For Christmas, most of us want the extravaganza, a property we can stroll with the family or enjoy the facilities. We want to have space for all the tipsy and pint-sized kin. A true holiday experience with the appropriate elbow room, which is why hotels, resorts, or even restaurants on the water—like Roy’s San Diego—make the most sense for a holiday meal. But, the plucky marrow of our food and drink scene is mom and pops, the indie spots that are waiting to be discovered. So, we picked some smaller places we love as well. From multi-course prix-fixe meals and generous buffets to take-out candied yams, here are local restaurants serving up Christmas dinner in San Diego this year.
Photo Credit: Robert Reyes Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine
Christmas Dinner Specials in San Diego
The Grill at Torrey Pines
Upgrade your holiday game with a three-course dinner that’s as extra as it sounds. The Lodge at Torrey Pines is serving up seasonal bites like parsnip soup, caramelized scallops, and chocolate peppermint mousse from executive chef Kelli Crosson and chef de cuisine Ryan Dzierzawski. Oh, and did we mention the views? Picture yourself digging into your holiday meal with the iconic Torrey Pines Golf Course as your backdrop.
Price: $135 for adults | $65 for kids (11 and under)
Who isn’t up for special Italian holiday dishes? Start your Christmas Eve at Solare, with a prix-fixe menu crafted by Randy and the Solare Team. Family-owned and operated, Solare will be sharing traditional cuisine from Italy including fresh pasta made each morning and organic produce, wild fish, and hormone-free meats the entire evening.
Price: $68 + per person | Holiday kids menu will be available
Christmas Dinners always come with a twist, so why not make it one with great food and a touch of holiday luxury? At the Pendry San Diego, executive chef Brandon Sloan’s three-course special menu features dishes that are as indulgent as they are memorable. Black truffle french onion soup, glazed duck breast, and bourbon bread pudding—the good kind of holiday twist.
If a six-course holiday menu perfectly paired with specially selected wines that complement each dish sounds like your kind of celebration, then Valle is the place to be this Christmas. Chef Roberto Alcocer’s decadent flavors complemented with an optional holiday wine pairing will prove that it really is the most wonderful time of the year.
Christmas meets modern coastal cuisine at Gaslamp’s Lionfish. Treat yourself to their Holiday Large Cast Iron featuring a half roasted duck, duck confit stuffing, harvest mashed potatoes, and buttery biscuits all by chef Jojo Ruiz.
Celebrate Christmas with stunning skyline views and food to match it. Start with appetizers like beet and arugula salad, French onion soup, or black truffle cacio e pepe. For the main course, enjoy A5 Wagyu bavette, lamb osso buco, or Chilean sea bass. You can even indulge in desserts like vanilla crème brûlée or caramel apple cheesecake.
Price: Dec. 24 $115 per person and $45 for children (12 and under) | Dec. 25 $105 per person and $45 for children (12 and under)
The Marine Room brings the Christmas flavors and beauties of the Turks and Caicos lifestyle right to La Jolla. Their holiday curated menu blends seasonal favorites, like chestnut spinach ricotta cannelloni, ferrari island salmon crudo, and roasted whole fresh branzino, paired with the restaurant’s coastal flair.
This previously abandoned warehouse turned impressive social dining space invites San Diegans to spend Christmas Eve at theirs! With a four-course prix fixe, crafted by executive chef, Jonathan Kinsella and pastry chef Amanda Santiago, you can have your holiday choosings of Kusshi oysters, pumpkin spiced kabocha squash agnolotti, koa king salmon, and an assortment of mignardise for entire the table.
Don’t worry, take out on Christmas is always an option. A customizable a la carte holiday feast at Ranch 45 offers choices from herb-crusted prime rib, braised short rib, smoked turkey legs, 45-day aged ribeye, and smoked cornish game hen, plus desserts such as pecan pie, pumpkin cheesecake, and apple Crisp. Perfect for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, this pick-up menu offers the flexibility to create your ideal holiday at-home spread.
