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The need-to-know places, people, and experiences across the border
The Best of Tijuana 2017
Café de la Flor
Chef Oswaldo Flores Lagunas leads a full grill-oriented menu, with emphasis on the steaks, plus a rotating list of specials based on seasonal ingredients and a bar stocked with unique agave spirits, like sotol. The design has us equally enamored. The bar area is outfitted with beautiful patterned tilework and dining areas are brightened with colorful seating.
Miguel Alemán Valdez 2612, Colonia América
Oryx Capital, a gastropub in Tijuana’s Chapultepec neighborhood, is known for indulgent, beer-friendly fare like bone marrow with avocado puree and squid ink batter fish tacos, but we always opt for the mac and cheese con pulpo (with grilled octopus). The dish is normally served with bacon bits, but with the octopus add-on, it blows the traditional lobster mac and cheese out of the water. Rich, cheesy, and deliciously meaty, this is a dish that’s absolutely worth the return border wait.
Boulevard Agua Caliente 10750, Chapultepec
Alberto Cafalli earned his charcuterie-making certificate from the University of Iowa and then scoured Italy, learning the best techniques to make his own product. The result is Charcutería Cafalli, where he creates bresola, prosciutto, finocchiona, pancetta, and more. Cafalli recently opened this storefront following a successful pop-up operation; expanded hours are expected soon.
Avenida Los Olivos 3251, Cubillas
Though the food trucks of Telefonica Gastro Park are moving locations, chef Jose Figueroa’s La Carmelita remains the standout for Mexican homestyle cooking, which includes killer breakfast options. The breakfast torta with scrambled eggs, queso fresco, and avocado sits on fluffy, homemade bread and makes a good sharing plate with either chilaquiles—which should always be topped with an egg—or the multilayered bowl of tortillas, beans, eggs sunny-side up, cheese, avocado, jalapeños, and crema.
Avenida Melchor Ocampo 2036, Zona Centro
Rightly famous for its street tacos with fatty meats, Tijuana is also cornering the vegetarian market. TacoNVeggie makes their own veggie stews and serves the most outrageous taco combos, like huitlacoche (corn fungus) with chile California, and lentils and huauzontle (a Mexican vegetable that resembles broccoli), with searing salsas. They also sell foods in bulk to go. BYOC (bring your own containers)!
Avenida Colima and Calle Colombia, Colonia Cacho
By day this eatery in the Chapultepec neighborhood is Mantequilla, a bright brunch spot serving a mix of SoCal and Mexican fare like avocado toast and pork belly burritos. By night, it’s transformed into Saketori-ya, a Japanese pub that turns out sushi, ramen with house-made noodles, and bao sliders. (And of course the namesake beverage.)
Avenida Tapachula 7, Chapultepec Este
Tijuana-based photographer Josue Castro hosts this sensory supper club, which blends art and cooking with experimental techniques. Admission is by reservation only and each dinner hosts about 30-40 people. Guests are encouraged to view, photograph, draw, taste, touch, dance, and interact while the cooking is going on and throughout the dinner, allowing for maximal mingling and enjoying.
Calle Séptimo, Zona Centro
To the rest of the world, Americans can sometimes seem a little… puritanical about dining out. We generally like our bars to be bars, sometimes with good snacks. Our restaurants are usually not also party spots. Thanks to the sobremesa tradition—which started in Spain, carried over to Mexico, and entails lots of lingering, socializing, and drinking after meals—the lines are a bit more blurred south of the border. Start your night at La Corriente Cevicheria Nais with a feast of famous red snapper tostadas or Taco Kalifornia in the restaurant’s large, nautical-themed dining room. Then order more beer and eventually migrate through the dark doorway in the back corner. That’s El Tinieblo, which pulls double duty as an electronic music lounge and mezcal bar.
Flores Magón 803, Zona Centro
With two locations across the city, Alma Verde is your best bet for charcoal-infused and green juices, healthy brunch options, and tonic shots to jump-start your day. Alma Verde vets love the beet chilaquiles with a wheatgrass shot. But plan well, because this place is packed for brunch every day of the week.
