The A to Z Backyard Barbeque Guide

Styled by Farra Mirón of The Hostess Haven / Food by The Vetted Table

Outdoor Barbeque

Taryn Kent

a

Apple Pie

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It doesn’t get more Americana than apple pie. We love the classic Apple Crumbly Pie at the new Betty’s Pie Whole in Encinitas ($24). But for a fun spin, try the apple pie-flavored moonshine made by Ole Smoky ($20 per 20-ounce jar, available at Quality Liquor Store in University Heights, Krisp Market downtown, and other retailers). It’s like apple pie for hipsters.

b

Beer  

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Stay crafty, San Diego! For warmer weather, try a lighter, lower-in-alcohol-by-volume (ABV) session IPA like Stone Brewing Co.’s Go To IPA. We also recommend Monkey Paw’s Low & Slow Smoked Lager (growler fills only, but this one makes for an excellent BBQ pairing) and the new-for-summer Green Flash Brewing Company White IPA.

beer

c

Condiments

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Customizable dishes are a big trend in catering right now. Impress your guests with a wide variety of spices, sauces, or salsas, from bacon maple jam and kale pesto to kimchee and

tomato chutney. Display them in pots or bowls on the table. (Universal Expert condiment set, $30, West Elm)

condiments

d

Décor

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Gingham, vintage lace, mason jars—let your creative juices fly. Come up with a theme or a bright color palette for summertime. “[Fruit] colors are a fun, easy way to make a summer tablescape pop, especially if you have a tree nearby,” says Farra Mirón of The Hostess Haven. We love the look of cherries in a mini paper bag.

Cherries in a mini paper bag

Taryn Kent

e

Eggs

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Every good summer party needs some kind of egg dish, whether it’s a garnish, salad, appetizer, or other egg-citing option. Want to go the extra mile? Head to sandiegomagazine.com and find a recipe for fried chicken deviled eggs from East Village restaurant Neighborhood.

f

Food Truck

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Don’t feel like doing the grilling yourself? Hire a food truck to come to your house and do it for you. There are tons of local trucks to choose from, but we recommend Mastiff Sausage Company for brats, dogs, and other BBQ-friendly fare; Super Q for decadent grilled mac-n-cheese sandwiches; and The Vetted Table, MIHO Gastrotruck’s catering branch, for the pork sliders (pictured under “s” for sliders).

Croquet

Croquet

Croquet

g

Games

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Who’s up for some corn hole, horseshoes, bocce ball, croquet ($169, Pottery Barn), badminton, or Giant Jenga ($220, amazon.com)? A little score-keeping and friendly competition instantly makes things lively. Beyond lawn games, there’s always karaoke, which tempts everyone from would-be American Idols to the shyest of the bunch. Karaoke USA’s portable version makes it easy to take the party outside ($100, Walmart). Tip: Save this one for after dinner, so guests are feeling a little looser and more inclined to participate.

h

Heat Lamps

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Yes, we live in the land of eternal summer, but it gets chilly at night. Keep your guests comfortable and warm with these sleek glass tube and stainless steel patio heaters ($400, target.com). You can also rent outdoor heaters (start at $79 each or $35 for a tabletop heater, abbeypartyrentals.com). Don’t have the space or budget for a fancy heater? Offer your guests colorful blankets and shawls.

Instagram photos

Taryn Kent

i

Instagram

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Snap, post, and hashtag it. Your insanely cool party décor will only look better in the amber haze of an Instagram filter. Devise a custom hashtag for your event (eg. #SDMagBBQ), make sure all your guests use it when they post photos, and just like that, you’ll have a ton of memories forever preserved on the Web. Bonus: Sites like Printstagram specialize in making albums and other personalized items from Instagram photos. How snappy! (P.S. If you don’t understand anything we just said, ask your kids.)

j

Jams

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Ditch the iTunes playlist and Pandora and treat your friends and family to live music. Mariachi Mexicano is just of one San Diego’s many authentic south-of-the-border music groups (619-421-9790). For a different sound, emerging singer-songwriter and Encinitas native Luke Williams blends the stylings of Jack Johnson and fellow San Diegan Jason Mraz. He’s an upscale option, as you may have seen him play at Searsucker or L’Auberge Del Mar (starts at $300 per hour).

