13 Vegan and Vegetarian-Friendly Spots with Patio Dining in San Diego

If you’ve ever squeezed yourself into a pair of black skinny jeans with a studded belt, sported a track jacket under a band t-shirt, or swept your Manic Panic-hued hair so far to the side that your part got caught in your cartilage earring, I have good news: Ocean Beach will get a shot of emo and pop-punk nostalgia when Drink 182 opens this July.

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The pop-punk bar and pizza spot comes with bonafide scene points. Co-founder Jay Nightride runs the music production studio Nightride Visuals, has worked with artists like Steve Aoki, Lil Jon, and Fall Out Boy, and also plays in Death Cab for Karaoke, a live karaoke band that performs every month at Soda Bar (among other venues). His partner Tony Jaw is easier to spot—he’s the guy with the sky-high mohawk manning the karaoke booth at Redwing Bar & Grill who’s been in the local bar and hospitality business for over a decade. 

Nightride says he’s had the idea for an emo enclave for years, but it wasn’t until after Covid that he partnered with Jaw and got the funding to move forward. “What I was looking to build was a place that I would want to be, where would I want to go to remember these nostalgic songs,” he says. 

Pending permits and final inspections, Drink 182 is slated to open the second half of July. The vibe will be dive bar meets emo night, with memorabilia from different bands who have supported the project splashed across the walls, plus a few arcade games, TVs, and (I assume) a decent sound system. The hours are still undetermined, but Nightride says they tentatively plan to be open until 2 a.m. on weekends and Wednesdays for the OB Farmers Market. In the mornings, they’ll serve fresh pastries and coffee from the similarly music-aligned James Coffee Company (whose co-owner David Kennedy is a member of Angels & Airwaves with blink-182’s Tom DeLonge).

But it’ll be the pizza that really stands out—or at least, they hope. “We’re doing New England beach pizza… a really niche pizza that not a lot of people would know about, unless you’re from North Shore, Massachusetts,” says Nightride, a former Bostonian. “It’s a thin crust, very sweet sauce, very simple, fast, go-to-the-beach kind of thing.”

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“Beach pizza” is characterized by its rectangular shape, very thin crust, sweet tomato sauce, and slices of Provolone cheese with minimal toppings. Drink 182’s version will feature homemade dough and sauce, as well as freshly sliced Boar’s Head Provolone. And yes, they are aware there are already a lot of pizza options in the area. It won’t be the same, Nightride promises. 

“Everybody’s first reaction when they hear ‘pizza’ is like, ‘Oh great, another pizza place in OB,’” he laughs. “But we’re trying to do something different, just enough to differentiate it and give people another option.” If you’re not keen on the style, try one of their “drunkables,” another nostalgic riff they hope the pop-punk and emo crowd will appreciate. And if you still need a reason to give Drink 182 a try, I have more good news—you don’t actually have to break out your old skinny jeans. (In fact, please don’t.)

Drink 182 opens July 2026 at 5049 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach.

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

Beth’s Bites

• If the steak hype wasn’t hot enough already, The Heritage Steakhouse in Santee just announced Meredith Manée will serve as executive chef of the New York-style steakhouse when it opens in August. Her star-studded kitchen resume spans over 25 years, with stints at the Hotel del Coronado, the Four Seasons, and The Ritz-Carlton Maui, so I think it’s safe to assume we’ll be in good hands. 
• Rather than waste away in Margaritaville, you have the chance to support the San Diego Music Foundation at the annual Jimmy Buffett-inspired Day of Service at Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter. On September 4 starting at 5 p.m., the rooftop bar will be rocking with live music and plenty of flowing cocktails, plus a silent auction and other activations to raise money for the local music education organization. I’ll drink to that. 
• The early bird gets the worm and you can get the early ticket to Celebrate the Craft, the annual culinary festival that takes place at The Lodge at Torrey Pines on October 18. If you snag your ticket before the end of June, you can save $50 (which is nothing to sneeze at), plus you’ll be helping support the San Diego Food Bank. 
• Mani e Grani, the pizza spot from the same people behind Ciccia Osteria, seems to be inching ever closer to opening its doors in Barrio Logan. I know I’m not the only one anxiously awaiting sinking my teeth into some wood-fired, chewy but crispy, hot-from-the-oven, authentic Italian pizza.