Avenida Brasil 8930, Colonia Cacho; Avenida Hipódromo 19, Colonia Hipódromo
Das Cortez, Tijuana’s smartly designed flagship craft coffee chain, has inspired a new wave of caffeine temples all over the city. One of the latest is Container Coffee Roaster Co., on Avenida Revolución. The storefront is fashioned out of an old shipping container, paying homage to Tijuana’s industrial prowess as well as the global supply chain behind the modern cup of joe.
Avenida Revolución 1348, Zona Centro
Founded in 2002, GSalinas Vinos is the gold standard for wine in Tijuana. It’s not only the best place for sourcing Valle de Guadalupe wines; owner Gilberto Salinas also brings in quality wines from across the world. Keep up with the store on Facebook or Instagram, where Salinas is constantly introducing new pours and announcing tasting events. If you’d like to linger a little longer, head to GSalinas Enoteca, easily Tijuana’s best wine bar, where you can also dine on small plates.
Vinos: Bulevar Gustavo Salinas 10650, Colonia Aviación. Enoteca: Plaza 14, Avenida Jalisco 2511, Colonia Cacho.
This low-key pub in a converted home serves a wide variety of taps from both sides of the border, including Insurgente, Coralillo, Modern Times, Green Flash, and Coronado Brewing Co. The food fits the space, with grilled cheese sandwiches and a burger with bacon jam and blue cheese. Stop by on Sundays—and sit afuera on the patio—for their popular beer brunch, when they serve “beermosas.”
Avenida Miguel Alemán Valdez 2664, Colonia Cacho
La Flor is a go-to for high-end Mexican cakes with old-school recipes such as tres leches or cheesecakes with unique fillings like guava and mango. They also serve huge portions of French toast and chilaquiles for breakfast.
Sonora 69, Chapultepec; Paseo de los Héroes 96, Plaza Rio; Boulevard Lázaro Cárdenas 17102-9, Otay Constituyentes
Enter a nondescript parking garage in downtown Tijuana, take the elevator up to the fifth floor, and stumble upon one of the city’s top craft breweries, located inside what used to be a strip club. Beers are named in honor of the former tenant—Bordello Belgian and 4Play IPA, for example—and the tasting room boasts panoramic views of the city skyline.
Calle Salvador Díaz Mirón Cuarta, Zona Centro
Tijuana’s central shopping complex is a veritable retail wonderland. You can get fresh produce. You can get chamangos. You can get carnitas, chicharrones, traditionally embroidered shirts, leather shoes, European-style cheeses from Ojos Negros, specialty candy, carne asada, killer tacos, cooked seafood, and piñatas as far as the eye can see. Mercado Hidalgo’s U-shaped market is a delight, especially on weekends, when it’s most crowded but also most alive.
Guadalupe Victoria 2, Zona Río
A steady stable of sophisticated fashion boutiques and design shops are growing in Tijuana, and newest in the city is Totem. The company started in 2013 with the goal of making stylish craft denim and just opened their lab, where would-be customers can come and give input on the jeans of their dreams. Their slim and skinny-cut styles are especially popular.
Avenida Revolución 1641, Zona Centro
Mexicali-born-and-raised architect and designer Mariana Postlethwaite opened her design shop, Casa Duhagon, in 2016. As an architect, she has a keen eye for sleek design and practicality, and as a designer, a sense of style and whimsy. She makes her own furniture and accents—including ornate light fixtures and luxe wallpapers—all of which can be found in her beautiful, high-ceilinged showroom, where she also displays other Mexican design pieces.
Avenida Revolución and Calle Octava Miguel Hidalgo, Zona Centro
Just when it seemed that moviegoing had become a depressing choice between the corporate cineplex and a $100 night out at the luxury place with leather recliners, along comes Cine Tonalá. The Mexico City–based theater opened a location in Tijuana last year, offering award-winning international films you won’t see anywhere else in town, all at film-student prices, plus live music and panel discussions with local artists, musicians, and directors. Before the show, sip mezcal cocktails at the rooftop bar while taking in the view of the jai alai palace across the street.