Mariachi Mexicano

Mariachi Mexicano

Mariachi Mexicano

k

Kids

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The most courteous guests ask beforehand if they can bring their kids. As the hostess, if you plan to have little ones at the shindig, be sure to set up a kid-friendly area, stocked with tables and chairs, games, and toys. Word to the wise: Drape white butcher block paper over the kiddie tables in lieu of a tablecloth, place some crayons or markers in a cute cup, and invite your younger guests to draw on the table. Also, when in doubt, bubbles in any shape or form are always a crowd-pleaser.

l

Lighting

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When the sun sets, it’s time to turn up the ambience. Candles, tiki torches, fire pits—the options are endless, but it’s hard to argue with the charm of string lights. Opt for a solar-powered version to create an easy, eco-friendly glow. ($20, target.com)

m

Mocktails

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Whether the kids are begging for a fun beverage or the adults need a booze break, cover your bases with a virgin cocktail or two. We’re partial to this zingy strawberry lemonade mocktail from Mister A’s. To make it at home:

Ingredients for lemonade

14 cups water

4 cups fresh lemon juice

3 cups simple syrup

4 1/2 cups Sprite

2 lemons cut into eighths and squeezed into the mix

Ingredients for the strawberry purée

1 box fresh

strawberries, hulled

1/4 cup simple syrup

2 tbsp sugar

Blend the strawberry mixture and put through

a chinois to ensure a smooth consistency.

To make the lemonade

Add 1 oz. strawberry purée to 7 oz. lemonade and shake to ensure proper mixture. Serve over ice and enjoy!

Cookies

n

Neighbors’ Blessing

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If you’ll be fiesta-ing after hours, give neighbors a heads-up about potential noise and parked cars. To soften the blow, send over a small token of your appreciation beforehand, like a bottle of wine or baked treat.

o

Oyster Boys

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San Diego-based catering duo Chris Reid and Rhett Melbo are oyster experts who will bring nearly a dozen varieties to your shindig—and shuck them for your guests, too. They also offer homemade dipping sauces, including mignonette and ponzu. ($550 for 30 dozen oysters, theoysterboys.com)

p

Popsicles

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Nothing says summer like a cool Popsicle. To really wow guests, you can rent vintage ice cream trailer Calexico Creamery, which doles out homemade paletas with an emphasis on Mexican flavors. Guava, cucumber lime, chile mango, and coconut horchata are just a few of the varieties. (starts at $100 for trailer, $3.75 per person)

q

Quotable Conversations

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To break the ice for guests who don’t know each other, dish out lighthearted topics and get the party chatter flowing. Table Topics Dinner Party includes 135 questions, like “When did you get into the most trouble as a teenager?” ($25, uncommongoods.com)

r

Raspberries

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Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries—they all evoke a quintessential summer vibe. Mix a variety into a fruit salad, drop some in sangria, or fill an ice tray with water and berries for colorful cubes. For a locally made dessert, pick up raspberry sorbet from Gelato Vero Caffé. The dairy-free treat looks colorfully chic displayed in a vintage coupe. Mix with mint or vanilla gelato for a more decadent dish, or serve in a large bowl filled with club soda for a fizzy and festive drink. ($30 per gallon; 3753 India Street, Mission Hills)

Sliders

Sliders

Sliders

s

Sliders

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Skip the cumbersome mega-patties and opt for bite-sized burgers, which make it easier to carry on a conversation. Pulled pork sliders, like these made by The Vetted Table, are sure to satisfy.

t

Taco Cart

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If you’d rather mingle than man the BBQ, dozens of local companies will cater your party. The San Diego Taco Company mesquite-grills carne asada and fries tortilla chips and beer-battered fish tacos in front of guests. Chula Vista-based La Taquiza makes mouth-watering adobada pork tacos, and they also rent out tables and chairs for added convenience.

