs.

3827 30th Street

The Original Paw Pleasers

The Original Paw Pleasers specialize in housemade cakes, ice cream, and cookies just for your pet. Your furry friend’s sweet treat can be decorated for any kind of occasion—celebrate summer with a sun-shaped cookie or manifest a home team win with a Padres cake.

2818 University Avenue

Red Brontosaurus Records

Buy, sell, and trade vinyl at Red Brontosaurus Records. The music shop maintains an especially comprehensive collection of punk rock albums and also vends retro video games and consoles. Look out for in-house events in a wide array of genres, like a local and niche version of NPR‘s Tiny Desk Concerts.

3044 North Park Way

David’s Daughter

Named in homage to founder Chandler Rossi’s late father David, David’s Daughter sells flowers and bouquets and gift shop items such as shirts, candles, and mugs. Additionally, the shop hosts workshops where participants can learn the art of floral arrangement. 

3758 30th Street

Tablespoon

The food-focused sister to cocktail supply store Collins & Coupe, Tablespoon sells local food and snacks to the North Park community. Expect tinned fish, ramen, a slew of different nut butters, and other unique provisions, plus other kitchen items such as cookbooks and gadgets. 

2878 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite 101

The Gold Dust Collective

Founded by two San Diego artists, The Gold Dust Collective sells a collection of curated vintage pieces, handmade jewelry and hats, quirky taxidermy, tongue-in-cheek home décor, and other beauties and oddities. 

3824 Ray Street

Replay Toys 

Replay Toys Boutique vends pre-owned, collectible, and vintage toys. Stuffed wall-to-wall with G.I. Joes, My Little Pony figures, Barbies, Star Wars action figures, plushies, classic games, bouncy balls, and a whole lot else, the store recently moved into a new spot with more room for fun.

2948 University Avenue

Shop Good

Chronic health issues prompted Shop Good founder Leah Kirpalani to swap all her personal care products for naturally derived formulas—then launch a beauty and wellness store that helps others easily do the same. In addition to shopping makeup, skincare, and more from brands like Ilia and OSEA, visitors can book holistic aesthetic treatments.

3027 University Avenue 

Revival Vintage Eyewear

Experience visions of the past at Revival Vintage Eyewear, which vends pre-loved sunglasses and eyeglasses from the 1960s through the ’90s. Pick out your retro frames, then customize ’em with a prescription from the in-house optometrist or a protective tint in your preferred color.

3821 Ray Street

Whips n Furs 

Whips n Furs is an all-year costume shop with a broad variety of masks, costumes, vintage clothing, and more. Whether you’re renting or buying, Whips n Furs can keep you fitted for any occasion requiring you to arrive incognito. 

3784 30th Street

Joon

A stylish gift boutique with a focus on woman- and BIPOC-owned brands, Joon is where you can shop for your most fashionable friend (an edgy bag charm and some cuticle oil), both your parents (perhaps a steel toolbox for Dad and gorgeous glassware for Mom), and your toddler niece (a few board books about the countries you’ll visit together someday) all in one go.

3992 30th Street 

Purrgatory

While Purrgatory does sell some items for pets, such as collars and food bowls, this shop’s target audience is proud cat people. From cat-printed potholders to kitty-centric socks, Purrgatory has an item to replace any of your regular, boring, non-cat-themed household items.

2879 University Avenue

Sometimes, a restaurant opens and you don’t even need to experience it to know you’re going to love it. That’s how I feel about Finca, which opened in North Park yesterday.

The love affair started a few weeks ago, when I visited the space after it was nearly completed. One of its owners, Dan Valerino, invited me in because he knows I like to creative dishes in a convivial setting with excellent, somewhat hard-to-find wines from the Iberian peninsula and impeccable service. Basically, we both like dining in Europe. 

That vibe is what he and his crew seeks to emulate with Finca. “The style of eating is about giving the power back to the guest,” Valerino says. “You can order a couple of things at a time and not need to plan out your whole meal because you can trust the kitchen to get things to you fast.”