Avendia Revolución 1303, Zona Centro
The landmark Centro Cultural Tijuana, marked by an unmissable stone globe Imax theater, plays host to movies, dance performances, plays, festivals, art exhibits, and other presentations from around Mexico and across the globe. On August 25, CECUT will honor acclaimed Mexican composer Consuelo Velázquez during a live concert.
Paseo de Los Héroes 9350, Zona Río
Aside from its growing and constantly changing gallery culture, Tijuana is a great place to find street art. Recent politics have only fueled this, making Tijuana a prime destination to see dissent and creativity in action. Head to Pasaje Rodriguez, just off of Avenida Revolución near Calle Tercera. Lining its walls are various murals depicting political and historical events and themes central to Mexican history and identity; the strip also has bookstores, small boutiques, and cafés.
Avenida Revolución and Calle Tercera, Zona Centro
At long last, Tijuana is finally getting into the boutique hotel game. The newest arrival is K-Tower, a modern luxury hotel in Zona Río with 45 rooms, a rooftop bar and pool, penthouse gym, hot tub, and sushi restaurant. The rooms are a palette of gold and mixed materials, decorated with leather couches, textured walls, fur, metal accents, and Gilded Age–inspired art.
Paseo de los Héroes 10902, Zona Río
The Best of Tijuana 2017
Object at One Bunk Tijuana
No hokey novelty T-shirts here. At Object, a small pop-up shop on the second floor of Greg Strangman’s new boutique hotel, One Bunk, browse handbags, rugs, jewelry, and home decor items from contemporary Mexican designers and find out why T: The New York Times Style Magazine called Object “the store [that’s] putting Tijuana on the design map.”
Avenida Revolución 920, Zona Centro
The Best of Tijuana 2017
Café de la Flor
No gatekeepers, no creative rules, no perfect definition—the city’s DIY publishing scene makes room for anyone with something to say.
If magazines are like the adultier eldest daughters who know exactly how much anarchy they can get away with, zines are the far less predictable younger siblings going on whim and instinct. Those who draw on the walls around the house, DIY their own piercings, and experiment with different emo/straight-edge/back to emo phases (or not-phases). Boundaries and routines are what zines were created to rail against.
Walk into Verbatim Books’ zine corner, and this rebellion is immediately clear. Zines have no singular form, no clean category or definition. Vintage magazine scraps are collaged into new meaning alongside mini fandom zines. Single sheets of plain white printer paper are covered in nothing but black ballpoint pen. Repurposed hardback book covers are folded into something entirely new. Some are duct-taped together, others stapled. Some glossy, others matte. There are guides to anything and everything, comic panels, photography, hand-drawn cartoons, poetry, recipes, diaries, and ramblings that only make sense to the person who made them—and that’s on purpose.
Zines are creative magic. And with no rules, they’re incredibly accessible. Anyone can zine and have a voice, regardless of artistic training or work life experience.
You are your own Anna Wintour, Graydon Carter, Ruth Whitney.
San Diego–based zine creator Lyssette Williams specializes in mini zines—often limited to eight pages, they’re meditations in abbreviation. Outlining, thumbnailing, and revision all move quickly from idea to page. Larger projects, including Williams’ long-form graphic novel thesis, move at a slower pace. For those, she often returns to pen and ink, a choice that resists the over-editability of digital work.
Raised by a single mother and navigating mixed-race identity in a predominantly white town, she finds a home for processing it all in zines. Her work deals in identity, belonging, self-definition, and punk-rock childhood. But it isn’t always heavy; Williams creates a mini duck-themed zine called Backyard Duck Propaganda that’s hard not to love. “When I create, I think about what would have helped me find the words back then, what my younger self would’ve needed,” Williams says. “[Zines] put the tools in your hands and democratize art. They’re translations of memories and identities.”
For Williams, a big reason she keeps creating is being surrounded by other creatives—a scene that extends across the border. She points to Verbatim and Comicbook Artists of San Diego, plus events like Zine Fest (October 17–18 this year at Woo in Barrio Logan) and Black Comix Day at the WorldBeat Cultural Center.
