California cuisine has come a long way from simple wild acorns and elk. The Golden State produces more grapes, almonds, pistachios, tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, dates, and citrus than any other state in the country. Our year-round growing season, spread across 63,000 farms and 24 million acres of farmland, means California’s estimated 86,000 restaurants have a ridiculous abundance of local produce to choose from. Even with an absurdist’s commitment to utter gluttony, it would still take over 78 years for one person eating three meals a day to try every one of the state’s establishments.
Courtesy of Bar Cecil Bar Cecil, Palm Springs
So, before you don elastic-waist pants and buckle your seatbelt to hit the road on an eight-decade California foodie road trip, consider this list, which we decided to compile the old-fashioned way—asking people, rather than a search engine. And these aren’t Yelp elites or your cousin with an Instagram page. These are California’s top-tier chefs, with enough Michelin stars, James Beard Awards, and Best-of accolades to guarantee that their suggestions come from the heart as well as the stomach.
Asking chefs where they eat in their own city is too easy. Instead, we invited them to tell us what restaurants they travel to. What dishes do they yearn for that they can’t get every day? If they had to catch a plane, train, or automobile to savor a last meal, what would it be? And, boy, did they deliver with their suggestions. This list is sourced from years of exploring every inch of California’s endless bounty, from Pacific Ocean shores to the highest mountain peaks. Happy travels.
Photo Credit: Joseph Weaver The Harbor House Inn, Elk
Best Restaurants in Northern California
Fernay McPherson
Chef at Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement in San Francisco
Where to Go: Burdell, Oakland & alaMar Dominican Kitchen, Oakland
“Chef Geoff [Davis] at Burdell is doing exactly what soul food deserves—honoring our roots with a touch of fine-dining finesse. One dish I always order is the oxtails. They’re luxuriously tender— slow-braised until they practically melt and served over buttery grits that soak up every bit of the rich, glossy gravy. The moment the plate hits the table, you catch the deep aroma of thyme, roasted garlic, and long-simmered stock. It smells like Sunday dinner at your grandmother’s but with the polish of a five-star kitchen.
Over at Alamar, chef Nelson [German] brings bold Caribbean flavor to the Bay with heart and heritage you can taste. I can never resist the yellow rice and chili-glazed plantains—they’re a perfect balance of heat, sweetness, and comfort. The rice is vibrant and deeply seasoned, each grain fluffy and golden, while the plantains are caramelized just enough to have that irresistible crispy edge. Every time I take a bite, I feel like I’m sitting at a family celebration in the Caribbean. There’s also a casual vibrancy to the space—music playing, people laughing, and the scent of sofrito wafting from the kitchen—that keeps me coming back time and time again.”
Photo Credit: Christina Gandolfo
Aitor Zabala
Executive Chef & Owner at Somni in West Hollywood
Where to Go: The Harbor House Inn, Elk
“When I need to disconnect and feel grounded again, I go to The Harbor House Inn. There’s a calm there that’s impossible to find in LA. Chef Matthew [Kammerer]’s cooking is the opposite of mine, and it slows me down in the best way. You don’t just stop in for a meal— you go for the weekend, and you leave feeling completely reset.”
Chef & Proprietor at The French Laundry in Yountville
Where to Go: Benu, San Francisco
“In San Francisco, it’s Benu. Chef Corey Lee is a close friend. He worked his way up through Per Se, [my restaurant in New York,] and eventually led The French Laundry. To see him executing his own vision at such a high level is incredibly meaningful. I always start with his thousand-year-old quail egg—it’s creamy and beautifully balanced with ginger.”
“Bill Addison, the restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times, once said that the litmus test dish at a restaurant is always the chicken. He said something like, ‘If a restaurant nails the chicken, they will also nail everything else on the menu.’ Well, let me tell you about the roasted half-chicken at Rory’s Place in Ojai. It’s cooked perfectly in a wood-fired oven, and it’s really juicy. It’s served on a bed of wilted, slightly vinegary escarole, and there are a few smashed little blackberries and some capers to give it a salty-sweet flavor. It’s just so good.
But it is my old friend Nancy Silverton who tipped me off to my other go-to order: the incredible skin-on Japanese sweet potatoes. Rory’s Place slices them in half lengthwise and roasts them until the top is sort of seared but remains creamy on the inside. On the bottom of the dish is miso butter, and the plate is garnished with scallions and bonito flakes and a squeeze of lime. I’m addicted to them.”