Sun umbrella

u

Umbrella

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Shade is muy importante. Providing SPF and hats is a nice touch, but an umbrella is a basic necessity. For a multipurpose approach, pair a colorful version—we love Crate & Barrel‘s hues—with LED string lights laced underneath to transition from day to night. (covers start at $139)

v

Vegetarian Options

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Yes, even herbivores attend carnivorous parties. Keep a spread of salads and grilled veggies ready alongside meat-free burgers.

Grilled mangoes and summer veggies with coconut and lemongrass sauce

By The Vetted Table

Grilled mangoes and summer veggies with coconut and lemongrass sauce

Grilled mangoes and summer veggies with coconut and lemongrass sauce

Grilled mangoes and summer veggies with coconut and lemongrass sauce

• 2 28-oz. cans coconut milk
• 1 bunch lemongrass
• 1 lime + 1 tsp zest
• 1 Meyer lemon + 1 tsp zest
• 3 ripe mangoes
• 2 bunches pencil asparagus
• 3 Yellowmine summer squash
• 3 8-ball squash
• 1 red onion
• 1 lb. cherry tomatoes
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 yellow bell peppers
• 1 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp chile flakes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 cup EVOO

1. Slice (1-inch thick)the mangoes, squash, onion, and peppers and place in a large bowl with the cherry tomatoes and asparagus. Add EVOO, lime and lemon zest, 1 tablespoon salt, cumin, and chile flakes.

2. While marinating the veggies, reduce coconut milk with 1/2 tablespoon salt, lemongrass, and lemon and lime juices for 12 minutes. Let cool at room temperature.

3. On a medium-heated grill, cook the fruit and veggies, turning often so they don’t burn. Place them on a platter and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the sauce and serve the rest on the side.

Watermelon Margarita

Watermelon Margarita

Watermelon Margarita

w

Watermelon Margarita

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Watermelon = summer. Here’s a refreshing cocktail incorporating our favorite melon, from Richard Sandoval’s Venga Venga Cantina and Tequila Bar in Chula Vista.

La Sandia Margarita

1 1/2 oz. tequila

2 oz. sour mix

1 lime slice

1 oz. fresh watermelon chunks

Sour mix

fresh lemon juice (equal parts)

fresh lime juice (equal parts)

water

homemade simple syrup (sugar and water)

Shake and serve on the rocks

x

X-Factor

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If you want your party to be “legend… wait for it… ary!” go for the X-factor—that extra pop, surprise, or unique element that will help you out-BBQ other BBQs. Wheel out your drinks in a Radio Flyer wagon, take communal shots on the hour every hour, or commission an ice luge. #bestpartyever

y

Yard Work

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Before you even think about matching your flatware to your stripey straws, assess your landscaping. Five quick fixes to transform a yard: Fertilize the lawn (a week prior), cut the grass, paint the backyard fence, and plant an herb garden (garnish for the steaks).

z

Zero Cleanup

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Well, at least minimal cleanup. Save a little bit of elbow grease with Joanne Hudson’s Basics line of biodegradable bamboo plates and utensils. Stylish, disposable dishware without the guilt. ($69 per set of 100 plates, joannehudson.com)

Ten million dollars can buy 30 small helicopters, two or three houses in Del Mar (depending on how many bathrooms there are), or one really, really extravagant restaurant remodel. Harrah’s Resort Southern California went with that last one, revamping the former Salt & Fin space into Tierra y Mar, the resort’s new signature restaurant next to Hell’s Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay. 

The 25-year-old Pauma Valley casino and resort went through its first major expansion in 2014, adding more pools, more restaurants, a convention center, and hundreds of new rooms—basically, the full works. In 2016, the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians officially renamed the land the resort sits on as “Funner, California,” dubbing David Hasselhoff (excuse me, The Hoff) as the rechristened town’s first mayor and inviting guests to leave their hassles behind.    

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Still, any respectable resort knows the spectacle has to be fresh to keep guests coming back for the newest, most eye-popping, droolworthy, thrill-inducing, jackpot-hitting experiences. So Harrah’s spared no expense with Tierra y Mar, tapping JCJ Architecture to completely reimagine the 7,245-square-foot restaurant as a transportive Mediterranean-meets-Mexico space bridging Cycladic and Moorish architecture details with mid-century glamour. 