Zines have always been a road for subcultures. During the Harlem Renaissance, Black creatives like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston self-published one issue of Fire!!, which inspired other Black authors. In the 1930s, zines (then called fanzines) were hubs for sci-fi nerds to write fanfiction, address the fandom, and create new characters. Superman actually made his public debut in a fanzine called Science Fiction (he was originally cast as a villain with a fully receded hairline). A couple decades later, zines about feminism and riot grrrl became subculture de rigueur.
The internet nearly killed zines, of course. But now, people tired of the algorithm’s firehose are finding comfort and renewed inspiration in analog. Zines, a salve for digital fatigue.
A giant figure in San Diego zine culture is Burn All Books. Founded by Amanda and Nick Bernal, BAB started as a risograph (digital screen printing) studio and turned into one of those places that keeps expanding the whole scene around it, even forming its own archive group, SCANNNERS. Since opening in January 2023, it has published over 35 works and collaborated with more than 100 artists, writers, and zinesters.
For Duophobia, the pseudonym for local twin sisters Alora and Kiani Dotson (affectionately known as the “possum twins”), zines make room for experimentation and play that doesn’t fit anywhere else. Room for eclectic cartoons and dirty jokes. For sticker-covered sketchbooks.
It’s that same brand of nostalgia you might feel when, say, you walk past the carcass of an abandoned mall and see a faded cartoon mural. Their work lives somewhere between childhood and adulthood, where being unserious is taken very, very seriously.
“We’re born and raised in San Diego, and the community of artists here is a main reason we started publishing,” Kiani Dotson says. “There are people here like Trixxie Land who run open art gatherings. Show up, and you’re part of it.”
Land, a zinester herself (she made 250 single-page zines during 2020’s lockdown), is all about storytelling over hierarchy. Art shouldn’t be about gatekeeping or intimidation, she says. So she holds open-invite arts shows at Subterranean Coffee.
Duophobia regularly share their work at local galleries like Subterranean, filling that lowbrow space with pieces that answer: “What would’ve made us laugh as kids?” Children are often the first to pick up their zines, unfolding them in every direction while parents briefly panic at the impulsive destruction. The twins always step in. “No, no, it’s okay,” they say, before showing how one sheet of paper folds into an entire little book. “It’s like magic.” More often than not, the kids leave with a tiny zine tucked under a tiny arm, future San Diego zinesters in the making.
When asked what a zine really is, Alora Dotson’s response was simple: “It’s anything. Literally anything. The more genuine you are, the more people are going to hear what you have to say. Your voice matters, even if it’s just a silly joke or story. People want to hear about it.”
Not a perfect definition? Exactly. Zines inherently resist categories. Want to turn a single playing card into a storybook? Do it. What about your favorite graffiti artist’s signature tag at Prince Memorial Skatepark? Turn it into a zine.
Everything’s a zine.
Isabella Dallas is a freelance writer for San Diego Magazine and the Arts and Culture Editor at The Daily Aztec in her final year at San Diego State University. She previously worked as an editorial intern for SDM, but when she’s not writing, you can find her trying the best coffee spots in SD, devouring the latest rom-coms, and indulging in anything and everything pop culture.
From tacos to tailors and trainers to travel, these are the businesses, people, and places that earned San Diego readers' votes
San Diego Aesthetics and Med Spa
Elicia Soltesz, Elicia Marie Beauty
Ashley Fierro, Ashley Fierro Makeup
Michelle Langston, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, HNB-BC, Starlite Aesthetics
Alysa Espiritu, Afterglo Beauty Lounge
Ronnie Page, Gold Comb Barbershop North Park
Ryleigh Hunter, Headbang Salon
Ann Teresa Degischer, Maen the Salon
Lindsay Axelrod, Pixiedot Salon
Lauren Skinker, Lucky Cat Tattoo
Father Joe’s Villages Turkey Trot
The Camp Transformation Center, West Chula Vista
Singing Hills Golf Club at Sycuan
Camila Casanueva, The Yard Gym
Austin Harrington, Captain’s Quarters
Bivouac Ciderworks, Savoy Dry Apple Cider
Missi Burns, Et Voila
Prospera Internal Medicine and Aesthetics
From handmade goods to one-of-a-kind finds, these local shops prove the best souvenirs are the ones with a story
Almost everything in this Oceanside shop is made by local artists and independent weirdos, and almost none of it requires a gallerist’s budget. Goblin Shark Emporium rotates a new featured artist every month between the vinyl crates, blacklight posters, and hilariously specific stickers, so you can walk out with original work and a tarot reading to contemplate as you sip your Banana Dang Coffee from a couple storefronts down.