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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].

Anyone who’s lived in San Diego long enough can sense that Ocean Beach just runs on a different vibration. And after launching his sourdough bread business five years ago at the farmers market, David Moore couldn’t imagine going anywhere else to open Sourdough & Moore as a brick-and-mortar bakery with co-owner Emma Gibb.

“I’ve actually lived here for 25 years,” says Moore. “It’s our eclectic beach community.”

Like so many sourdough endeavors, theirs was born out of pandemic boredom. “I got real heavy into a lot of fermentation—kombucha, apple cider vinegar,” explains Moore, who had been working at the Omni San Diego Hotel for 20 years. After an injury kept him back at home longer than he expected, he figured he’d give selling his bread a real shot at the farmers market. 

OB dug it.

“I had to kind of start making decisions—whether or not I was going to be working at the hotel a little more, or doing some baking,” he says. He added the Mission Valley farmers market to his rotation, expanded his repertoire to more breads and bagels, started selling his stuff at Olive Tree Marketplace, and eventually brought on Gibb.

Gibb had long been a hobbyist baker, working in the corporate world to pay the bills until one day, she couldn’t take it anymore. “I just wanted to bake,” she says.

She headed to the Mission Valley farmers market, and started peppering the vendors with questions. “That’s where I met Dave,” she says. He helped her establish a small pastry business and connected her with a few local restaurants to supply their desserts. 

“When the opportunity came for Dave to get the actual storefront here, he asked if I wanted to be involved, and I definitely jumped at the chance,” she laughs. He’d been sharing space in a commissary kitchen in OB, growing big enough that the owners decided to sell it to him. 

OB already has a couple of awesome bakeries: Azucar, Phatties Bake Shop, Desperado Bagels. But Moore thinks they have something unique to add to that—including the 100-year-old sourdough starter that’s the big bang of almost everything they make. 

“I like to think it has some unique flavor,” he says. “It’s a key essential for the bagels, baguettes, focaccia, the bread, croissants…”

Gibb chimes in. “Anything that would require yeast is going to be sourdough. The only things that it’s not in are going to be, like cookies and brownies and like little cakes. ”

Bread loaves range from roasted rosemary garlic to jalapeño cheddar, caramelized onion and cinnamon raisin. For bagels, they’re making an asiago black pepper, roasted fennel and poppyseed, rosemary lemon, and of course everything. Once open, Moore wants to introduce pizza with sourdough crust, plus some breakfast and lunch sandwiches on (you guessed it) sourdough baguettes or focaccia. 

On the pastry side, Gibb plans to keep people guessing with a rotating seasonal menu of different croissants, cinnamon rolls, danishes. But even things like chocolate chip cookies are never quite as simple as they appear to be. “I do a 50 percent chocolate chip ratio to dough, and they’re almost half a pound each,” she says. “All of the pastries are made with organic flour, local eggs [from Hilliker’s Ranch Fresh Eggs in Lakeside], and imported European chocolate.”

The storefront will be open Wednesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to start. And they’re going to keep a booth at both the Mission Valley and Ocean Beach farmers markets. 

“We’re really appreciative to this local San Diego community, the people of Ocean Beach,” says Gibb. Moore agrees. “They’re screaming for us to open.”

And if OBecians do one thing especially well, it’s staying loyal to locals.

Sourdough & Moore opens at 4853 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach on Friday, November 14. On Sunday, November 2, the bakery is collaborating with another OB favorite, An’s Electronics Repair, for a one-day pop-up pre-order pairing with four different options from Sourdough & Moore with three gelatos and three jams from An’s.

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

Relic Bakery & Kitchen Is (Finally) Open In East Village

Anyone who’s ever opened a restaurant will tell you it never happens as fast as you think it’s going to. (Just ask the Chick & Hawk guys.) But Samantha Bird and Derek Hadden, the partners behind Relic Bakery & Kitchen, have made it to the finish line and officially opened the doors to their brand spankin’ new cafe at 845 15th Street. It’s been five years in the making, from baking in their apartment to hosting pop-ups to a wholesale business to a brick-and-mortar bakery. “We can’t be more excited to welcome you in,” says Bird. 