Ason Paluska
Executive Chef at The Lark, Lucky Penny & Helena Avenue Bakery in Santa Barbara
Where to Go: Mentone, Aptos
“The porchetta at Mentone in Aptos is as good as it gets: super clean, unctuous, and crispy. [Chef] David Kinch does it all so well and has always been an inspiration to me.”
Photo Credit: James Tran Animae, San Diego
Best Restaurants in Southern California
Jessica Carreira
Pastry Chef at Adega in San Jose
Where to Go: Animae, San Diego
“San Diego’s food scene has grown into offering a mix of really eclectic and creative restaurants while also keeping the characteristic ‘easygoing’ vibe of the city. I always make a stop at Animae in downtown San Diego. Chef Tara [Monsod]’s flavors are vibrant and exciting. I can’t pass up the mantou buns, the Taiwanese chicken, or any dessert she makes with pandan.”
Christopher Kostow
Co-Founder & Chef at Team Kostow in Napa
Where to Go: Morihiro, Los Angeles
“The first time I saw [chef Morihiro Onodera’s] food, I think that was a very memorable moment in and of itself. I was taken to eat [at Morihiro] during a guest chef event by Josiah Citrin from Mélisse in Santa Monica, and it was one of my first early, really exceptional sushi experiences. [Onodera] was just sort of learning about his process in terms of growing [his own] rice and making [his own] ceramics—I remember just being very moved in a way I hadn’t really been previously by the degree of engagement and the personalization of that approach. That really, really impacted me. True luxury is specificity. It isn’t about fancy; it isn’t about expensive. It’s about deliberateness and intent, and I think that was a real eye-opening sort of experience for me.”
Photo Credit: Luz Hernandez
Roberto Alcocer
Executive Chef at Valle in Oceanside
Where to Go: Bestia, Los Angeles
“When it comes to casual dining, LA is unbeatable—there’s a richness in diversity and creativity that makes it an endlessly exciting place to eat. One of my absolute favorite meals in the city was at Bestia. The Caesar salad, deceptively simple yet deeply complex, is hands-down one of the best I’ve ever had.
The pasta dishes could easily stand toe-to-toe with any Italian restaurant in the city—and often outshine them. The secret (that’s not really a secret) lies in [Bestia’s] commitment to top-quality ingredients and the application of flawless technique. Bestia’s laid-back atmosphere, combined with [its team’s] sharp eye for perfect wine pairings, makes it my happy place—where good food, good wine, and good vibes come together in the best possible way.”
Photo Credit: Eric Wolfinger Addison, San Diego
Thomas Keller
Chef & Proprietor at The French Laundry in Yountville
Where to Go: Addison, San Diego | Bar Cecil, Palm Springs
“When I’m outside of Yountville, there are a few spots I look forward to visiting—in San Diego, I love what chef William Bradley is doing at Addison. There’s a playfulness to his food, along with a wonderful use of local ingredients and influences. The fresh uni and Kumamoto oysters are always great.
In Palm Springs, I love Bar Cecil. It’s a fun atmosphere, and the team makes you feel incredibly welcome. I have the shrimp cocktail and the Beaton burger—with Comté, Bar Cecil aioli, onion, tomato, lettuce, and dill pickles—with incredible fries, and The Brock cocktail from the bar program is a favorite.”
Kosuke Tada
Chef & Owner at Mijoté in San Francisco
Where to Go: Han Bat Sul Lung Tang, Los Angeles
“I remember the first time I went to LA with my friend for a big pop-up dinner event with a lot of natural wines. The next day, we began our [morning] at Han Bat with a bowl of sul lung tang. This gentle soup was such a beautiful thing. I went two days in a row.”
Ken Frank
Executive Chef & Proprietor at La Toque & BANK Café and Bar in Napa
Where to Go: Holbox, Los Angeles
“Completely unexpected in an otherwise unremarkable food hall down by [the University of Southern California], you will find [Holbox’s] fantastically fresh seafood prepared as if at the beach in Mexico. It is off the charts! My favorite dish was the live sea urchin. What a surprise to find it here, and [it is] absolutely delicious. I would get on a plane to go again.”
Courtesy of Hayato Hayato, Los Angeles
Matthew Kammerer
Executive Chef at The Harbor House Inn in Elk
Where to Go: Hayato, Los Angeles
“Hayato is a true showcase of craftsmanship and care. Every dish feels personal, thoughtful, and deeply respectful of tradition while also pushing boundaries. Hayato is all about dashi. The ‘owan’ course is [focused on] balance and the flavor of the dashi. When you have a simple soup course with a main element, there is nowhere to hide.”