Tucked within the potting tables and ferns of Mission Hills Nursery, the oldest nursery in Southern California and a Kate Sessions original, sits Through the Fold, the sweet indie bookstore that mother-daughter team Gail Levine and Jennifer Medeiros hand-built and opened in late April. Two retired educators and lifelong bibliophiles run it like a neighborhood living room: three book clubs, toddler story time, and a summer camp for the 7-to-12 set. It’s the rare retail run that smells like soil and new paperbacks, which is to say, like a very specific kind of heaven.
Open since 1993 under the unbeatable tagline “Books of Martians, Murder, Magic, and Mayhem,” this Rosecrans Street institution is the city’s portal for anyone who would rather be on a different planet. Load up on sci-fi, horror, and fantasy, then stick around for the weekly Dungeons & Dragons campaign, because the only thing better than reading about another universe is rolling a d20 inside one.
On the ground floor of the downtown Central Library, tucked into the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Common, sits the Library Shop, a tightly curated gift store stocked with presents and trinkets you didn’t know you needed: wind-up kitchen timers, specialty pencils, felt coasters in colors cheerful enough to overcome the first half of the Padres’ season—you get it. Every dollar funds the San Diego Public Library system, which makes the shop’s official “Guilt-Free Shopping” motto the rare slogan that holds up. Come for a paperback, leave having formed a genuine emotional attachment to a $4 pencil.
The window at this North Park shop is alive: a front-of-house catio where adoptable rescue cats audition for your heart while you pretend to be just browsing. From there, a literal catwalk runs along the ceiling to a back resting room (because existing around inferior beings is exhausting for cats). Owner Vera Blatchley of Purrgatory stocks the full cat-lover arsenal, plus a wall of gifts for the feline who already has nine of everything. Fan favorite: a retro-style, bubblegum-pink Kit-Cat Clock.
Surf art’s everywhere, but it’s somehow always a little kooky. Painter Andy Davis’ style captured that elemental soul, making him one of the most successful surf artists of the last few decades (check his giant mural at Town and Country Resort). His tiny Encinitas storefront, Club Paradise, is a gallery-slash-gift shop that stocks his paintings and prints—and he’s using the space as a culture club for local and touring creatives.
Tulux is the Pacific Beach swimwear label out of Cass Street, where designer Yamhed Torres turns the whole Tulum fantasy into bold, limited-run bikinis. This year, Vogue México y Latinoamérica named her one of just 10 emerging designers to watch, so each suit comes with the kind of credentials that practically books its own sunset getaway. Everything is one and done: When a piece sells, it’s gone for good, which is either smart scarcity or the universe telling you to commit.
Free lotto tickets at crystal shops? Yes, please. Pacific Beads owner Shlomo Gruer greets you at the door of this Clairemont Mesa warehouse with 4,000 square feet of crystals, geodes, and beads by the bin. You come for wholesale amethyst and sterling findings; you leave holding a fistful of healing stones and a statistically remote shot at early retirement. Need another reason to visit? Owner Gruer has his own line of jewelry, and Pacific Beads also hosts jewelry-making classes.
El Cajon’s Parkway Plaza could look radically different in the near future, as city officials are hatching plans to reinvent the one-time community and commercial center. Inflection points of iconic structures are always compelling times to visit and tabulate your own urban-planning daydreams. As you do, hit the first NAMA-certified automatic cotton candy vending machine in the country. Push a button, and 123 Sweetsss spins you a fresh cloud of childhood in under a minute. No carnival, no county fair admission, no sweaty teenager in a paper hat required.