Derek Sola, design principal at JCJ and project lead, says his team had to completely demolish Salt & Fin to create Tierra y Mar from the ground up—literally. The Tini Bar? Adios. The fixtures and furnishings? Vayan con Dios! The very floors, walls, kitchen, and ceiling? Gone. New plumbing, new kitchen equipment, new HVAC—tabula rasa. 

Now, the natural wood-lined, mosaic-laden, greenery-rich space feels like a coastal hacienda, with woven elements and artisan accents that seem surprisingly intimate in such a sprawling room. Sola says by moving the kitchen and back-of-house operations out of view, guests can focus more on the dining experience than the cooking process. And yes, it’s meant to feel wildly different from the flashing lights and ding-ding-dings of the casino floor. That’s why the entry portal uses columns and archways—it’s like a bridge from buzzy commotion to complete calm. 

Considering Tierra y Mar translates to “land and sea,” specialty chef Bryan Texis highlights both as forefronts of the menus, incorporating his birthplace of Mexico City, childhood home in Baja California, and current proximity to Baja. It’s that all-encompassing influence that Harrah’s food and beverage Director Ryan Adams says served as inspiration. “We pulled influences from all over the country,” he says, pointing to items like birria (Jalisco), whole Pacific rockfish (Baja California), salmon zarandeado (Nayarit), and tacos al pastor (Mexico City). 

“Our goal was to create just a fully immersive menu for all to enjoy, despite whether or not you grew up in Mexico, eating your abuelita’s food, or you are new to the area and just want something that just tastes amazing,” says Adams.

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Highlights include salmon marinated in a chipotle sauce and served with arroz verde and a petite frisée salad with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, citrus segments, and honey citrus vinaigrette; a shrimp aguachile appetizer with cucumber, red onion, radish, avocado, and cilantro; a salsa sampler with three heat levels; the “siete mares,” or “seven seas,” with seared seabass, mussels, littleneck clams, scallops, shrimp, and fried crab cakes, all served in a lobster tomato consommé; and their house birria: an eight-ounce braised short rib wrapped in hoja santa (an aromatic herb from Mexico), served with consommé reduction and a sweet corn purée. Texis’ pan de elote provides a sweet-and-savory end to a meal, made with fried corn bread, chantilly (whipped cream) banana mousse, pecans, and totomoxtle (corn husk). 

While menudo and brunch (think breakfast burrito, huevos rancheros, and a masa waffle) will only be available on the weekends, the bar is always open. Naturally, Tierra y Mar’s bar emphasizes tequila, with plenty of beer, wine, cocktails, and margaritas. Like Old Fashioneds? Try the Tequila Old-Fashioned, made with Callfino Añejo, agave, orange bitters, orange peel, and dark cherry. Or kick up your margarita by opting for a blended Mangonada, with Casa Dragones blanco tequila, passion fruit liqueur, blue curaçao, mango puree, Chamoy, and fresh lime, served with a chamoy and tajin rim and tamarind candy stick.

Pulling off such an ambitious, far-reaching restaurant revamp required a group effort, says Adams. General manager Jill Barrett, vice president of resort operations Shannon Upson, and the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians have worked for a year-plus to bring Tierra y Mar to life. It might not be “traditional” Mexican food, according to Adams. But he invites guests to take a chance on their approach. 

In other words: come for the fun, stay for the food. 

Tierra y Mar opens at Harrah’s Resort Southern California on July 22 for daily lunch and dinner service, plus weekend brunch. 

When Rigo Munoz opened a weekends-only taco stand on Market Street in 2018, at first, he was just hoping to sell his tacos to however many customers he could. That low-key, word of mouth approach worked well for a couple years. Very well. 

“Then, the line started,” he laughs. He began to double his sales week after week, until an influencer from Tijuana paid them an undercover visit in 2024. Munoz was hanging out in his backyard the next Monday when his phone started pinging and ringing off the hook. “So I go onto my social media and there, lo and beyond, the video already had 10,000, 12,000 views in like, less than an hour,” he says. The next day, there was a line of customers waiting for him before he opened at 5 p.m. The Chula Tacos revolution sparked there. 