Kym Estrada
Owner & Lead Pastry Chef at San & Wolves Bakeshop in Long Beach
Where to Go: Sanamluang Cafe, Claremont
“I’ll always hold a special place in my heart and stomach for Sanamluang. [When I was] growing up, my family always went to the Los Angeles location on Hollywood Boulevard, but since my parents moved to the Inland Empire in 2012, we started going to the Claremont location. Whenever I go back and visit them, we are 1,000 percent going to Sanamluang. The place never changes and that provides comfort for me.
Back then, vegan food wasn’t as accessibleasitistoday,but Thai food has always been the cuisine that was vegan-friendly if you make some simple edits. So, my order is always the number 16: tom kha kai, no broth, extra mushrooms, no fish sauce. A super simple dish, nothing crazy. [It’s] traditional and always makes me feel cozy.”
Courtesy of Hai Hospitality Uchi, Los Angeles
John Parker
Executive Chef at La Paloma Cafe in Santa Barbara
Where to Go: Uchi, West Hollywood
“Chef Tyson Cole does an incredible job of creating fun and playful dishes while also paying tribute to more traditional sushi techniques and Japanese cooking. My favorite dish is the fried milk dessert. I love milk and to have a dish dedicated to milk is super fun to me.”
Tara Monsod
Executive Chef at Animae & Le Coq in San Diego
Where to Go: Dunsmoor, Los Angeles
“The food [at Dunsmoor] is just incredibly soulful. It’s all cooked over a wood fire, so it’s packed with flavor and feels nostalgic. The sour milk cornbread with white cheddar and Hatch chile is baked in a cast-iron skillet and served with butter and honey. It hits all the right notes. I also love the Carolina Gold Rice with shrimp and alliums. It eats like a risotto but somehow stays light and bright.”
Peter Armellino
Executive Chef & Owner at Plumed Horse in Saratoga
Where to Go: Providence, Los Angeles
“The finesse with which [the salt-roasted Santa Barbara spot prawns are] handled from start to finish exemplifies why the Michelin Guide has bestowed a three-star rating upon [Providence]. General Manager Donato Poto, co-owner with chef Michael Cimarusti, is a master at the tableside as he fastidiously removes the prawns’ shells and cleans them with a smile and engaging conversation. They are presented on a minimalist palette, allowing the prawns’ natural flavor [and] texture to shine.”
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.
Ten years ago, restaurant design centered around sleek minimalism. Fonts lacked serifs, clean lines dominated, and any manufacturer that made globe-shaped chandeliers must have made an absolute killing.
Things have changed since then, and Jeff Fink says it’s time for Madison on Park to glow up. On September 7, Madison will temporarily close its doors for a top-to-bottom renovation of the space and concept. Fink hopes to reopen this fall ahead of the busy holiday season, with a new look he calls moody mid-century maximalism.
“We have to take into consideration what’s going on culturally,” he says. When Madison first opened, TikTok wasn’t a thing in the U.S. and craft cocktails felt relatively cutting-edge. Today, he sees a resurgence in the vintage look, handmade goods, and low-to-no ABV drinks dominating menus everywhere.
Courtesy of Madison on Park | Photo Credit: Andy McRory
Fink and his partner Matt Sieve have already dabbled with that sort of motif at Sonny’s Pizza, their Brooklyn-inspired joint around the corner. Fully half of the cocktail menu is made up of spritzes, mocktails, and Negronis. Madison 2.0 will take it further.
The new concept doesn’t have a name yet—Fink says they have to feel out the vibes as they make progress with the design. “The name comes when you see it appear,” he says. But he has a few design elements in mind: things like more artwork and more uplighting. “Not cluttered and overstuffed… I want to keep it intimate, sexy, and immersive.”
Madison rightly earned its rep as one of the best-dressed eateries in San Diego, nabbing an Orchid Award for interior design its first year. The returning designers Anna and David Sindelar originally transformed the space from weird padded walls and fake greenery at Lei Lounge into a mid-century modern wonderland, complete with a signature arched ceiling and geometric patterns aplenty. Michelin-recognized chef Mario Cassineri (Ciccia Osteria, Bice Ristorante) built a menu heavy on Mediterranean flavors mixed with California classics.