Behind every beautiful space is a thoughtful process, and ASID San Diego is helping homeowners understand the value of professional design.
A perfectly designed home rarely happens by accident. Those kitchens that feel effortless and rooms that seem to tell a story the second you walk in? They’re usually the work of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing.
It’s knowing which ideas will actually work, which materials will hold up over time, and how to turn a collection of choices into a space that feels intentional. That’s where a professional interior designer comes in.
For the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) California San Diego Chapter, the goal is to help people see interior design as more than just the finished look. Behind every well-designed space is a process built on technical expertise. Designers are educated in everything from professional software and construction details to building codes, space planning, materials, and functionality.
“People don’t always realize how much goes on behind the scenes,” Kirsten Recce , current president of the ASID California San Diego Chapter, says. “Our designers are not just doing furniture placement and color selection and picking out new fluffy pillows. That’s not what they’re trained for.”
ASID members bring formal education, continued learning, and industry knowledge to their projects, helping create spaces that are not only beautiful, but designed to work. A paint color that changes completely depending on the lighting. A material that looks beautiful in a showroom but doesn’t make sense for everyday life. A layout that photographs well but doesn’t function for the people living there. These are the details where professional guidance can make all the difference.
Still, one of the biggest misconceptions about hiring an interior designer is that it’s reserved for massive renovations, luxury homes, or people who already know exactly what they want. The process can feel intimidating. Where do you begin? Is a designer worth the investment? What if you only need help with one room?
ASID’s answer: start with one hour.
ASID’s Spruce Up events break down one of the biggest barriers between homeowners and professional design: knowing where to begin. Held twice a year, the community program gives homeowners the chance to work directly with an ASID designer through a one-hour, $125 consultation in their own home. Whether you’re looking for advice on furniture placement, window treatments, kitchen and bath updates, remodeling ideas, vacation rentals, color selections or something else entirely, the upcoming September 2026 event offers an approachable way to get expert guidance before committing to a full project. Signups are open through Sept. 7, with consultations taking place Sept. 21 through Oct. 31. Proceeds benefit ASID San Diego’s educational and community programs. Register here!
“It’s a great opportunity for people who are in that exploratory phase,” Recce says. “Maybe they’re not sure they want to hire an interior designer yet, or they think it sounds daunting or expensive. This gives them a chance to discover what working with a designer is actually like.”
Design is personal. A good designer isn’t just creating a beautiful room; they’re helping create a space that fits the way someone lives.
“We’re a resource to all of San Diego County,” Recce says. “It doesn’t cost anything to pick up the phone and call and ask. We’ll answer.”
Follow ASID San Diego on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook for updates on upcoming events, or connect with the chapter directly at [email protected] or 619-548-8847.
From getting your sweat on at hip-hop class to celebrating with a zero-proof cocktail, here are San Diego's top fitness and wellness spots
For thousands of years, the Kumeyaay who lived in this area called a mountain south of Julian Cush-pii, meaning “sharp peak.” Then, after the Civil War, Confederate sympathizers saw that same mountain and decided to rename it Stonewall Peak—after General Stonewall Jackson. The name stuck for nearly a century and a half, until Cuyamaca Rancho State Park announced earlier this year that the name will return to its original, Cush-pii. Hike to the summit for expansive views of the Coronado Islands to the west and Mexico to the south.
In 1993, Angie Bunch gathered a group of hip-hop dancers—called Culture Shock Dance Troupe—and gave them a space to practice and perform. As hip hop grew through the ’90s, so did Culture Shock. It has since become a nonprofit, a space for young and old, beginner and expert dancers. Culture Shock has also expanded to Los Angeles, Oakland, Las Vegas, Chicago, Atlanta, New York City, and Washington, D.C., as well as Ottawa and Toronto, Canada.