In other words, it’s designed to be social. Not a “shared plates” experience that benefits the kitchen more than the guests, but a genuine Spanish-style tapas set-up, with a top-notch kitchen firing off dishes as orders come in. The way this kind of dining is meant to be.

And speaking of those wines, I also sampled some of Finca’s excellent list of 100-or-so bottles, which are rooted in Spanish and California small-grower selections. Valerino and I share a particular love for red wines from Catalonia’s mountainous Priorat region—there are plenty of shining examples on hand. 

He’s also a leading voice on organic, biodynamic, and sustainable wines, so expect plenty of bottles in that vein. There’s also an impressive sherry section, as well as beer, cider, and vermouth. “We remain dedicated to making sure San Diegans have a place to drink vermouth on the rocks,” Valerino told me during my visit, echoing a deep belief I also share.

Another one of the reasons I’m so jazzed about this opening is because of the folks behind it, who I have known for years (and whose kitchens I’ve also enjoyed dining in). Finca is helmed by partners Valerino and chef Joe Bower, along with seasoned restaurateur Ricardo Dondisch. Valerino and Bower first connected during their time at Juniper & Ivy, where Valerino served as general manager and Bower as sous chef. 

They’ve been locked ever since, with stints at the now-closed The Hake in La Jolla. They’re true pros who are obsessed with hospitality, which Valerino says has been sorely lacking since Covid. Both he and Bower were emphatic that bringing hospitality “back,” so to speak, will be a cornerstone of the Finca experience.

In the kitchen, Chef Bower created a menu with a selection of market-driven, California-inspired tapas at an accessible price point intended to complement Spain’s drinking culture. Dishes include Nashville Peanuts with chicken salt, chicken skin and spicy oil; Patatas Bravas with California pepper, jalapeño cream, garden herbs and roasted garlic cloves; Pork Belly & Cocoa Nibs with grilled banana and sourdough; Surf and Turf Toast with carpaccio of beef, shrimp sausage, horseradish and lemon aioli; and Fried Chicken & Caviar with crème fraîche dressing and ranch herbs. 

In addition to dinner and drinks service, the roughly 3,000-square-foot Finca also features a bottle shop that will host a wine club in the future. The entire space is anchored by an open kitchen and wrap-around, illuminated 14-seat bar. Expansive ceilings offset floor-to-ceiling windows; the industrial space gives way to warmth via a color palette of burnt orange and amber hues, aqua and a variety of golden and wood accents. 

Art by Patrick Bower (Joe’s brother) and Gabriela Dondisch (Ricardo’s wife) adorns the walls and the setting is completed by mismatched vintage serving ware, including ice buckets, plates and glasses scattered throughout. Outside, there are also 16 patio seats.

Finca is located at 3066 North Park Way, San Diego, CA 92104. Restaurant operating hours will be from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weeknights and from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on weekends while the bottle shop will open at noon shortly after Finca’s opening.

North Park’s Lafayette Hotel & Swim Club will temporarily close on Oct. 1 for a $26 million restoration project under new ownership by local hospitality group Consortium Holdings (CH Projects). The 1940s Colonial-style property is scheduled to reopen in May 2023 following a complete overhaul of its 141 guest rooms, lobby, restaurant and bar.

CH Projects purchased The Lafayette for $25.8 million in March 2021 and plan to maintain the historic, 2.5-acre property as a social and entertainment hub. So don’t worry, its raucous pool parties may still be here to stay.

The hotel remodel is being led by Brooklyn design firm Post Company. The company promises that upon arrival, patrons will be greeted with a European-style bar serving classic cocktails in the atrium lobby, while guest rooms will have custom-designed linens and personal bar setups.

CH Projects founder Arsalun Tafazoli believes food and beverage is the quintessence of a great hotel, which is why he’s laid out plans for seven distinct culinary venues at The Lafayette, all open to the public.

