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From ocean views, rooftops, and garden patios to simple sidewalk people-watching, we've rounded up the city's best outdoor dining spots
Caroline’s Seaside Cafe
Originally published October 2021 | Updated March 2023
Outdoor Dining Spots / Rooftops
Little Italy can sometimes feel frenetic, but that all slips away on the second-floor patio of this stylish, serene wine bar. The Lompoc-based vintners specialize in pinot noirs and chardonnays, with some bold reds to sample, too. You can even take your vino in a growler to go.
While we never thought dining and car dealerships could mix, Vintana proves us wrong. This fine dining spot has panoramic city and mountain views atop Escondido’s Lexus Centre, and the menu is as luxurious as the sedans below. Decadent items include filet mignon and lobster mac ’n’ cheese, and their Tuesday date night special includes two entrées and a bottle of wine for $50.
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Some downtown rooftops can be, ahem, cheesy. Not so at this refined space atop the Courtyard San Diego Gaslamp. Enter through a dedicated, non-hotel doorway and head up to the 14th floor for views of downtown and the bay. The menu is mostly small bites, and the cocktails focus on barrel-aged and throwback concoctions.
Superfoods, ocean views, and yoga sound like a winning La Jolla trifecta, and that’s what you’ll get at this rooftop vegan and organic café that shares a space with a yoga studio. While dining on grain bowls, smoothies, and vegan nachos, you can scope out their cool aerial yoga classes. They also host virtual events for breath work and reiki training.
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The coastal panorama from this Italian restaurant’s La Jolla rooftop is award-worthy, but Michelin doesn’t give out stars for views. The food’s gotta be spectacular—and, in 2022, Catania’s wood-fired pizzas and housemade pastas landed them a coveted spot in the Guide. Try the duck sugo orecchiette with braised duck and porcini mushrooms.
Take in the Gaslamp action from the comfort of this hip, open-air deck outfitted in rose gold seats, life-size animal topiaries, and market lights. The rooftop has its own menu, with shareables like poke tostadas and firecracker shrimp. They’re well-known for their old-school tipples and craft cocktail shots.
The perch 350 feet above sea level means you’ll be dining at eye level with incoming planes—plus skyline and bay views. The restaurant is known for its five-star plates of prime beef selections and seafood, but you should definitely order the truffle mac ’n’ cheese to start.
Housed in an early–1900s building near Petco Park, this brewpub has a charming roof deck with a robust menu and plenty of beers brewed in–house. The pretzel bites and fried goat cheese with Sriracha aioli are crowd-pleasers; then move on to juicy burgers and red-ale-braised pork belly.
Outdoor Dining Spots / Ocean Views
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The rooftop at this Oceanside seafood spot has all the beautiful ocean views without the stuffy, fine dining vibe (flip-flops are welcome). It’s an expansive space with picnic-style seating, where diners feast on fish tacos, oysters, and margaritas.
In terms of outdoor dining, the top of Del Mar Plaza is a golden standard. Il Fornaio offers formal dining on its own (closed-in) patio, but for informal drinking and eating, snag a couch on the Plaza terrace. Pasta, pizzas, and a lengthy gluten-free menu are popular.
It’s not a view; it’s the view. The Mexican American restaurant has a massive outdoor deck that overlooks the bay, harbor, and downtown, and is a popular spot for sunset viewing, preferably with a Deb’s Coconut Margarita in hand, and chips and fresh guacamole made tableside. Plus, a location by the airport means it’s the perfect stop for hungry out-of-towners—hello, holiday visitors!—who’ve just landed.
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You’d be hard-pressed to find a better place to catch the sunset. This Ocean Beach pub is famous for their amazing ocean view and daily “sunset toast,” a complimentary shot of the bartender’s choice. Enjoy taco specials and $5 margaritas on Wednesdays, half-off mussels and oysters on Mondays, and other happy hour specials the rest of the week.
Set along the harbor between Shelter and Harbor islands, Jimmy’s balances the calming marina view with a lively atmosphere. The patio promises nautical eye candy—from the boats to the sailors boarding them—and the menu is full of burgers and bloody marys.
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Located near the San Diego Convention Center in downtown, Hudson & Nash provides killer Comic-Con people watching—if you can tear your eyes from the seascape. Watch boats pass and cosplayers clash (faux swords only, fear not) with a tiki drink in one hand and a sweet chili chicken wing in the other.