In 2019, Amanda Leach created the Yoga Box method, which takes high-energy flows and adds strength-building poses in heated, vibey, lava-lamp-lit studios. What started on Grand Avenue in Pacific Beach has spread to 15 locations across the county, with even more trickling into Denver, Chicago, and Brooklyn. The best part? Mindfulness newbies who can’t touch their toes and six-packed contortionists can hang in the same class. You can customize each session based on your ability and fitness level.
A gym taking over a historic beachfront pool sounds like the setup for a new season of Love Island, but Fit Mission Beach operating the nearly 100-year-old Plunge at Belmont Park is real. The independent fitness brand has spent the past several years building a loyal following through group fitness classes, community events, and a members’ social club overlooking the ocean. Upstairs, members can work remotely, meet friends, or hang out long after their workout ends. Between the Plunge, the coworking-style lounge, and a packed calendar of events, Fit has evolved into something bigger than a gym. It’s a clubhouse for San Diego’s fitness crowd.
The wellness world is finally transitioning away from HIIT workouts and cult-like spin classes, where your heart rate hits Zone 5 within minutes and stays there until cooldown. Good. At Breathe Degrees, wellness takes the form of zenned-out communal breathing sessions or vagus nerve–activating cold plunges. Breathwork is said to boost your mood in the short term and improve your heart health in the long term, and maybe that’s why everyone’s coming back for more. You can’t run into someone in Carlsbad who hasn’t dropped into at least one breathwork session, and now the studio has opened a second location in Liberty Station.
Pilates wasn’t just popular this year; it was practically a requirement for maintaining your San Diego residency. New studios seemed to appear weekly across San Diego, each promising stronger cores and better posture, but Soul Pilates and Care found a way to stand out by addressing a challenge many parents know well: finding time to exercise at all. Fitness doesn’t have to compete with parenting responsibilities. Parents can drop their kids off with trained caregivers while they head into reformer classes, eliminating one of the biggest barriers to working out. The studio has earned strong reviews for both its instruction and family-friendly approach.
The Hotel del Coronado’s sweeping $550 million restoration touched nearly every corner of the historic resort, but one of the most anticipated unveilils was the debut of its redesigned spa. The oceanfront wellness destination now features 21 treatment rooms, a relaxation lounge, a sauna, steam room, and a treatment menu inspired by the coastal environment just steps away. The redesign blends the Del’s Victorian legacy with a cleaner, more contemporary aesthetic, creating a space that feels distinctly SoCal rather than generic luxury hotel. For locals who don’t have time for a vacation, it’s the next best thing.
As non-alcoholic beverages continue their meteoric rise, Good News Bar has become one of San Diego’s most compelling arguments for a booze-free evening. The University Heights hotspot serves a menu of carefully crafted zero-proof cocktails that borrow techniques and ingredients from traditional cocktail programs (it’s not just fancy juices and soda water), minus the hangover. The space also hosts regular community events and has quickly become a gathering place for everyone from sober San Diegans to the merely sober-curious. In a nightlife industry built around alcohol sales, Good News proved there’s plenty of demand for connection without the buzz.
From elephant encounters to escape rooms, these are the adventures that kept San Diego families busy all year long
If you can’t quite swing the cost of a trip to the African outback, the Safari Park’s new Elephant Valley is a pretty convincing Plan B. The 13-acre immersive habitat—the largest project in the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s 109-year history—is home to eight African elephants, but it’s the thoughtful details that steal the show. Keep your eyes open for intricate Kenyan-inspired artwork, native landscaping, and stop by the Mkutano House, where you can grab lunch with a front-row view of the herd.
Pepper Park became the emotional anchor of the bayfront overhaul when the National City park reopened this March with a 2.5-acre expansion. Hopefully that’s just the start. The California Coastal Commission also approved the city’s ambitious waterfront plan, clearing the way for a long-envisioned 77-acre bayfront makeover with more green space, better bike paths, and improved waterfront access. Money still has to be raised, but head to Pepper Park, sit on a brand-new bench, and gaze out at the future of the South Bay.