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Now, he’s ready to open his third location on August 1 at 4994 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach. It wasn’t an easy or straightforward path—the city shut down his original location citing too much noise and traffic. But Munoz was looking ahead, already in talks with a restaurateur to take over his space at 1719 Palm Avenue in the Nestor neighborhood of southeast San Diego. From the time he got shut down to getting the keys of his first brick-and-mortar was less than two days. 

The second location in Chula Vista caught fire on Valentine’s Day and is slated to reopen later this fall (689 H Street). Munoz says he also plans to open a fourth location somewhere between the Ocean Beach and Morena Boulevard areas, but has aspirations for more.

“I’d like to become the In-N-Out of tacos,” he says. He’s actively looking for places that could support either a drive-thru or the typical fast-casual taqueria style, but no matter what, he’s going to keep his menu simple. 

Each location has the same menu, except labio, which are ox lips, and beef intestines. They’re top-sellers at Palm Avenue, but might not translate as well to the OB crowd, he says. But guests can still get their fix of vampiro tacos, tacos de trompo, and from-scratch horchata and jamaica. 

Chula Tacos is best known for its kekas (pronounced keh-kuhs), which are extra-large quesadillas stuffed with your choice of meat. “It’s a hefty thing,” Munoz promises. It’s such a trademark that he filed for a patent, which is still pending. 

Building a taco empire has been a long time coming. Munoz first started making tacos at age 12, and has operated a number of cafes, delis, and other businesses on both sides of the border ever since. “We’re a family business,” he says. He’s been trying to hit that mother lode for years—and all it took was one video to light the fuse.

The newest location of Chula Tacos opens August 1 at 4994 Newport Avenue, Suite A in Ocean Beach. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to midnight daily.  (Opening date subject to change.) 

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

Beth’s Bites

• Everyone (clap) watches (clap, clap) women’s sports! (Thunderous applause!) San Diego’s first women’s sports bar, One of Us, opened this week in the former URBN Pizza space in North Park. I stopped by the preview and can confirm the Big Ass Fan is still there, but now there are tons of TVs lining the walls ready to broadcast women’s soccer, basketball, volleyball, and all the other sports events you could ever dream of. (And yes, they’ll be showing the men’s World Cup on Sunday, because I guess people watch men’s sports, too.) 
• Rolando’s ears must have been burning, because a month after interviewing chef Coral Strong of the now-closed Garden Kitchen, Campus Burgers announced plans to turn the formerly hyperlocal farm-to-table restaurant into a spot for affordable smashburgers. I’m sure the local college kids will appreciate the $1.99 smashburger special—although let’s face it, in today’s expensive times, everyone is ready for a wallet-friendly outing. 
• A few months ago, I gave Navore Market’s farm-to-front door delivery service a try and as a longtime former CSA subscriber, I have to admit it felt nice to leave the produce purchasing to the pros. But as of July 12, you can now head to Navore’s second community pickup hub at Mission Valley YMCA (5505 Friars Road) every Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Having a centralized drop-off point makes it easy for farmers, and buyers don’t have to commit to a subscription—sounds like a farm-to-table win to me. 
• Keeping on with the farm-to-table news, the 4th annual Oceanside Sustainable Food Festival is scheduled for July 25 in downtown Oceanside, bringing 50-plus vendors together for a day of global food and drink, artisan products, home goods, live music, and more. The event usually draws in a couple thousand people, so might I suggest arriving close to the 11 a.m. kickoff for the best chance at maximizing your nom?

Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene

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].

There’s a place in heaven for a steakhouse that remakes chicken nuggets but uses Jidori instead of whatever glum bird is proffered in the children’s section. And then they top it with caviar. That, plus an editor with an obsession-level ranking of chai in Carlsbad, and a whole fish from one of San Diego’s OG top chefs who has mercifully returned to the kitchen. These are the very best things we’ve found from another month of eating professionally in San Diego. Go get some.