At a place named after a water god, ocean views are a must. And this Del Mar restaurant delivers as one of the few places with patio dining right on the beach. Take a break from tanning and sandwiches to feast on fresh seafood plates and tacos instead.
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The La Jolla institution is known for many things: a commitment to farm-to-table ethics, an outstanding bar program, and amazing views from its Ocean Terrace rooftop. It’s polished, not pretentious—a happy medium between California Modern’s fine dining on the ground floor and the relaxed second-floor bar, Level2. It’s so popular for golden hour that they update their website every day with sunset times.
This restaurant at The Lodge at Torrey Pines looks out over the iconic Torrey Pines Golf Course and onto the ocean, but without any of the stuffiness that usually presides at five-star resorts. The menu embraces fire-themed cooking, with dishes like wood-roasted vegetables and the must-try Drugstore Hamburger on a fluffy steamed bun.
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San Diego’s at its shiniest at the La Jolla Shores Hotel’s beachfront restaurant—both in the gorgeous coastal tableau and in the food, California-inspired and sourced from local farmers. Get the muscles, which are harvested in Carlsbad then served with ancho chiles, chorizo, roasted garlic, anejo tequila, and lime, plus ciabatta to soak up that spicy sauce.
Chandler’s at the Cape Rey hotel is one of the few spots in Carlsbad to catch a view of the water. The Pacific is just far enough away to avoid sand in your hair, but close enough to smell the sea salt. The open fireplaces make for a comfortable spot to lounge, dine, and listen to seasonal live music. They also have their bases covered for accommodating kids, including coloring activities and room to roam by the pool, hotel grounds, and lobby.
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The ideal vantage point for armchair-judging surf competitions in Pacific Beach, Tower23 Hotel’s JRDN elevates classic post-beach food (fish tacos, burgers) with local ingredients and housemade sauces at lunchtime. Dinner offerings are even more sumptuous—think lamb lollipops, braised short rib, and lots of sushi.
Situated on the Pacific Beach boardwalk, this surf-and-turf eatery claims one of the city’s best ocean views. You’re going to spot the water no matter where you sit, but the most impressive seats are along the railing facing the ocean. Time it right, and you can be sipping on a Surfside Margarita while taking in the sunset.
While we’ll always come back for the food, it’s the view at their Embarcadero waterfront location that seals the deal. The counter service and no-frills modern decor create a relaxed happy hour environment to sip on a cocktail or two, order some carnitas tacos, and watch the cruise ships go by.
Outdoor Dining Spots / Sidewalk
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Now that summer’s over, it’s socially acceptable to slurp ramen again, and UnderBelly’s chic North Park patio is the perfect spot to mix sipping with sidewalk seating. New menu items for fall include yakitori grilled oysters with yuzu butter and a Japanese Scotch egg.
The Neapolitan pizza pros’ original South Park location has the liveliness, twinkly lights, and friendly Italian servers with those velvety accents who first won our hungry hearts. It’s no longer a secret, so be prepared for hour-ish wait times unless you have a reservation for a party of six or more. The good news? Stylish vegan restaurant Kindred across the street has a sidewalk patio for a pre-dinner tipple.
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Owner Andy Harris toured the States’ most storied BBQ meccas (Kansas City, Memphis, Texas) as delicious research for his own smokehouse in North Park. Enjoy the spoils of his hero’s journey—brisket, tri tip, smoked lamb by the pound—on Grand Ole BBQ’s homey patio. On Sundays, the place converts into an Argentine asado, serving chorizo sandwiches, entraña skirt steak, and morcilla.
This bakery offers a charming respite from the bustling bars and restaurants of downtown. All pastries, including the pillow-soft almond chocolate croissant, are made in house, and they also serve heartier fare like quiches and granola bowls. The petite patio overlooks G Street, a good spot to take in the Gaslamp revelers—with a cappuccino and macaron in hand.
This popular Encinitas bar and restaurant comes with a 1920s theme, complete with contemporaneous antiques and old-school cocktails. Take a seat on the charming patio for a menu that runs the gamut from healthy (salads and fig crostini) to indulgent (a cheesy falafel burger and gnocchi carbonara). Check their site for live music events.