The new menu shouldn’t feel completely jarring, but will take cues from Fink’s recent travels in Spain with his family. Expect shareable plates with lighter ingredients. “Americans eat way too much, and our portions are way too big,” he says. “I like the idea of smaller plates, healthier plates, and being creative… I’d rather see 15 items on the menu that are all less than $20 so that I can try different ones.” Bar manager Danny Kuehner will continue developing craft cocktails and mocktails for the new venture, as well as curating a selection of wine from Europe and locally.
Courtesy of Madison on Park | Photo Credit: Haley Hill
This isn’t the only project on their plate. Besides running Sonny’s in University Heights and Madi in Normal Heights, later this fall, Fink and Sieve will also open Josie’s, a modern all-day, Midwestern-style diner inspired by Sieve’s Minnesota roots. Like all their restaurants, it’ll hold a special part of their families’ legacies—something Fink hopes people feel as soon as they enter.
“You walk into Sonny’s, you’re like ‘Oh, Jeff’s at home,’” Fink laughs. “[Josies’] will be ‘Matt’s at home.’” The next version of Madison? We’ll have to wait and see.
Madison on Park will temporarily close on September 7 until October (barring any unexpected delays). Keep up with the newest updates on Madison’s Instagram.
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.
When I was pregnant, my food craving was singular and intense. If I didn’t eat at least one thing doused in cinnamon every day (ideally, more than one), I was—to put it gently—a complete monster.
Since then, my obsession has tempered somewhat. But cinnamon buns still perch high on my top treats list, so I’m always on the lookout for the next great place to indulge. IMO, The Huddle in Mission Hills’ mondo cinnamon roll remains top-tier, but after eyeing the ooey, gooey goodies from Sinner Buns, we might have a contender.
Originally from Ukraine, Daria Nadar had already done everything one can do at a bakery—business operations, wholesale contracts, actually baking, you name it—so during the pandemic, she started dabbling with perfecting her cinnamon rolls. After she got a couple fans over social media, she threw her first pop-up to see how they’d be received. She sold out.
After a few false starts with a couple storefronts and business deals, Nadar officially launched Sinner Buns in October 2025 with her partner Filipe Pazi. After making it through an unexpectedly hectic season stuffed with holiday orders, the team closed temporarily to get everything in line and reopened this April. Business has remained in full swing ever since.
There are only so many ingredients in a cinnamon roll, but “the process is what makes it special,” she says, adding they use fresh yeast rather than powder and a 48-hour process for each batch of brioche dough made to order. (Thus the need for pre-orders.) Customers can preorder until Thursday each week for pickup Friday, Saturday, or Sunday from Sinner Buns’ ghost kitchen at 780 Hollister Street, just east of Imperial Beach.
You can also catch her at various pop-ups around San Diego, the next one taking place on Saturday, August 22 at Infusion Lab Coffee in Pacific Beach. Eventually, Nadar opens to offer nationwide shipping (once she figures out the logistics and quality control) and one day, her own storefront.
But it’ll be on her terms, not the whims of social media. “We already learned how to not only rely on virality of the product, because you go viral and then it fades,” she says. “It’s a slow burner, and I know eventually, it’s going to grow much more.”
Courtesy of San Diego Spirits Festival
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Beth’s Bites
Get spirited away at the 17th annual San Diego Spirits Festival. If you understood that reference, I regret to inform you that it is not a Studio Ghibli watchathon, but it’s still a win with a bonanza of craft makers pouring libations at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla for two full days. On September 26-27, try sips, glugs, and guzzles from brands like Condesa Gin and Uncle Nearest (with some bites to wash it all down, of course). Could you ask for a more picturesque venue? Spoiler alert: no.
You love to see a longtime employee take the reins of a beloved local institution. That’s exactly what happened at Konito’s Cafe in Pacific Beach, which is currently transitioning to Pablo’s Cafe, which is now under new ownership. (Yes, his name is Pablo.) Will their breakfast sandwich still slap? Guess we’ll have to go find out.
I’ve yet to visit Tigawok, the small California-based chain serving mini bowls like Kung Pao chicken and Mapo tofu. But the latest storefront (and the first in San Diego) is now soft open in La Jolla, and it’s only a matter of time before their Sichuan shredded chicken gets in my belly.
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.