Hailing from Palermo, Italy, chef Ignazio Tagliavia opened his first restaurant in Abruzzo and eventually became a master of the Pizza News School Grandi Molini Italiani in 2016. (It’s like going to the Culinary Institute of America, but just for pizza.) He’s worked in Europe, Egypt, L.A., New York, Miami, and most recently at Elvira in Ocean Beach, so it’s safe to say that he can toss a mean ‘za. And when Bianchi Pizza & Pasta opens at Bahia Resort Hotel in late May, guests and locals can once again chow down on his Neapolitan-style slices and pies.

Bahia has zhuzhed itself up a bit over the past few years, including opening Dockside 1953 in 2023 and undergoing renovations here and there on the 1950s-era property. Bianchi will be another step into the 21st century, with wood-fired pizza and Negronis mixed by food and beverage director Benjamin Dunn served in an indoor/outdoor space designed to emulate an Italian piazza, plus a 12-seat bar and private dining room. 

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The resort’s general manager, Stefan Peroutka, says the menu is intended as a mix of classic Italian techniques and ingredients, but with an approachable feel. Plus, he adds, the drinks are going to be as good as the pizza, with plenty of Italian favorites like spritzes, amaros, and signature cocktails made with Italian liqueurs. There will also be wine, beer, and non-alcoholic cocktail options, all designed to pair with chef Tagliavia’s creations.

The pizza program centers around a wood and gas-fueled Marra Forni Pizza Oven, which uses a traditional brick oven setup with a rotating pizza deck to quick-fire pizzas in 90 seconds—a process that guests can watch first-hand. The menu includes classics like margherita pizzas; rapini and sausage pizza made with fennel sausage, rapini (sometimes called broccoli rabe), mozzarella, stracciatella, cherry tomatoes, and black pepper; plus pastas like a tagliatelle Bolognese with homemade ragù, tomato, parsley and Italian Parmigiano Reggiano; and an Amalfi Coast-inspired seafood salad with squid, shrimp, mussels, potatoes, red onion, fennel, extra virgin olive oil, parsley, and a citrus dressing. 

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Mission Bay is much more known for its watersports than culinary prowess, but with Bianchi, Bahia may be upping the ante. After all, who doesn’t like pizza? And with a bonafide pizza king behind the oven, the area is poised to start offering as much on shore as off. I say—bring on the paddleboards and the pizza.

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

It’s Finally Lager’s Year

If you, like me, have been waiting for lager to make a triumphant comeback and vanquish the scourge of Hazy IPAs defiling our land and palates, then it’s time to rejoice—North Park Beer Company’s Lager Day in the Park is back. The third annual event returns to its Bankers Hill taproom on Sunday, June 15 (Father’s Day) with over 30 breweries bringing their best lagers along with them. Lagers aren’t just light yellow beers crushed at barbecues and baseball games. No, no. Lagers can be crisp and refreshing, malt forward or hoppy, fruity, bitter, and everything in between. Come see what all the fuss is about. 

Beth’s Bites

• It’s bagel’s year and it’s just getting started. Soon to join the ranks of San Diego’s best bagel shops is PopUp Bagels, a growing chain known for its “grip, rip, and dip” technique. A PopUp rep says it hopes to open 10 locations across the county in the coming years, with the first one(s) debuting this fall.
• I’ve had tea, and I’ve had cheese, but I can’t say I’ve yet tried cheese tea. Soon, I’ll get my chance when Heytea opens at Westfield UTC. First launched in 2012, the eatery now has over 4,000 stores across the world. Heytea says they invented “new-style” tea, and based on the description alone, I can’t argue with that. 
• I want so much for chef Priscilla Curiel to find her forever home. Her concepts, which include Tuetano Taqueria, Mujer Divina, and now Mujer Divina Brunch Cafe, have moved from San Ysidro to Old Town to Chula Vista, where I hope—I pray—they find stationary success. Her brunch cafe is now open at 214 Third Avenue (next to Mujer Divina Burrito & Coffee House) and based on history, I’d say get it while the gettin’s good. But if all goes well (and it should for this Michelin-recognized talent), I have a feeling everything is staying put. 

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].

Ocean Beach has always existed in its own world. It’s precisely that weird, wacky, wild, and wonderful world that business partners Kyle Jaworski and Sebastian Widman want to invest in by opening The Jetty at 4934 Voltaire Street in spring 2025. 