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We feel totally transported to France every time we take a seat on this charming patio in South Park. Though best known for serving Illy coffee and piping-hot croissants—get ’em fresh from the oven when they open at 7 a.m.—they also serve savory crepes, quiches, and panini. You’ll see a mix of neighborhood regulars reading the paper solo, young families, and couples with four-legged friends.
Outdoor Dining Spots / Gardens
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Enter through the alley on the right side of 30th Street Laundromat and step into a backyard café with succulent decor and a fire pit. The menu is filled with Belgian waffles—both sweet and savory—as well as lemonades and coffee. Try the crowd favorite Number Seven with bacon, avocado, and goat cheese.
This Italian eatery boasts a leafy, tree-filled patio. All the better to enjoy their famous focaccia di Recco appetizer, a Ligurian flatbread stuffed with cheese and topped with oozy honeycomb. Dinner includes pizzas and pastas, but we’re partial to Davanti’s weekend brunch, when they roll out their extensive DIY bloody mary bar, with olives, house-pickled veggies, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, and more than 100 hot sauces.
It doesn’t get more romantic than this Point Loma landmark. The back patio, a popular spot for private parties, is draped in whites, candles, and market lights. Pastas and pizza keep diners coming back, but don’t miss their lunch special, which includes a half-portion pasta plus salad for $12.
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Dining at this sprawling Escondido outpost feels like you’re reading a fairy tale while drinking a cold one. The outdoor patio is adjacent to the property’s one-acre garden, dotted with fruit trees, herb gardens, and a stone bridge over a running brook. Sustainability is also key, as chefs use mostly local, organic produce and naturally raised meats.
The extensive menu of cheesy enchiladas and pollo tamales matches the maximalist decor at this Old Town staple that sports colorful umbrellas and live mariachi music. There’s a candlelit garden room, as well as a courtyard with a 200-year-old pepper tree. During their weekday happy hour, along with their famous “bird bath” margaritas, they dish out a gratis spread of appetizers. Fiesta!
Outdoor Dining Spots / Kids
The team behind Blind Lady Alehouse renovated the space next to the San Diego Museum of Art into a stylish, all-outdoors spot for a pre-theater meal or Sunday Funday drinks within Balboa Park. The counter-service menu includes gastropub hallmarks like burgers and charcuterie boards.
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At this all-outdoors space in Carlsbad you can order counter-service barbecue sandwiches, as well as acai bowls, salads, and donuts on the ground floor. Or, head upstairs for a more adult-friendly deck with small plates, wine, and fire pits.
When you’re located on the campus of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, water views are a given. But this charming rooftop also serves up classic breakfast fare, like buttermilk pancakes and egg scrambles, plus sandwiches and salads for lunch. Counter service makes it an easy choice when dining with kids, and you can walk directly down to the beach after your meal.
A part of Oceanside’s recent cool-ification, Bagby Beer was launched by a former Pizza Port brewmaster and is known for every color of the beer rainbow—IPAs, pilsners, blondes, and German-style lagers. There’s a sidewalk porch, a back patio, and even a rooftop to enjoy the smoked chicken wings and various pizzas.
This restaurant is the centerpiece of The Headquarters at Seaport Village and the newly-opened Mission Valley location packs the same punch. Their outdoor patio fills up quickly with a mix of families, couples, and small groups who feast on the popular taco trio plates and Parmesan guacamole.
This South Park gastropub is known for burgers, beers, and a half trolley, a nod to the site’s history as a mid-1900s trolley easement station. Daily specials range from beer brats on Sundays to Saturday’s Train Wreck Tots—potato fritters with sloppy joe mix, cheese sauce, and green onions.
Families and hipsters alike flock to this counter service spot that serves chicken and egg dishes using high-quality proteins. Their fried chicken sandwiches and duck fat fries are popular choices, but save room for the soft serve, which is customizable with unlimited toppings.
PARTNER CONTENT
The specialty coffee and dessert shop will open in late June to early July
Hospitality-centric businesses are starting to work smarter, not harder. Some are leaning into experiential concepts, like Harland Brewing’s golf course taproom. Some are joining up with other businesses to share space and costs, like Scoopy Scoopy. Then there’s the multi-hyphenate approach, using food and drink as a jumping-off point for bigger aspirations—like Infusion Lab, a specialty dessert and coffee shop opening in Pacific Beach this summer.