When San Diego launched Micro Enterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKO), it changed everything. Riverside County first established the experimental program in 2019, with San Diego introducing its own countywide pilot program in 2022 and granting it permanent status in 2024. The new category allowed people to launch at-home retail food operations—basically, home restaurants—with special requirements and restrictions to ensure food safety and smooth operations. Over two dozen counties across California have since adopted their own versions with over 1,200 permits issued, around 100 of them in San Diego alone.
Some have a dizzyingly long waitlist (Warung RieRie), others are still getting their name out there (The Hidden Gazebo Eatery), and still others use MEHKO for pickups rather than fully opening their home as an onsite dining facility. Love Pupusas falls into that category.
Yanira Majano came with her family from El Salvador to the United States when she was 11 years old, bringing a love of cooking and desire to share the country’s cuisine along with her. “There’s a lot of similarity [between Salvadoran food and] Central, South America, even Baja Mexico,” she says. Salvadoran cooking tends to be less spicy than some Mexican cuisines, with an emphasis on ingredients like corn, staples like yucca root (cassava), meats like crispy pork (chicharrón), and sides like curtido, a tangy cabbage slaw that’s typically either naturally fermented or vinegar-based.
And of course, the signature dish of El Salvador—pupusas.
In San Diego, Salvadoran food lacks the widespread availability of other Latin American cuisines like Mexican or Peruvian food, but Majano says she’s seen pupusas gain popularity over the past few years. But she likes to think her recipes, which have been passed down by her mother and kitchen partner Martha, contain a certain special something.
Some pupuserías use rice flour to create the handheld stuffed tortillas, but she prefers the more traditional gluten-free corn flour. Still, it’s what’s inside that really counts. “That’s where we put our own touch,” she explains. Most of Majano’s pupusas come with cheese and different fillings like carnitas, black beans, mushrooms, or zucchini, but she also offers vegan options. Every one comes with a side of curtido and salsa, each made fresh daily.
Showing people the magic of home-cooked food might not have been possible without the MEHKO program or The Cook Alliance, a MEHKO support and advocacy coalition. Opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant requires a huge amount of start-up capital—at least six figures, generally. Not exactly pocket change. “But when the MEHKO program started in 2022, I said, ‘Oh my God, this is for me,’” says Majano.
Now with four years under her belt, she says she’d love to bring Love Pupusas to more food festivals, host more pop-ups, and eventually open a food truck to keep serving the humble dish of her homeland, taking pride in every bite. “[I put] a lot of love in everything I do. You see it when you taste the food,” she promises.
Pre-order Love Pupusas for next day pickup in Rancho Peñasquitos between noon and 5 p.m.
It’s not the end of the road for Catalina Offshore Products—just the end of an address. The local family-owned fish market announced that come September, they are moving from their longtime location in the Morena District to The Old San Diego Seafood Building at 1842 McKinley Avenue in National City. Normal business operations will resume in October with the same retail market fully stocked with premium seafood and local catches, so it’s not goodbye, it’s just “see you later.” (And yes, 5202 Lovelock Street is still open until moving day.)
Don’t come at me with complaints about autumnal seasonal creep—I got an email this week about holiday shopping. In August. In comparison, the 2026 release of Karl Strauss Oktoberfest seems right on time. For the 38th year in a row, ahead of the Munich-inspired festivities, the 5 percent ABV malty amber lager is now available in bottles, with draft coming to the brewpubs in September. Despite the lack of chill in the air, there’s no reason why your fridge can’t be stocked with this frosty German delight.
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.
Implementing a farm-to-table model hardly deserves acknowledgement these days. It’s not a stretch. It’s not innovative. “It’s the bare f**king minimum,” says Herb & Sea‘s executive chef Aidan Owens.
When I arrive at the Encinitas restaurant, I’m ready to talk sustainability, farm-to-table stuff, with Owens. “Did you see the chin on that?” he says of the extra big jiggly chin on the sheephead that just arrived with the day’s fresh catch. I did. It was Jay Leno adjacent.
I learn quickly that he somehow oozes both charm and stone-cold honesty. Maybe he could construct a new dish with chin goo, like he did when he had a bunch of tuna scraps and voila’d it into a smooth and crowd-pleasing ‘nduja. “I want to know what’s in there,” he says.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
The instinct to look closer, to dig into what others might discard, says a lot about the chef’s approach. I guide him back to our topic, but he has something else on his mind. “We’re overcomplicating food—what happened to just cooking good food and having fun with it?”
Owens grew up on a farm in Byron Bay, Australia, where sustainability wasn’t a concept you chat about so much as a way of life. Think dirt roads, backyard chickens, pulling vegetables straight from the ground, and a mother who believed that if you couldn’t pronounce the ingredients on a package, you shouldn’t eat what was inside.