Among these will be Beginners Diner, a 24-hour Worcester Lunch Car-style diner; vintage bowling alley, game room, and cocktail bar, Gutter; Mexican-inspired restaurant and agave bar, Mama Intento; continental fine dining restaurant, Faux Pas, featuring table service carts; rum bar, Mississippi Room; Chef’s Table, which will host a rotation of guest chef events; and Pool Bar, serving Italian cocktails and aperitifs. The Lafayette’s current restaurant, Hope 46, will be shuttered.

The aspirational Lafayette project is the first foray into the hotel scene for CH Projects, but the hospitality group is no stranger to creating food and beverage concepts with provocative conversation starters. Current CH Projects ventures include Born & Raised, Craft & Commerce, False Idol, Fortunate Son, Invigatorium, Ironside Fish & Oyster, J & Tony’s Discount Cured Meats and Negroni Warehouse, Morning Glory, Neighborhood, Noble Experiment, Part Time Lover, Polite Provisions, Raised by Wolves, Seneca, The Reading Club, Underbelly, and Youngblood.

Mold Habits

The words “fungus” and “bacteria” may not make your mouth water, but they should. They’re the gateways to fermentation, which gives us bread, coffee, miso, chocolate, beer, kimchi, wine, cheese, soy sauce, and other forms of dear-god deliciousness. And right now, no fungus is hotter than Japanese koji—rice grains cultured with Aspergillus oryzae.

“It’s a sweet, funky marinade that tenderizes and intensifies with umami,” says Michael Vera, owner of West Coast Koji (WCK), a company he created during the pandemic. Using some Home Depot racks, he set up a fermenting system in the living room of his North Park apartment, much to his wife’s dismay. “[She] was not happy with the state of our apartment for a very long time. It was a huge laboratory full of funky stuff.”

Now he sells his koji to Michelin-star restaurants like Jeune et Jolie and Rustic Canyon, plus Juniper & Ivy and Consortium Holdings. Koji is famous for its umami-cranking transformation of proteins, and diners can taste WCK’s effect in dishes like the duck breast at Matsu in Oceanside. Anyone can buy dried koji at Asian grocers, but WCK’s is fresh and rare. There are probably only 10 commercial koji producers in the US, which makes his delicious fuzz business a boon for local cooks.

“I was a cook at Jeune et Jolie,” Vera explains. “I’ve always tinkered with fermentation. I made misos at home. When the pandemic hit, I needed a way to make money. I did simple lacto ferments like kimchi and pickles. But then I made the koji, sold it to friends and gave it away. The feedback was great.”

WCK uses the koji to make its own small-batch fermented products—like miso and shoyu (soy sauce). “It’s interesting to think that most people have never tasted real soy sauce,” he says. “The commercial ones are great, but they use chemicals to speed up the process so that it’s ready in two weeks. Real shoyu takes four to six months. It develops a flavor that’s completely different—lighter, sweeter, more balanced with acidity and umami.”

There is poetic justice when the hottest new thing in food is ancient science.

North Park Is for Lovers

When Bar Pink closed, a quality chunk of North Park’s soul went with it. Co-owned by John Reis (lead singer for one of San Diego’s greatest-ever bands, Rocket from the Crypt) and Dang Nguyen, it was a shadowy, cavernous dive that music lovers flocked to for atomic-strength pours, red vinyl booths, and $2 Tecates. Locals worry when a place like this is lost. We worry the memories of that room will fall into the hands of people who don’t know the history, or who can’t be bothered with silly things like “roots” or neighborly wants and desires.

But sometimes things work out. North Park is getting Part Time Lover—a Consortium Holdings hi-fi listening bar and record store. CH founder and owner Arsalun Tafazoli says he’s making it a point to “pay homage to the space’s roots in local music, while expanding and opening people up to new music,” and he’s bringing along Nguyen as manager, The Casbah owner Tim Mays as part-time DJ booker, and Folk Arts Rare Records as vinyl curator. That is…a team.