Hours: Pre-orders due by Dec. 17 at 4:00 p.m. for pick-up on Dec. 24
This year, Huntress will be providing holiday dining just as impressive as its steaks. This year, they’ll be serving their traditional menu along chef specials such as beef Wellington with mushroom duxelle, creamy lobster risotto with a hint of preserved lemon, and caviar deviled eggs.
Herb & Wood combines rustic, wood-fired dishes with Mediterranean flavors, embracing a California feeling of seasonality and sustainability. With just a touch of Southern charm, it feels right at home in Southern California. Chef Adian’s specials like beef tartare, wild boar sausage, creamy mushrooms and whole tiger prawns is the “timeless yet approachable” choice for a Christmas Eve dinner.
Marriott Marquis, Roy’s San Diego gives the gift of aloha this season. With picturesque views of San Diego Bay, this restaurant celebrates Christmas with a three-course holiday menu featuring everything from 8 oz. filet mignon to tempura lobster tail. End the holidays blissfully on the bayfront, while indulging in Hawaiian fusion cuisine.
Why stress over Christmas dinner when you can escape to lush tropical gardens and miles of sandy beaches? The Bahia Resort provides a dockside three-course Christmas Eve meal at Dockside 1953, and this chef-curated menu is all about options. Think tender beef, bergamot-infused duck, or Mediterranean sea bass—and dessert that melts together with a chocolate and Nutella yule log. And if that wasn’t enough, on Christmas Day the resort has a brunch buffet where seafood lovers can indulge in fresh oysters, while breakfast fans build their ultimate eggs Benedict.
Price: Dinner: $79+ per person | Brunch: $150 for adults | $50 for kids (5–12) | Free for kids (4 and under)
Award-winning ARLO restaurant will be open for both a plated dinner and a lively reception-style dinner. Chill indoors or head out to the cozy fireplace patio for stunning resort views. Need a little extra space? Semi-private areas and full buyouts are available for a more intimate gathering. ARLO has options to match any holiday vibe with custom or set menu choices with tasty bites like Wagyu tartare, thyme roasted pork chop, salmon wontons, and even Calabrian chili prawns.
Price: $90 per person | $38 for children (12 & under)
Open Christmas Eve, Rancho Valenci’s signature grand holiday-inspired buffet at the Pony Room allows customers to choose between traditional trimmings, seafood station, carving station, and endless delicious culinary creations like Nueske’s Honey Spiral Cut Ham and 4 oz. Petrossian Caviar. Between live music, horse-drawn carriage rides and cookie decorating it’s the ideal setting for celebrating with friends and family. Plus, this year Pony Room is offering this Christmas buffet to-go!
Price: $235+ per person | Children ages 4-11 $95+ | Free for children 3 and under
Hours: Dec. 25 | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Address: 5921 Valencia Cir, Rancho Santa Fe
Reservations: Call (858)759-6246
Courtesy of Hotel del Coronado
Hotel Del Coronado
Nothing says “quintessential San Diego winter” quite like ice skating at the Hotel del Coronado’s iconic beachfront rink. Perfect for making holiday memories, The Del also hosts a lush Christmas Eve dinner buffet full of traditional favorites as well as a Christmas day brunch. Grab your fur coat because holidays at The Del are a glamorous tribute to Hollywood’s golden age.
Price: $205 per adult | Children ages 5 – 12: $100 | Children 4 years and under complimentary with a paying adult
Christmas at Coasterra is a classic. This modern Mexican restaurant, surrounded by a mural-painted main dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows, transforms into an expansive Christmas buffet on the solar-heated patio, complete with skyline views of Coronado. While the buffet features holiday classics, Coasterra also serves signature dishes like gluten-free tortilla soup, cheese and rajas tamales, and cauliflower al pastor.
Price: $94.95 per adult | $24.95 per child (under 6 free)
Hours: Dec. 25th, 12:00–7:00 p.m.
Address: 880 B Harbor Island Drive, Shelter Island
Who isn’t up for a Christmas feast alongside 400 acres of nature’s dreamlike scenery? The Fairmont Grand Del Mar is hosting an extravagant dining event at the Manchester Salon with a lavish buffet featuring culinary delights, traditional holiday favorites, and live entertainment. Did I mention the twinkling palm trees and sparkling 25-foot tree to really set the festive season?