Food wasn’t precious or performative. Making it was what you did because you were hungry and that’s still what inspires Owens today. “I like to cook good food because I like to eat good food,” he says.
His approach to sustainability at Herb & Sea began so naturally that it felt just like instinct. “I was just like, ‘Let’s order food from the people who live and work here,’” he says.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
And why wouldn’t he when lives in San Diego? Cities all over the world vie for our goods. Our tuna is sent overseas. Our spiny lobsters hit dinner plates in China and Japan. Not to mention California’s producing a third of the country’s vegetables and three-quarters of its fruits and nuts.
“Why would we outsource when it’s all here?” Owens asks.
Sustainability, in this context, is about cooking what exists in abundance, nearby, right now. “I love the local fish here. It’s f**king delicious and San Diego citrus, I mean, it is so f**ing good,” he says.
Instead of importing ingredients, Owens also looks for nearby alternatives. “You can find really cool things in the local waters,” he says, pointing out that stingray cheeks taste similar to scallops.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
Whatever he finds in that sheephead chin might just be the next substitute for marrow. But to make this work, it means getting diners amped up about the slightly unfamiliar.
Tasting menus, where diners are completely in his hands, become an opportunity to gently push boundaries. “I’ll serve mackerel, because people think they hate it,” Owens says, noting that the abundant local fish can have some fishiness. “But when it’s fresh, it’s arguably one of the best fish in the ocean.”
He also tweaks the language on the menu so people might feel more compelled to give dishes a try without preconceived notions. He might use “lengua” instead of “tongue.” “Whelk” instead of “snail.” When he puts “stingray throat” on the menu, he disarmingly calls it “skate.”
To reduce waste, scraps aren’t always discarded but rather turned into something new. Sometimes they’re smoked, cured or fermented. Apples going bad turn into apple ponzu. Lemons turn to marmalade, which stretches their usefulness far beyond peak season. “And it’s super tasty on our pizza,” he says.
What makes the food even richer, is the relationships he’s built with farmers. Though it didn’t always feel natural, Owens sought personal connection first. He recalls approaching a fisherman at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market. “I was awkward,” he says. “I went up to him and said, ‘I like your fish.’”
Owen’s is now so close to his suppliers—like fishermen Ryan Sebo and Joe Daly—that he gets texted pictures of fresh catches right as they flop on the boat. The messages always ask if he wants first dibs. “I say yes to a lot of fish,” Owens says, noting that Herb & Sea can go through 2,000 pounds of seafood a week.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
The next evolution of sustainability, in his view, will be chefs working directly with producers such as his alliance with Sebo, cutting out middlemen and purveyors where possible. “It will put more money in the pockets of the people doing the work,” he says.
It will mean that chefs can’t just know their local farmers and producers, but they’ll choose to work with the ones who have the best practices. Dining and sustainability will become much less about the final plate. “It will be more about the impact that plate has on the Earth,” he says.
Ultimately, he believes sustainability doesn’t need to be loud. It doesn’t need hashtags. It just needs to be honest.
“We aren’t saving lives. We’re feeding people good food,” he says.
And yet, in feeding people well—simply, thoughtfully, responsibly—something meaningful happens. Guests leave satisfied. Ingredients are respected. Local ecosystems are supported and food returns to what it has always been at its core: nourishment, pleasure, and a quiet reflection of the place it comes from.
The folks at Kairoa Brewing Company must never be lonely. It seems like there’s always a local pop-up or event at the University Heights space, from Bincho Taco slinging Japanese coal-fired tacos on the rooftop patio every Tuesday to Yipao Coffee serving coffee from a window on the ground floor. Later this year, the New Zealand-inspired brewery will bring yet another resident into the fold—Mon Chourie is launching its first bakery counter service window along Park Blvd.
Mon Chourie owner and baker Kelly Kim first started selling her Korean-style cream puffs at farmers markets and places like Pizza Kaiju, Pho Ga Go, and Mixed Grounds, collaborating with a myriad of other makers (like Amor ice cream and Ming Oun’s) before nabbing a regular spot at Michi Michi Bakery every Wednesday. San Diego Magazine readers even voted Mon Chourie the Best Pop-Up for 2026.