The name is strategically vague, explains co-founder and finance director Baran Aydin. Initially, the space will offer a menu of specialty coffee—traditional espresso-based drinks, plus matcha and signature ube beverages alongside breakfast, lunch sammies and desserts like cookies made in-house and European-inspired desserts.
Aydin and co-founder/coffee director Aselin Bay plan to expand into a lifestyle brand with streetwear-inspired merch—shirts, hats, bags, socks, and more that are “designed to reflect the lifestyle and culture behind Infusion Lab,” he explains.
“The goal is to create a space where people can work, socialize, create content, and become part of a growing community,” says Aydin.
Pacific Beach is growing, with major residential expansions like AVA Pacific Beach adding units to a market that’s tightened nearly 30 percent over the last year, according to the Whissel Beer Group real estate team. Currently, there are fewer than 20 coffee shops in Pacific Beach for a population of around 41,000—plus 10,000 to 20,000 more people visiting during summer and weekends.
Infusion Labs’ design is elemental white-and-maroon, with line drawing art. Their space, next to the now-closed Copper Top Coffee & Donuts, will feature some Chesterfield-style seating (deep button sofas) and a dedicated social media area.
Holy Matcha may have helped start the “camera eats first” coffee shop experience with its explosive pink floral wall backdrop, but between Saya Brasserie’s entire social media-centric business strategy, S3 Coffee Bar’s over-the-top coffee concoctions, and Infusion Labs’ online oasis, it seems San Diego coffee shops are still making sure they feed your body and your follower count.
Infusion Lab opens at 4638 Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach in late June or early July.
The owners behind Hermosa Surf in Bird Rock soft-launched their new cafe, Sungold Point—right next door at 5632 La Jolla Blvd. It’s a modern take on an old-school diner, explains Stirling, with seating for around 35 people and lots of pink, burgundy, turquoise, checkerboard, and terrazzo to feast your eyes on. Owners Stirling and Benny Walter designed the breakfast and lunch menu to use organic ingredients whenever possible and make everything from scratch, including breakfast sandwiches, salads, bowls, and a full espresso menu.
PARTNER CONTENT
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
The fast-casual shop focuses on the region’s two specialties: grilled meat and thin flour tortillas
Americans often have our own regional cuisine preferences—for instance, I tend to go for Carolina-style whole hog barbecue over Texas brisket (but certainly wouldn’t kick a Kansas City burnt end out of bed, either). So why is it when it comes to Mexican food, we’re occasionally guilty of lumping the entire country’s cuisine under one broad brush?
There’s far more to Mexican cuisine than tamales, pozole, and chilaquiles—Oaxaca is as famous for its seven moles as Baja California is for the Ensenada-style fish taco. And when it comes to Sonora, the northwestern Mexican state bordering Arizona and New Mexico features plenty of cattle ranches and wheat fields, giving the region its signature ranchero grilling culture and paper-thin flour tortillas. San Diego is about to get a taste of the fire-grilled flavors, when TacoNora opens in Pacific Beach on Saturday, March 7.
Renata Vázquez, founder of Tyche Food & Beverage Consulting and cofounder of TacoNora, says it’s the first location for the family-owned brand (although the ownership group operates four other taquerías in Sonora under a different name), and they are already actively looking to open more locations in North County and Arizona. But Pacific Beach felt like a good place to start for the grill-forward, fast-casual concept.
“Guests start by choosing their protein,” she explains, pointing to options like asada, pork belly, chicken made with a house seasoning mix, trompo-style ribeye or sirloin steak, or grilled Anaheim chiles. Then they can choose if they want it as a regular taco, lorenza (an open-faced, crispy taco), caramelo (a Sonoran specialty where carne asada and melted cheese are sandwiched between two crispy flour tortillas), costra (a “crust” of caramelized cheese wrapped around the chosen filling), a Sonoran-style burrito, or TacoNora’s signature taco pizza.
“Each format highlights the tortilla and the grill differently, but the meat remains the focus,” Vázquez explains.
TacoNora will also offer housemade guacamole, beans slow-cooked with pork fat and red chile, and a salsa bar with 10 different housemade salsas. The entire experience is meant to be interactive, customizable, and something new, but still unfussy. “We wanted to create a concept where the quality of the meat speaks first, the tortilla supports it, and everything else enhances it—without overcomplicating the experience,” she says. “Sonoran food deserves a voice in San Diego.”