Record collectors are welcome to come spin their favorites. Much like he did at Starlite, Mays will tap touring musicians to take the wheel on certain nights. “This is about realizing the potential in the simple act of sharing amazing music, rooted in our philosophy of patient listening, discovery, open-mindedness, and free-spirited creativity,” says Brendan Boyle, owner of Folk Arts, which is also one of the oldest record stores in America.

In addition to a state-of-the-art sound system built by Chicago-based Uncanned Music, the space will sport an east-meets-west design inspired by ​​the Prairie School aesthetic, which influenced Frank Lloyd Wright and was rooted in kissaten (small cafés in Tokyo where DJs would spin vinyl). It’ll be coffee-and-cocktails up front (focusing on Japanese highballs), record store in the back—a mullet of local culture. Most drinks will be cold and carbonated, like the In Kaiju, a neon green concoction made with Japanese vermouth, aquavit, lemon, and sparkling water, served in a frozen highball glass.

Still, everyone involved maintains that the emphasis is affordability and accessibility. So not to worry, North Park purists and dive bar enthusiasts. You’re in capable hands.

This review was written before the pandemic hit. Seeing the tragic effects of COVID-19 on our restaurant community, right now is not the place nor time to go quibbling about the doneness of a steak. Restaurants need our help, not our critical analysis of their panna cotta. (Please read this letter to restaurant diners if you haven’t already). As a longtime food writer, part of my job is to review restaurants. I feel I’ve always been fair and honest and never used this position as a bully pulpit for personal issues. But I am having an existential moment, grappling with the value and function of critiquing small business owners. I believe cultural criticism—when done with heart, humor, empathy, knowledge, and research—can shed real light on the discussion of who we are. But I also believe there is a better, more nuanced way for this new age. Anyway, that’s what I’m working on right now, among other, more pressing cultural matters. Look forward to sharing the evolution of how I practice my trade as I come to it. And luckily, this one was of a tiny place I truly enjoyed. As always, thanks for reading.—Troy

One thing I know in this life: If I love a song on the very first listen, I will end up being annoyed by that song. Those songs are almost always big and showy, with all the bells and whistles and cliches of pop song craft. The joy of bells and whistles is, by design, fleeting. A sustained whistle is a terrible one. My favorite songs—the ones I’ll hum while jamming the tennis balls onto my walker one day—have subtler charms, tucked and layered, revealed over time.

So, yeah. Trattoria Cori Pastificio is not immediately spellbinding. It is the humble apotheosis of a can of paint, some wicker, and design reclamation (the circular patio tables are from the dearly departed Café Chloe, the dining room chairs from longtime North Park Italian restaurant Paesano). But stick around and it starts to enchant. That’s what good Italian trattorias do.

About halfway through your first or third meal you’ll feel it. Maybe it’s the lasagna, simple as grade school math, yet somehow the two-plus-two of its Bolognese and béchamel equals 100. Maybe it’s the hipster-Rockwellian bonhomie of that family over there, the man dressed to chill with his craft beer, the woman in silk with her Sicilian wine you won’t find many places, their eight-year-old in playground attire unselfconsciously slurping a plate of spaghetti. All dressed for different life moods, and none of them rushed or out of place. Maybe it’s watching chef-owner Accursio Lota greet every guest like a well regarded cousin returning home from missionary work.

Or maybe it’s the 1966 art show at the Jewish Museum in New York. That show, called Primary Structures, was the first American exhibit of the style known as minimalism. Up to that point, the stateside art world had been dominated by bright, bold, expressive works of abstract expressionism (Pollock’s murderous splatters, de Kooning’s smeary portraits). Minimalism was the polar response—a stripped-down art that focused on the simple and necessary.