In French, the word for an airy puff pastry is “choux,” which is pronounced generally the same way as “syu,” the Korean word for the same item. (Both sound like “shoe.”) Mon Chourie plays with both iterations with a dash of whimsy by referencing the song My Cherie Amour by Stevie Wonder, which translates to “my darling love.”
As long as all the permits and inspections move forward without issue, Mon Chourie should open in Kairoa before the busy holiday season. She’ll continue appearing every Wednesday at Michi Michi and other pop-ups in the meantime. Once open, expect best-selling flavors like the savory potato croquette (a collaboration with Karanchi chili crisp) and a sweet Dubai chocolate choux au craquelin, a version of puff pastry with a delicate cookie crust.
Classic cream puffs are fluffy, softs and often filled with custard cream in the United States. “What makes a difference for us is we use a very light version of diplomat cream, which is my mom’s recipe,” she explains. Diplomat cream is a lighter French pastry cream that uses whipped cream for a lighter, airier end result.
Choux au craquelin’s signature crunchy top comes from adding a thin disc of cookie-like dough on top of the pastry, which crackles as it bakes, leaving a thin layer of crispiness atop the final product. “It contrasts with the creamy, fluffy cream inside, so it gets that better, deeper texture experience,” she says.
Courtesy of Kelly Kim
Along with her popular cream puffs and her bite-sized “mini-choux” options, Kim is also planning on offering more of a newer-to-her item: salt bread, a rich butter pastry topped with sea salt that originated in Japan, but went completely viral in South Korea. There are a few places to get it in Los Angeles and New York, “but I know that a lot of people here are interested in trying out new stuff, or maybe they had it in Korea or Japan, and they came back, but they couldn’t find it anymore,” says Kim. At first, she didn’t really get why it was so popular. Then she tried it in South Korea earlier this year.
“I was in love,” she laughs. “This is what the hype is about.”
Ideally, Mon Chourie will eventually open its own storefront and introduce more events in North County to satisfy demand. “I would also love to have our own drink program that reflects what’s popular in Korea,” she says. And to mark two years of puffy pastry prosperity, Mon Chourie is throwing a two-year anniversary party at Easy Does It (5375 Kearny Villa Rd., Suite 112) on Wednesday, August 25 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. with drink specials like a misugaru latte (a Korean roasted multi-grain powder with espresso), a DJ, photo booths, special ceramic merch created by local ceramicist Whale Tran, and a few other vendors. Get there early.
Mabel’s Gone Fishing has always supported the arts—see their Fishbowl Artist Series—and they’re keeping things going this month with The Studio Table, an immersive dining event on Saturday, August 29 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Barrio Logan-based ceramic studio Tao of Clay. For $160, guests can slurp down oysters and other Spanish-inspired pintxos, Basque ciders, cocktails, and take home a handmade oyster bowl made with reclaimed oyster shells. Gratuity is included for this 21+ event, so be prepared to slow down and enjoy the tangible fruits of nature.
City Tacos keeps moving and shaking, and the restaurant group’s next landing place is Liberty Station. El Punto by City Tacos is slated to open in October in the former El Jardin space (2885 Perry Road, Suite 102). Once destined to become another Lola55 outpost, the space will now become a full-service, family-friendly, and dog-friendly restaurant with seafood, tacos, cocktails, and more.
For as many closings as we’ve seen over the past year, restaurant openings seem to be back on track. The long-awaited Honor Bar finally opened its doors in Del Mar this summer, and Soul Sip in North Park is soft open from 4 p.m. to midnight daily. Still on the way are The Shackhouse by Julian Beer Company (slated to open by Labor Day) and Sprouts Farmers Market plans to open in the former Pancho Villa’s building in North Park this October. (La Mesa is still waiting patiently for Stella Jean’s and Pop Pie to make their debuts.)
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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.
Snacks are the best vacation souvenirs. You get all the novelty of having something to unwrap without any of the burden of keeping random crap around. I’m always game to try some chips from a place I can’t find on a map with ingredients I can’t identify by taste. Gimme that spice mix from that Southern barbecue pit whose wine list consists of light beers from lesser-known appellations. Don’t think I won’t lick the inside wrapper of some chocolate bar homemade by a grandma at a farmers market you stumbled upon in a small Midwestern town best known for giant yarn balls.
Even though San Diego is best known for our thigh-sized burritos, fish tacos, and craft beers, those travel about as well as room-temp mayo. So we gathered some of the city’s best food souvenirs: snacks, spices, and sauces worth sliding into your carry-on or gifting to a lucky out-of-towner.