Price: $195 per adult | $85 per child (ages 3-12)
Hours: Dec. 25 | 10:30 am to 2:00 p.m.
Address: 5300 Grand Del Mar Court, Carmel Valley
Photo Credit: James Tran Amalfi Cucina Italiana
San Diego Restaurants Open on Christmas
Echale
Who says traditional Christmas Eve dinner needs a glazed ham and roasted turkey? Experience a neighborhood restaurant and wine bar serving a mix of California, Mediterranean, and Spanish-style cuisine. This North County Mexican restaurant on the Coast highway serving green chili burgers and tuna crudo might be the present you’ve been waiting for.
Hours: Dec. 24.| 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Address: 947 S Coast Hwy 101 Suite 103D, Encinitas
Ready to trade cookies and milk for prime seafood? Open Christmas Eve with two locations, Eddie V’s dinner menu highlights their iconic shellfish tower featuring wild jumbo gulf shrimp, blue point oysters, royal ossetra petrossian caviar and lobster from Maine on ice. Not the biggest seafood lover? Don’t worry, Eddie V classic appetizers, premium hand-cut steaks, and “cocktails with attitude” are available, too!
Hours: Dec. 24 | 4:00-9:00 p.m.
Address: 1270 Prospect St, La Jolla and 789 W Harbor Dr Suite 158, Downtown
Located just inside the Spanish Mission-style property of Omni La Costa Resort & Spa‘s, sits VUE. Open for Christmas Day,the resort’s renowned restaurant specializes in prime rib with au jus and horseradish cream, buttery potato puree and roast fennel with squash. Holiday desserts like a pear almond tart with cranberry coulis and white chocolate dust will also be available, all while enjoying the Omni’s championship golf courses.
Hours: Vue will be open on Dec. 25 only | 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Spice lovers, this is for you. Experience knife-cut noodles and bold, vinegary flavors at this restaurant inspired by the Shanxi region in northern China. For a Christmas dinner that’s both unique and satisfying, try customer favorites like hot and sour soup dumplings, spicy twice-cooked pork, cucumber salad, and cumin lamb biang noodles. Shan Xi Magic Kitchen is proof that the holidays don’t have to mean a dry turkey…
Hours: Dec 25 | 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Address: 4344 Convoy St, Kearny Mesa
Ciccia Osteria
Cherish Christmas day with a taste of authentic Italian cuisine at Michelin-recognized restaurant Ciccia Osteria. Tucked within the neighborhood of Barrio Logan, chefs Francesca Penoncelli and Mario Casineri have created a cozy osteria and serve up holiday specials and classic Italian menu items such as homemade cappelli and spaghetti pomodoro, accompanied perfectly with a house Cab.
This Taiwanese hot pot in Kearny Mesa is the perfect comfort food for the Christmas season. The menu is ingredient rich with choices of beef, fish, tofu, fish balls, and fresh vegetables. Add some heat to the holiday with your choice of bone broth or a dry, spicy mix. Revel in a Christmas dinner that’s just as interactive as it is delicious.
Hours: Dec. 25 | 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m.
Address: 4690 Convoy St #111, Kearny Mesa
Ember & Rye
For a holiday dinner that’s all about smoked prime rib with black truffle au jus, journey to Ember & Rye, where chef Richard Blais brings his exclusive Christmas cuisine. Set overlooking the 18th green, this one-of-a-kind steakhouse combines bold flavors with a more laid-back, vintage clubhouse vibe. Enjoy Ember & Rye classic dinner menu, also still available, of mouth watering steaks, fresh seafood, and dishes inspired by local ingredients.
Craving hibachi steak or yakisoba for Christmas? Benihana is open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but you’ll want to secure a reservation early for a spot around their hibachi grill to watch as a personal chef prepares your very own traditional Japanese dinner. Come ready to witness ingredients tossed in the air (or at you), onion towers on fire, and eggs magically appearing.
Dine on a menu that cooks up the rich flavors of the Pacific Ocean. Sea & Sky intertwines their coastal cuisine with the holiday sharpness of slow roasted prime ride roast. It’s surf and turf at its best—start with grilled octopus, then dive into the Kurobuta pork chop topped with miso-squash purée and walnut crumble.