Not every family destination comes with roller coasters—sometimes, they have paint rollers. The Willie Henderson Sports Complex in southeast San Diego recently received a new paint job and major facelift (courtesy of San Diego FC, the Prebys Foundation, and community advocates), giving thousands of kids a safer, smoother, and more colorful place to play basketball or soccer. If your weekends revolve around sports gear, folding chairs, and orange slices, you’ll definitely appreciate the upgrade.
Parents come for the pizza. Kids come for the games. Sci-fi nerds come for it all. Killer Pizza From Mars is an Oceanside mainstay for families who love arcades, vintage Star Wars memorabilia, and piled-high pizzas with outrageously silly names like the “Mars”gherita pizza. Order a basket of Killer Fries, sink your teeth into a Martian Melt sandwich, and don’t be surprised if your kids clamor for a return mission.
After what must have felt like an eternity for Pacific Beach families, Fanuel Street Park’s playground is finally back. The old play structure got the heave-ho nearly two years ago, but this spring, the community raised enough donations to replace it with modern climbing structures, new swings, and better accessibility. It’s finally back to being a low-key locals spot perfect for picnicking, splashing around, and letting the kids burn off some energy.
If screen time has obliterated your attention span, try giving your brain a workout at an escape room. Lara’s Labyrinth provides a few options ranging from kid-friendly to “try not to pee your pants in fright,” where participants can attempt to escape an enchanted forest or decipher clues left by Leonardo da Vinci. (Some rooms have G, PG-13, and R-rated versions for your family’s comfort level, but maybe save the “Cannibal” room for an adults-only excursion.)
Birch Aquarium has always made a splash, but the $18.7 million Living Seas exhibit is a tidal wave of awesome. The immersive exhibit features different marine ecosystems throughout the Pacific Ocean, from the warm aqua waters of tropical zones to the frigid (but nourishing) Pacific Northwest. Bigger is better here: There are areas designated for the gigantic sunflower sea star and giant Pacific octopus, so prepare for oceanic marvels to wow you.
Forget “don’t touch the art.” At Artopia, touching, building, climbing, experimenting, and making a colorful mess are all exactly the point. Created by the museum’s in-house Creative Studios team, the interactive space invites kids to become artists through hands-on projects like weekend ceramics workshops and after-school programs. When creativity gets a little chaotic is when it’s at its most fun.
The Fairmont Grand Del Mar used to feel like someplace you admired from afar. Grand Social changed that. Three levels of outdoor space are now home to a bar and grill, bocce courts, and other lawn games, as well as a summertime concert series and other family-friendly events that welcome locals just as much as overnight guests. It’s proof that one of San Diego’s fanciest addresses also knows how to have a little fun.
You don’t need a cage to come face-to-face with sharks anymore. SeaWorld’s revamped Shark Encounter lets you get startlingly close to species like reef sharks, massive sand tigers, and endangered Australian leopard sharks, all inside newly redesigned habitats. It’s equal parts adrenaline and education, and a good reminder that these misunderstood predators are closer to Bruce in Finding Nemo than Jaws in… well, Jaws.
Houston, we have a new reason to visit LEGOLAND California. LEGO Galaxy is the plastic-brick haven’s biggest in-park investment ever, including the first new roller coaster in 20 years. Between the customizable Galacticoaster experience, build-your-own spacecraft stations, and interactive space adventures, aspiring astronauts can easily spend hours exploring this brick-built universe.
A new program guides new moms through high-risk pregnancy and into the “fourth trimester”
Mai Vue was just 34 weeks pregnant when she delivered her baby. Her pregnancy had been complicated, and she’d had a recent second trimester pregnancy loss, which led to her receiving specialized care from Sean Daneshmand, MD, a Scripps Clinic perinatologist who oversees high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Daneshmand and his team took care of Mai during her pregnancy, through the birth of her healthy baby girl and beyond. Mai was part of a program Scripps launched to provide support to new moms in the weeks and months after delivery. The postpartum program, known as Scripps Health’s Fourth Trimester Continuum of Care, provides care for women with high-risk pregnancies to optimize their health after childbirth and reduce the risk of complications in future pregnancies. Click here to learn more.
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