Inside Bread & Salt—Barrio Logan’s old Weber Bread Factory turned into one of the city’s most vibrant art, culture, and community spaces—there’s a cafe in front of a giant, now-defunct bread mixer. Mexican-owned specialty brew shop and roastery Provecho! Coffee started as a pop-up in 2020, but its success quickly bricked-and-mortared. Although Provecho! specializes in sourcing and roasting Mexican coffees, its consistency is variety: The lineup changes regularly as Provecho! finds new sources around the world. Get a to-go taste via the coffee bags that range between 250 g and 2 kg.
Courtesy of Superlova!
Sesame Sauce
Superlova!
Superlova!’s Chinese-inspired, seed oil–free sauces are grocery list mainstays for San Diegans. The sesame sauces (Dan Dan is spicy, May May is tame) pair with noodles, dumplings, or any meal that could use a little more oomph. They don’t have tahini, which is de-hulled; they have Chinese sesame paste, which is dark-roasted for a nuttier flavor and packed with fiber and calcium.
Courtesy of JuneShine
Hard Kombucha
JuneShine
San Diego is known for beer, sure. But real locals pour from a different tap. JuneShine’s low-sugar, yet still refreshingly sweet, hard kombucha is an SD favorite. The brand has joined the canned cocktail tidal wave and now sells vodka mules, tequila palomas, and vodka sodas—all with about two shots per can, real juice, and sparkling water. But for a classic food gift, get a variety pack of the booch. Fit it into your checked bag. It’s worth it.
Double entendre is key to hot sauce brand Down To Ferment, aka DTF. (Popular sauces have flavor names like CornHub, Smokin’ Hot Date, and Ghosted.) But it’s no gimmick. The homemade, kombucha-based sauce is seriously good: DTF’s That’s What Shishito Said made it onto Season 30’s lineup on Internet-famous interview show Hot Ones.
Courtesy of Tortilleria Los Reyes
Fresh Tortillas
As discussed, carne asada burritos travel about as well as a toddler with emotional-regulation issues. But the soul of a truly great, San Diego burrito? It’s not the fillings. It’s the tortilla. You can’t go wrong from any locally owned spots, but our favorites are Tortilleria Los Reyes in Vista, Windmill Farms Market in Del Cerro (which uses Pancho Villa’s old tortilla press), Esperanza’s Tortilleria in Escondido, and Tortilleria Lily in City Heights.
Courtesy of Karanchi
Chili Crisp
Karanchi
Handcrafted in small batches, Karanchi’s Sichuan peppercorn–packed chili oil comes in two varieties: original and spicy. The original warms your palate and adds depth to your meal, and the spicy is a form of mealtime masochism. Founder Nguyen Le’s favorite way to eat his garlic-studded chili crisp is on avocado toast—which makes an already San Diego meal even more San Diegan—but it’d make old shoes taste pretty good.
Fresh fish ranks low on society’s acceptable realms of carry-on items. But canned fresh fish straight from local fishermen? You’re the best part of a bruschetta. Every Saturday at the docks behind Seaport Village, fishermen step off their boats and sell what they caught as recently as that morning. While getting yourself some fresh sea urchin and squid, grab a couple cans of locally caught albacore tuna for the tinned-fish lover in your life.
Photo Credit: Salsa Digital Agency
Conchas
Tus Chefs Favoritas
Started as a pandemic baking hobby for BFFs Natalie Rodriguez and Lesly Mendoza, Tus Chefs is now a South County favorite spot for conchas with a twist. The menu is expansive enough to get over a baker’s dozen without any repeats—why not get one of each, anyway?—but if you only have enough space in your carry-on for a few, start with popular “chocolate abuelita,” churro, mazapan, horchata, and brownie conchas.
Emma Veidt is an editor at San Diego Magazine. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the Missouri School of Journalism. She loves running, hiking, and rock climbing, but really, she mostly loves encounters with the street cats around North Park.
Chemotherapy and radiation have long been considered gold standards of cancer treatment, but they can cause severe side effects. A promising new approach called theranostics—a combination of “therapeutics” and “diagnostics”—could offer patients with certain types of metastatic cancers new hope. It’s a two-step process that uses a drug that binds to specific receptors on cancer cells. Advanced imaging detects this radioisotope, allowing doctors to then use a second radioisotope that binds to the cancer cells and destroys them. Click here to learn more about how specialists at Scripps Cancer Center are using theranostics.
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