If Oaxacan fondue is on your Christmas palette this year, head to Quixote inside the infamous LaFayette Hotel. With rich titled glass windows, dark wood paneling decor and low lit lighting, Quixote makes for an incomparable Christmas dinner. Spoil yourself with chili garlic shrimp tacos, braised lamb belly, fritters, and their one-of-a kind cocktails.
Now, if you’re seeking out a more nostalgic festive dinner, The LaFayette Hotel’s Beginners Diner will also be open 24 hours on Christmas day. This restaurant is a replica of a traditional diner from the 1940s, with red neon lighting mirroring the diner-esqu bar stools. In addition to reflective chrome walls, Beginners Diner offers classics like corned beef hash, deviled eggs, and banana bread pudding french toast.
Hours: Dec. 25 | Open 24 hours
Address: 2223 El Cajon Boulevard, North Park
Amalfi Cucina Italiana
Head to Amalfi Cucina Italiana and relish in the joy of twenty pizza options and eight pasta shapes, all paired with your choice of sauce and handmade by chef Marcello. Cap your night with a personally crafted old fashion, negroni cocktails, or even an espresso martini. And, with locations in San Marcos, Carmel Valley, and Oceanside, they’re celebrating the Christmas season all throughout the North County with festive lights and authentic Italian flavors.
Hours:Dec. 25 | Amalfi Cucina Italiana – Carmel Valley: 4:00 p.m.-9 p.m. | Amalfi Cucina Italiana – San Marcos: 4:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m. | Amalfi Cucina Italiana – Oceanside: 12 p.m.-3:00 p.m. and 4:30-9:00 p.m.
Address:Amalfi Cucina Italiana – Carmel Valley, 5980 Village Way #106, Carmel Valley | Amalfi Cucina Italiana – San Marcos, 1035 La Bonita Dr, San Marcos | Amalfi Cucina Italiana – Oceanside, 221 N Cleveland St, Oceanside
Even with all the extravagant Christmas meals, sometimes all you really need is some good mac & cheese. At Gravity Heights, you’ll find classic munchies like cheesy pasta, barbecue pulled pork dirty fries, and sweet chili chicken wings. If that doesn’t do it for your taste buds, their wood-fired hot agave pizzas or tikka masala chicken pot pie dinner entrees just might!
Hours: Dec. 25 | Gravity Heights, Sorrento Valley: 11am – 8:30 p.m. | Gravity Heights, Mission Valley: 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
Address: Gravity Heights, Sorrento Valley: 9920 Pacific Heights Blvd, Sorrento Valley | Gravity Heights, Mission valley 525 Camino De La Reina, Mission Valley
Isabella Dallas is a freelance writer for San Diego Magazine and the Arts and Culture Editor at The Daily Aztec in her final year at San Diego State University. She previously worked as an editorial intern for SDM, but when she’s not writing, you can find her trying the best coffee spots in SD, devouring the latest rom-coms, and indulging in anything and everything pop culture.
Before, during, and after the Fourth of July, San Diegans can commemorate America’s 250th anniversary with an abundance of stars, stripes and local celebrations. America The Beautiful: 250 at The Rady Shell and Lamb’s Players Theatre’s revival of American Rhythm will look back at the many songs which define our country. Liberty Station’s Anchored in Freedom celebration and the Independence Day Carnival offer community-centered fun and loads of family-friendly activities. And who can possibly forget the Big Bay Boom, which will resume its reign over San Diego Bay as the state’s biggest fireworks show. Outside of the holiday festivities, this week brings the yearly return of Little Italy’s Summer Sera and the Athenaeum Summer Festival, as well as a slate of championship matches for All Elite Wrestling.
Sip on refreshing beverages and savor a panoramic rooftop view this Friday from 6-8 p.m. during the 21-plus Sunset & Spritz at Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar. There will be a live DJ (until 9 p.m.), appetizers, pool and cabana access, a photo booth, and a cash bar (until 11 p.m.). To accentuate the summer theme, guests are invited to dress in white, pink, and orange attire. Tickets are $29 and come with a welcome aperol spritz.