TacoNora opens Saturday, March 7 at 956 Garnet Avenue.
Tip Top Meats, the iconic European deli and market that closed in 2024, officially soft re-opened at 6118 Paseo Del Norte in Carlsbad, bringing back its famous meats and Old World sundries. While the team and family may have decades of experience under their belts, it’s still a new era, so give ‘em some grace during the soft opening as they get their feet (and meat) under them once more. Open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
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].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
The permanent pop-up at The Gärten will open its second location in early 2026
What do UNESCO and Michaelagelo (the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, not the artist) have in common?
Answer: They both know that pizza is pretty special.
So does James “Jimmy” Terwilliger. He’s been slinging wood-fired, scratch-made pizzas as Pizza Cassette since 2022. But his pizza life started during his teenage years in upstate New York, where he delivered pies until working his way up to actually making them. I could name every stop on the long, long pizza-making journey that led him to opening a permanent pop-up at The Gärten in Bay Park in 2022, but here are some highlights: Ciro’s Pizzeria & Beerhouse in Pacific Beach, Catania and Wheat & Water in La Jolla, Biga in Downtown, and as a pizza consultant at Buona Forchetta.
So, yeah. This guy knows how to make really good pizza.
As the only permanent food vendor at The Gärten for the past three years, Terwilliger’s unique New York-meets-Italian-style pizza has gained a bit of a cult following.
“Things have gone in an amazingly positive direction here,” he says. “We’ve been busier than I ever could have imagined.” So busy, in fact, that he’s been searching for a brick-and-mortar space to open a second location. But it needed to meet some specific criteria: it had to be both bigger than a tent and (crucially) have walls and a roof.
After nearly two years of searching, he found it. Pizza Cassette will open at 1459 Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach sometime in the first few months of 2026. Terwilliger’s approach will remain much the same, incorporating his fine-dining experience with a commitment to scratch cooking.
“We make every single thing, besides the salami and the cheese, from scratch,” he says. “We’re grinding our own sausage. We’re grinding our own meat for meatballs. We’re butchering and brining and roasting the pastrami ourselves.”
The biggest difference in PB (besides having walls and a roof) will be using a very fancy electric Italian oven (rather than the wood-burning stove at Gärten) due to the difficulty of getting a permit for open flames. If he’s not 100 percent happy with the initial results, he’s open to filing for the permit.
Pizza Cassette PB will have around 60 to 80 seats inside, with the potential to add even more in a back parking lot-turned-patio. Guests will order at a counter, then have their food brought to their table by food runners for a more upscale experience than a typical slice shop, Terwilliger says.
He calls his dough “Neopolitan-inspired,” made with half traditional double zero flour and half Type 1 flour (“plus a few secret ingredients,” he says), with a shorter fermentation time than many other Neapolitan-style pizza makers. The result is a fluffy, airy crust with a nice crunch and soft interior.
He’s confident in his model—after all, The Gärten was his proof of concept, and it’s been gangbusters. So if (probably when) things go really well with this next venture, Terwilliger is open to anything. “I would love to open a full-service fine dining restaurant that serves pizza… maybe something where we’re growing our own ingredients too,” he says. “That’s every chef’s goal.”
Pizza Cassette opens at 1459 Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach in early 2026. Initial operating hours will likely be Tuesday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.
For my ninth birthday (never mind how long ago that was), I hosted all my girlfriends for a fancy afternoon tea party, complete with lacy gloves, finger sandwiches, and dainty cups that, in retrospect, I’m astonished we didn’t break. But why dust off your own china set when The Westgate Hotel probably puts out a much prettier spread than anything us mere mortals could put together? This December, they’re mixing up their seasonal afternoon teas with themes like Winter Wonderland (Dec 17–21; Dec 26–28; and Dec. 31–Jan 4 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.), Santa’s Teddy Bear (20–21 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.), and Grinch’s Tea (Christmas Eve from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.). I have a very hilarious mental image of the Grinch sipping tea in the new Bonne Vie Brasserie & Bar, so I may have to check it out for myself.
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].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
The annual event honors middle market companies creating jobs, scaling up, and investing in the region
San Diego is known for its startup culture and innovation economy, but what happens when the company moves beyond its early-stage years? The San Diego Business Impact Awards aim to answer that question, spotlighting the middle market businesses helping drive the region’s economy.