San Diego restaurants have been going through their maximalist phase for the past few years. At Morning Glory in Little Italy, a 30-foot neon pink flower lords over the blush-and-gold dining room. Herb & Wood built a fake house inside itself. Every new arrival has Instagram walls and plant walls and building-size murals and speakeasies and bells, whistles, bloops, and Boomerangs.

That’s not a bad thing. An unstimulated life is a regrettable one. But next to these art projects, Cori Pastificio feels especially simple and necessary. No one selfies here. People eat and drink and talk.

Lota was born and raised in Sicily, attended Italian culinary school, then immigrated to the US in 2007 speaking only basic kitchen English. He cooked at the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara before moving to San Diego and working under Bernard Guillas at The Marine Room. He made his name as the executive chef of the always-underrated Solare Ristorante in Liberty Station (in 2017 he even won a “World Pasta Championship,” put on by global pasta brand Barilla). He and his family had been living in North Park for seven years when the longtime bakery Cardamom Café announced it was closing.

His Sicilian roots are everywhere in Cori Pastificio (“cori” a Sicilian word for heart, “pastificio” a place where fresh pasta is made). The meatballs are his grandmother’s recipe—a veal-beef blend with garlic, softened onions, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, baked in tomato sauce then dusted with pecorino and arugula. The ratio of meat is the important thing; too much beef and the meatballs will split and become dry, which he successfully avoids. While he was growing up, his parents kept a micro-farm of snails beneath the stairwell of the family home, like all parents do. Lota and his cousins would gather snails after each rain, feed them spaghetti to fatten and wild thyme to flavor, and eventually braise them in tomato sauce. You see that childhood memory here in the plump, delicious, nearly stewed escargot with thinly sliced crostini, brushed with Calabrian chile oil. His grandmother sent over some balsamic vinegar from Sicily, which he’s aging himself in a small wooden barrel over the bar and using on specials.

On the wall above the pasta station hangs a collection of tools for making pasta by hand. It looks like an art installation, but you can tell by the flour residue they get used hard every day. Pasta is Lota’s special skill. I’m tempted to say that famously healthy San Diego isn’t a carb town, but no matter how robust our yoga attendance, no food hugs you from the inside quite like a carb does. Carb crimes have been wildly exaggerated by the wellness influencer crowd.

Plus, what good is a good body without a soul? I don’t want wellness without Lota’s frittelle. Frittelle are Italian donuts, a holiday tradition. Instead of showering them with sugar, Lota makes a savory riff on the iconic cacio e pepe—stuffing the light, fried bread pouches with a whipped Pecorino-and-black-pepper cream. Every decent restaurant has a star dish, a food Beyoncé, and this is theirs. Banks don’t give loans to small restaurants—but submit an application with a hot plate of these and they might give you the bank.

About the only thing I might skip at Cori is the ravioli. The pasta is perfect, silken and al dente, pretty to look at. But a ravioli’s heart is the filling, and at the moment Cori’s has a murmur. The escarole-ricotta-spinach one with salted butter and sage either would benefit from bigger flavor (caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, zest, something), or for that butter to be browned. It’s like living in the suburbs, comforting and a tad boring.

Most chefs treat dessert like a conscripted service and just shrug their way to a bread pudding. But Lota’s got two that really shine. The first is an almond parfait semifreddo, a dish from Palermo with whipped eggs, sugar, and whipped cream added to an almond brittle. That’s all frozen and smothered with a warm dark chocolate sauce. Then his grandma’s cannoli, crispy air bubbles of cooked dough made with carob flour and stuffed with grainy-sweet ricotta, candied orange zest, and pistachios. Pretty sure no Italian grandmother has ever fully approved of a younger generation’s cannoli, but Grandma Lota might have a hard time disparaging this one with a straight face.

On a stroll, it might be easy to pass by Cori Pastificio. It’s got a smaller sign than The Taco Stand and doesn’t have the fire pits or design sexiness of Underbelly (both located right across the street). But once you hear its song, it’ll stick with you for a long while.