“We want to be a place for people in town,” says Jaworski. “Ocean Beach is a very unique community, and a unique market where it’s important that you cater to the locals.”

Jaworski says The Jetty is not a gastropub but is reluctant to define exactly what it will be. He calls it a beach pub-meets-lounge with an “eclectic menu” that will draw a lot from Widman’s craft beer and cocktail experience and dishes they feel OB currently lacks. “But I don’t want to give away too much about our menu ideas yet because it’s still a work in progress,” he laughs. 

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But he knows one thing for sure—they’re committed to contributing to the local OB community. Jaworski estimates he worked for the NZ Eats Group (Raglan Public House, Queenstown Public House) for around 14 years and has been on the Board of Directors of Ocean Beach Main Street Association for nearly nine years. Widman is part-owner of Ocelot Brewing Company in Virginia, was the sales manager for Amplified Ale Works for years, and was the bar manager at local OB spots The Joint and The Bowl. All this is to say that one, they have the industry chops, and two, Ocean Beach has become home to both over the years. They feel ready to create a gathering space that fits with the, shall we say, particular OB flavor. 

Part of that means renovating the former Voltaire Beach House, both physically and psychically. Voltaire Beach House first opened in January 2017 and unceremoniously closed this September amid allegations of theft, assault, and other accusations from both managers and employees, according to Fox 5 San Diego. 

“There were some bad vibes, bad blood,” he says. “Just not a good feeling about the place from the community… [but] we really feel that with our connections to the community, we can make this an anchor for his side of town.” Renovations will be primarily aesthetic, but Jaworski says they plan to rebuild the outdoor patio and update some paint and finishes to spruce up the place. They’ll also work on community events with adjacent businesses and subtenants, such as The Artist Outpost. 

It’ll take a lot of work, probably some luck, definitely some money, and heaps of resolve. But Jaworski says getting the opportunity to leave their mark, especially in that area of OB, is worth it. “To be able to actually own a business in town is an awesome, awesome feeling.”

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

New Updates On That Brewpub on Adams Avenue

Well, it didn’t open this fall, out Collin Corrigan, founder of Cerveceria Transpeninsular in Ensenada and former partner in El Cruce in Chula Vista, says he and his wife are the new managers of what will be known as Una Mas, opening in March 2025.

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The mixed-use space at 2611 Adams Avenue will still be beer-focused, with a heavy emphasis on San Diego local beer from places like AleSmith, Karl Strauss, Coronado, Ballast Point, and Pizza Port, as well as Baja breweries like Insurgente, Transpeninsular, Wendlandt, Baja Brewing, and more. Corrigan says there will also be wines, kombuchas, and NA offerings as well, with Mexican-inspired street food and pub favorites on the menu. The indoor/outdoor concept will be kid- and pet-friendly. “Myself and the partners are all born and raised here in San Diego, so that makes us very proud to do this,” he says. 

Beth’s Bites

• Roseacre is coming to La Jolla in the spring 2025 from owners Paul Basile (Basile Studio) and Jules Wilson (Jules Wilson Design Studio). The duo will also be behind the design of the restaurant set to replace Adelaide’s flower shop at 7766 Girard Avenue, with chef Erik Anderson tapped to head the kitchen. Anderson has a star-studded past, working in kitchens like Coi in San Francisco and earning two Michelin stars as executive chef. His resume is glitteringly impressive—The French Laundry, Noma. We already had eyes on La Jolla, so now I’ll spare another one because that area just can’t stop, won’t stop.
• A grab-and-go concept called Quick Bites opens in Little Italy in January, promising high-quality convenience for us tornado people on the go. As a working parent, I have basically zero time to screw around on any given day, so I say hallelujah! Did I mention there will be cold brew, too?
• The Midway District is on the precipice of massive change but it’s not immune from the typical restaurant turnover. At 3145 Sports Arena Boulevard, Round Table Pizza is out (buh-bye!), and Kiiro Sushi Izakaya is in. I’m not sure yet when this swap will happen, but hey, there’s always an In-N-Out across the street while you wait. 
• The sister businesses Tablespoon and Collins & Coupe are hosting The Twelve Tastes of Christmas this month, with a different local vendor on hand every day for you to meet, greet, and shop with directly. Check their Instagram for upcoming vendors’ schedules, including a mobile knife sharpener and a few local bitters companies.

Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].

We’ve all heard the debate on who has the best burger in San Diego*. There’s the staunchly anti-substitution brigade at The Friendly. The OG San Diego burger from Rocky’s Crown Pub. A perfect minimalist menu at Hayes Burger. Double cheeseburger excellence at The Wise Ox. The always predictable, always heavenly options at The Balboa. The not-secret-for-long goodness at Wavy Burgers. The beef quality is incomparable at Tanner’s Prime Burgers. And, of course, the beloved sanctum of sliders, Rosemarie’s in Mission Beach, with sliders that prove once and for all skill beats size any day of the week. 

But Rosemarie’s is getting a little bigger the second week in October when they open their second brick-and-mortar location at 1774 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. in Ocean Beach. 

Chef and owner Nick Balsamo says this is the next step in what he hopes is strategic growth across San Diego. “I don’t want to franchise. I want a few Rosemarie’s in specific neighborhoods where they can truly belong,” he says, adding he also hopes to develop other concepts, like Strada, an Asian fusion fast food eatery, and Festa, a catering business. 

Ocean Beach felt like the next natural step in Rosemarie’s growth. It’s where he had his first “a-ha” foodie moment that led him to relocate his family to San Diego and launch his pop-up dinner series, Festa Supper Club. “My wife and I started our journey here, and my son was born here,” he says. “We want Rosemarie’s to be a staple in this community, offering great food and a loving atmosphere where everyone feels like family.”

Rosemarie’s originally launched as a food truck before opening in Mission Beach in 2023. Inspired by his Sicilian grandmother, Balsamo’s menu is best known for its sliders—epic bites of carefully crafted flavors like the signature RosieMac made with a Wagyu beef patty, onion confit, American cheese, special sauce with Kewpie mayo (the undisputed champion of mayo), and a delicious little pickle harpooned atop the brioche bun. (He recommends getting two per person. I say, why stop there? I’m gonna need some spicy elote fries with that. And fried pickles. And the Captain Jack… you know what? I’ll just have one of everything.)

Taking over the former Whomp Burger & Brew space will take a few weeks, but Balsamo says he’s stoked for this next move. “We can’t wait to welcome everyone to our new location and celebrate this milestone with the community,” he says. “Ocean Beach has supported us from the start, and we’re excited to continue this journey together.”

*This is not an invitation to tell me what burger I missed that’s your favorite. Make your list!

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

More Burger News—Toolbox Burger Launching in October

Mobile burger joint Toolbox Burger is prepping to bring a South American spin to San Diego. Rafael Magalhães, co-founder of Toolbox, says Brazil’s gourmet burger scene inspired him and feels San Diego’s “vibrant food culture” will embrace their concept once they officially open. “We’re ready to cater to events and festivals, bringing our mobile setup to various occasions,” he says. “As a special thank you, [San Diego Magazine] readers who visit us and mention the magazine will receive exclusive perks.” Keep an eye on their Instagram for details on the grand opening and where they’ll be rolling around San Diego.

Whiskey & Wine Returns to Estancia La Jolla This Month

The 11th year of the Southern-inspired shindig returns Friday, September 27, from 6 pm to 9 pm. Expect bourbon, wine, whiskey, and hopefully some water after all that, as well as plenty of comfort food and fun. Don’t want to drive? Book the Whiskey & Wine room package, or grab some tickets here and reserve a rideshare afterward.      

Beth’s Bites

• Press pause on that A.R. Valentien holiday dinner reservation for a bit—the signature restaurant at The Lodge at Torrey Pines is undergoing a major renovation starting October 13, 2024, through March 2025. The overhaul includes building a new pastry kitchen and butchery and expanding the existing kitchen. I’m sure they’ll find a few other things during the demo (because isn’t that the way construction always goes?) The Grill at Torrey Pines will remain open during this time, so fingers crossed everything stays on schedule. 
• Happy 15th birthday, Station Tavern! Fun fact: I (very briefly) worked as a food runner there during their first two weeks open, and it does not seem like 15 years ago. Tater tots for Eva.
• I love watching listening bars proliferate across the city. My next stop? Tender Hooligan in Chula Vista for coffee, tunes, and vibes.

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].