Hosted by San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and JPMorganChase, the second annual awards celebration takes place on Thursday, July 23, from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Scripps Research Auditorium. More than 200 executives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders are expected to attend the networking and cocktail event honoring some of San Diego County’s fastest-growing companies.
Businesses headquartered in San Diego County that have operated for at least two years are encouraged to submit their nomination by Thursday, June 18 at 4 p.m. Companies across industries—from technology and life sciences to tourism and consumer products, as well as pre-revenue startups—are eligible for recognition.
For EDC President and CEO Mark Cafferty, the event is as much about building connections as celebrating success. “We’ve had a longtime partnership with JPMorganChase; their work aligns with our efforts to support underserved communities and drive talent development,” says Cafferty. “And the networking was invaluable last year. I’m still in touch with people I met at last year’s awards.”
EDC is an independently-funded nonprofit that works directly with San Diego companies to help them grow the local economy, make the region as a whole more competitive, and attract and retain top-tier talent with quality jobs. Through EDC, companies can get help starting or expanding their business with support for things like site selection, permit navigation, and regulatory guidance, plus connections to local resources and potential business collaborators.
The San Diego Business Impact Awards began as an idea with one of EDC’s longtime strategic partners, JPMorganChase. The two organizations share a commitment to San Diego and are dedicated to bolstering middle market businesses.
“We’re blessed with a robust innovation economy and startup community,” says Aaron Ryan, San Diego Region Manager for JPMorgan’s Commercial and Investment Bank and vice chair of the firm’s’ San Diego Market Leadership Team. “But one of the segments of the business community we felt was overlooked was emerging middle market companies—the businesses that are no longer small but not yet large.”
Ryan says supporting those companies is critical as they scale and decide where to invest, hire, and grow.
San Diego’s high cost of living remains one of the region’s biggest business challenges, making talent recruitment and retention increasingly competitive. But local leaders point to the region’s quality of life, climate, and collaborative business community as advantages that continue to attract employers and workers.
“In order to support thriving households, there has to be enough high-quality jobs for people to be able to afford to live here,” Cafferty says. “Once a company grows and excels past that middle market point in their growth cycle, they become much more likely to pay higher wages and compete globally.”
Both Cafferty and Ryan proudly tout the unique collaboration that exists among San Diego County businesses. Bringing together top universities producing high-quality talent, cutting-edge research institutions, a robust military and defense presence, leading ocean science and environmental organizations, and a binational, cross-border identity creates a distinct business ecosystem that defines and strengthens the San Diego region.
Last year’s San Diego Business Impact Awards celebrated nearly 60 honorees from 49 industries, representing a total of 8,232 jobs across eight sectors, including: software and technology, healthcare and life sciences, consumer goods, professional services, finance, construction and manufacturing, defense, and hospitality and tourism. On average, honoree companies doubled their revenues over the previous year, employed more than 145 San Diegans each, and offered an average annual compensation of $192,415.
Top honorees included defense contractor Innoflight, environmental consulting firm Bancroft Construction Services, life sciences startup Element Biosciences, defense technology contractor GALT Aerospace, organic grocery store chain Jimbo’s, and biopharmaceutical company LENZ Therapeutics. During the event, Innoflight Founder and CEO Jeff Janicik held a fireside chat offering his insights on investing in the community and embracing San Diego culture.
This year, organizers hope to continue highlighting the middle market players driving economic impact across the region. Nominations are now open through June 18 at 4 p.m. Get your tickets to the San Diego Business Impact Awards celebration to enjoy drinks by Snake Oil Cocktail Co., light bites, live music, and networking.
The Pacific Beach sandwich shop provides a mouthwatering, but definitely messy taste of the East Coast
One beautiful Wednesday morning just before 11 a.m., I found myself faced with a mountainous pile of thinly sliced, slow-roasted, tender roast beef generously slathered with James River BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, and white American cheese (the traditional “three-way”), sandwiched between a buttered and grilled caramelized onion bun.
Looking at the towering challenge before me, I thought, “Surely I won’t be able to finish all of this right now.”