Stake Chophouse & Bar

Caviar Chicken Nugget

One of my favorite experiences at Stake in Coronado is that—if the patio is chilly enough to warrant heaters—they’ll surround you with towers of flame. Paired with the retaining wall of heat against the glass railing overlooking Orange Avenue, there is so much surrounding fire that it feels like dining in a much nicer version of the Elmo meme, in which the nasally puppet’s whole world has amusingly arsoned.

Three things you have to get here: first, the Wagyu popcorn (kernels popped in melted Wagyu beef fat, salted with paprika); second, the Snake River Farms Wagyu skirt steak (its Gold grade means incredibly high marble), one of the best steaks in the city; third, the Jidori chicken nuggets with herbed crème fraîche, pickle, and a perm of caviar. A childhood food, deliciously adulted. —Troy Johnson

Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen

Tri-Tip Sando

It’s been 15 years since married folk Aaron and Roddy Browning opened Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen in a hidden south Oceanside hovel—using vinyl records as placemats, the decor an assortment of welded metal weirdities. One thing has always remained: Pork is their native tongue.

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This sandwich pries open long-dormant pleasure receptors in most alive human bodies. Brandt Beef tri-tip is rubbed with its “Pig Spice” (hint: good paprika and celery seed do wonders), sleeps for 24 hours, then is seared and rested for an hour—sliced and seared again, placed on a mini baguette wet with fresh chimichurri and smoked tomato aioli, then topped with melted aged provolone, grilled peppers, onions, and gremolata (parsley, garlic, lemon zest). Order two, or be prepared to fight. —Troy Johnson

Valentina

Pan Tomaquet

Pintxos are Basque-country bar snacks, finger foods for Real Sociedad games. The appropriate utensils are a couple of fingers and a toothpick. But Valentina’s in Leucadia are done with just enough culinary school ambition (not too much, fuss has no place in pintxos) from exec chef Enrique Ñol, who worked at the estimable Wrench & Rodent.

Its tomaquet (tomato bread) could be underestimated as a stacked pile of quality ingredients, but it’s undeniably great—toasted pan de cristal (light, airy, Catalan “glass bread”) dressed with tomato, garlic, salt, EVOO, and a layer of one of the world’s greatest meats: Cinco Jotas Iberian jamón. Eat it with a minor winefall of porrón, and ask for Todd—a certified sommelier and one of the most knowledgeable food minds in the local scene. —Troy Johnson

Ironside Fish & Oyster

Whole Fish

Get the whole fish. Doesn’t matter the catch, just trust that chef Jason McLeod’s got you. When CH Projects opened Ironside in Little Italy in 2014, the restaurant group took over the old Farkas furniture store and turned it into a replica of an ocean liner, tapping McLeod (a chef who’d earned two Michelin stars in Chicago) to oversee its menus.

It quickly became a San Diego staple for seafood. After leaving for a few years to help concept and launch some big-name restaurants in Vegas, McLeod is back again getting his hands dirty in the kitchen. And his fish? They come in fresh from local fishermen who he’s established relationships with over the years. So yeah, get the whole damn thing. —Nicolle Monico

Steady State Roasting

Indian Summer

I have a running spreadsheet of chai rankings in Carlsbad. The chai that stays on the highest shelf? Steady State’s gingery, nutmeggy Indian Summer with an almond milk base and fresh nutmeg shavings on top. Juiced ginger gives the drink deeper, warmer notes, but not so much spice that your throat closes on the first sip.

Too often, coffee shops advertise authentic chai, then uncork that carton of sugar-bomb concentrate from an artisanal wholesaler called Costco. This is the real deal; it’s mildly sweet, a little more spicy, and in my opinion, best served hot. If I could order a keg of it, I would. (Can I?) —Emma Veidt

After 10 years of rooftop dining and brewing award-winning beers, OB Brewery is for sale. A local fixture on Newport Avenue, OB Brewery owner Mike Tajran is ready to retire and hand over the reins. “It’s got so much potential,” he says, pointing to the accolades the brewpub has collected throughout the last decade (it’s more than a few).