Approximately three minutes later, as I wiped the remnants of the now completely vanquished Super Beef from Big Jim’s Roast Beef from my hands, table, shirt, pants—and yes, a bit out of my hair—I realized there was no chance of any part of that sandwich going home with me. Not only was it ridiculously, awesomely delicious, chef/owner James “Big Jim” Jones had just explained that these types of sandwiches are best eaten immediately, as per Massachusetts’ North Shore Beef Code.
“These are the beef guidelines,” he explains, pointing to a list of rules lorded over by a very angry looking anthropomorphic roast beef sandwich that I would venture to guess at least a few hundred people in Massachusetts have tattooed on them. He runs through each rule, ranging from acronyms for efficient ordering (COTB: Cheese on the Bottom vs. COTT: Cheese on the Top) to review criteria for comparing notes with other aficionados (B2B: Beef to Bun ratio or NGB: Nicely Griddled Bun).
He stopped at TIB: Time in Bag. Ideally, the time your sandwich spends in a to-go bag should be as close to zero as possible—every second the medium-rare beef sits on a bun and not on your tongue, it goes from pink to gray. “You want to have no time in bag,” he says. “As soon as you get it, eat it.”
There aren’t a ton of places in Southern California to get a legit New England–style North Shore roast beef sandwich, and Big Jim’s feels like a teleporter to Massachusetts, where Jones originally hails from. When he moved to San Diego in 2016, he worked in a few kitchens around town like Ono Grinds, Wicked Maine Lobster, and Cloak & Petal for a couple of years. Cue the pandemic, and the at-home boredom.
He picked up a deli slicer from OfferUp and started roasting and slicing roast beef like he used to get back home. Making sandwiches for himself turned into making sandwiches for friends. That turned into making an Instagram page for deliveries and then a pop-up at Poor House Brewing Company in North Park. Finally, it became a booth at a couple of farmers markets.
Three years later, he got the chance to lease a small storefront in Pacific Beach, and celebrated the restaurant’s two-year anniversary this September.
Like the roast beef, Jones’ business plan takes time. “[I] let the universe work pretty naturally and organically,” he says in terms of his expansion plans. He’s in no rush to open a second storefront, but would be open to it once he feels the Pacific Beach location gets fully dialed in. There’s still a bit of customer education to do, because a North Shore-style roast beef sandwich shouldn’t be messed with, and the customer isn’t always right (at first).
“If people come in and they get a roast beef sandwich and ask me for ketchup, I say, ‘What are you using your ketchup for?’ And depending on what their answer is, you might not get the condiment that you want to go with your sandwich,” he says with a smile. “It’s beautifully perfect the way it is. Try it! And if you still want some condiments to go with it, come back. Let me know. I’ll take care of you.”
His signature sandwich is unquestionably the Super Beef, the New England regional classic that’s really not for the faint of heart. For a more diminutive approach, the Junior Beef is the same thing, but with slightly less roast beef on a plain bun rather than an onion bun. There’s also a French dip (which he admits isn’t a Massachusetts staple, but still beloved); a steak & cheese on a hoagie roll; and the homemade, hand-cut onion rings that have a cult following. (Warning: a large order of onion rings is bigger than you think.)
Despite making it to #33 on Yelp’s top 100 restaurants for 2025, a lot of Big Jim’s business comes from word of mouth and the small, but strong contingent of “Massholes” (he said it, not me!) in PB. “We’re the nicest jerks you’ve ever met,” Jones jokes.
But the San Diego sun must melt the grumpiness out of the East Coast transplants, because from what I can see, everyone leaving Big Jim’s is in a great mood, despite bulging bellies and barbecue-sauce smeared fingers. And now we can get real roast beef sandwiches and not have to deal with the East Coast’s nasty weather, San Diegans really do have the best of both worlds.
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
This farmers market favorite is getting a permanent spot on Newport Ave.
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.
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.
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
Scripps study shows that some patients may be able to taper their dose and maintain results
While glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agents have been used to treat Type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years, their recent emergence as weight-loss wonder drugs marked a new frontier in medicine. But their effectiveness has left some patients wondering what to do once they’ve reached their goal. Stopping the medication could mean regaining some, if not all, of the weight. A Scripps Clinic internal medicine physician recently conducted a small study of whether GLP-1 patients who had reached their goal weight could maintain that weight by taking their regularly prescribed injection every other week instead of weekly. Spoiler alert: 30 of 34 patients did. Read more about the study here and what that may mean as pharmaceutical companies roll out oral GLP-1s.
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