At the 2017 Great American Beer Festival, OB’s Hidden Gem Dunkelweizen won silver in the German-Style Wheat Ale category, followed by a World Beer Cup silver medal as a South German-Style Dunkel Weizen in 2026. In 2018, GABF named OB Brewery Small Brewpub of the Year, brewer Jim Millea earned Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year, and the B. Right On pale ale nabbed a gold medal in the American-Style Pale Ale category. The Elevator Red IPA also took bronze that year at the San Diego International Beer Festival, and earlier this year, they won gold for Couple’s Therapy chili beer and silver for Rauch Me smoked beer at San Diego County Fair Craft Brew Competition.

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It’s a solid foundation for the right buyer, he says—someone with brewing and business chops ready for a turnkey operation in a favorable location a block from the beach on Ocean Beach’s busiest street. (And while he’s letting go of the brewpub business, he’s also open to selling the building as part of the deal.)

Originally from Iraq, Tajran’s family ran restaurants in Baghdad, but “they were decimated by Saddam Hussein,” he explains. Once in the United States, he launched Giant New York Pizza at 5050 Newport Avenue in 1984, which eventually became Newport Pizza & Ale House. Newport Pizza felt long ahead of its time, proudly proclaiming they served “no crap on tap” years before the craft beer craze caught fire in San Diego. 

When the building’s owners passed away and their son cut his lease short in 2020, Tajran says he was disappointed, but he had a nagging feeling that would happen eventually—which is why he already purchased 5041 Newport Avenue back in 2009 and opened Ocean Beach Brewery in 2016.

“For 42 years, I have been in this location in this area, the same block,” he says with pride. Ocean Beach has gone through some changes since 1984 (the OB farmers market launched in 1992, Starbucks came in 2001 and left in 2022, ADUs crept in, and the iconic OB Pier closed in 2023), but Tajran says the heart of the beachside town has remained the same. 

So has most of his staff. Millea has been brewing since day one, and longtime manager Megan Schuster has worked for Tajran for 19 years, first at Newport, then at OB Brewery. Most of the employees are locals, and Tajran says he doesn’t plan on closing the business until he finds the right buyer to carry on the baton. 

The property itself comes with some unique features for the area—three stories with a rooftop deck and ocean views from every level. And if you’re wondering if those uninterrupted views will remain that way, Tajran assures me they will. Part of his original building purchase included language that prohibits the three buildings between him and the ocean from building up. He also leases space next door, which would allow a new owner to expand brewing capacity with more tanks and fermenters. 

“I just wanted to make sure this goes in good hands,” he says. He and his wife both hope to retire soon in order to spend time with their children. But he’ll make sure his other baby is taken care of first. 

“I love Ocean Beach,” he says. “I can say nothing but thank you, OB.”

OB Brewery is still open at 5041 Newport Avenue. Hours are Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Interested parties should contact Next Wave Commercial.

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

Beth’s Bites

• Along the same vein of iconic businesses, Tribute Pizza is celebrating 10 years in North Park this week with different events every night. Good luck getting a reservation if you haven’t already, but you can still take part in the silent auction on behalf of Feeding San Diego. Owner Matt Lyons’ goal is to raise $100,000 for the nonprofit and is offering some pretty sweet stuff to do so—think a full weekend buyout of Tribute, a private event with Lyons and chef Travis Swikard of Callie and Fleurette, a year of access to a VIP hotline for reservations, and even more. Time is ticking away on your chance to bid, so be sure to make your best offer before time runs out.
• La Corriente continues its expansion across San Diego with lucky number three coming to Oceanside. Located next to Tanner’s Prime Burgers and PopUp Bagels, a restaurant rep says that at the rate the restaurant is opening new spaces, it wouldn’t be wild to see a few more pop up along the coast in the future. 
• Kitchens for Good has big plans on the horizon, including their sprawling new Culinary Impact Center coming to Bankers Hill next year. Now, it should be a bit easier to accomplish their (many) goals with the help of a $50,000 grant from the Jacques Pépin Foundation. Kitchens for Good is one of four awardees this year and will receive the funds over the next two years, allowing them to launch their Market Cafe initiative in the new center and continue their mission of hospitality training programs and ending food insecurity across the city. It’s a pretty awesome award, given by a pretty awesome group to another pretty awesome group, so it’s just mega-awesome all the way around. 

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