616 J Street, Gaslamp
The 250 Grand Tasting Menu at Amaya
July 3 & 4
Bring a patriotic palette to the Fairmont Grand Del Mar for The 250 Grand Tasting Menu at Amaya this Friday and Saturday from 5-8:30 p.m. Patrons will be treated to a five-course tasting menu, curated to exhibit a selection of standout regional flavors and culinary concepts that have shaped our country’s distinct food heritage. The meal will also include beverage pairings with each course, such as wine, cocktails, and artisanal drinks. Reservations are $330 per person (with tax and 20% gratuity) on OpenTable.
Don Toliver thrives at being the life of the party (and the “After Party”). His fifth album Octane, released in February, is indicative of his thrill-seeking nature. As with his earlier releases, Octane sees Toliver operating in the space between hip-hop and R&B, with warbling vocals and blaring beats that are best heard at a high volume. This Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., Toliver will play at Pechanga Arena, with rappers SoFaygo, Chase B and SahBabii—who had a guest verse on Octane standout “K9”—as special guests. Tickets start at $156 for this concert.
What makes musicals like Wicked, Cats, Chicago, and Jersey Boys so timeless is the legion of excellent songs that makes fans out of those who’ve never even watched the show. This Friday at 7:30 p.m. during Blockbuster Broadway! at The Rady Shell, conductor Evan Roider, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and veteran vocalists Alex Getlin, Jessica Hendy, Scott Coulter, and John Boswell (also on piano) will perform an all-star theater soundtrack. In addition to the shows named above, audiences can expect songs from A Chorus Line, The Phantom of the Opera, Annie,and more. Tickets range from $57 to $129 for this concert.
222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero
America The Beautiful: 250 at The Rady Shell
July 4
One night after recognizing the brilliance of Broadway, The Rady Shell will ring in the United States’ landmark anniversary with America The Beautiful: 250 this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Conductor Byron Stripling, joined by a five-performer ensemble and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, will lead a night of ballads that best resemble the red, white, and blue, including songs sourced from the Great American Songbook. After the show, concertgoers are invited to watch the nearby Big Bay Boom from their seats. Tickets range from $71 to $139 for this concert.
222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero
Athenaeum Summer Festival at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.
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.
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.”
“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.
Courtesy of Margaritaville Hotels & Resorts
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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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.
If absence makes hearts (and stomachs) grow fonder, then shuttered restaurants quickly become the hottest tickets in town—something a number of iconic institutions found out after taking very public hiatuses after historically long runs. For instance, following a lengthy (and extremely flip-floppy) closing process after 92 years in business, Las Cuatro Milpas reopened two blocks away in Mercado del Barrio. Similarly, Carlsbad butcher shop Tip Top Meats reopened in the same location (albeit a smaller space) after the death of founder Joachim “Big John” Haedrich in 2023. Finally, after a whopping decade out of business, Sami Ladeki and chef Alfie Szeprethy brought back Roppongi to its original Prospect Street space, where it was the talk of the town in the late ’90s. All came back under the same proprietors, so they weren’t third-party nostalgia-licensing deals. The algorithm may have ravaged our attention spans away from all but the newest and shiniest, but this proves there’s still hope for our collective prefrontal cortex.
Other local eateries honored their pasts by bringing in new perspectives. The Lion’s Share in Embarcadero, Milton’s Deli in Del Mar, Dudley’s Bakery in Santa Ysabel, and J-K’s Greek Cafe in La Mesa handed over the keys to new owners willing to take on a big task: maintain the soul of icons through particularly rough economic circumstances for restaurants, navigate big feelings from longtime regulars (who often don’t take kindly to change), and make some necessary changes to keep going for another few decades. Taking over a project in process can be a lot harder than starting from scratch. But building that feel-good nostalgia doesn’t happen overnight, so it sure helps to have a well-established playbook of success passed down from those who came before.
Courtesy of Sugarfish
The Expansion Class Arrives
It wasn’t just restaurant groups from Los Angeles that decided to put down roots en masse, although San Diego saw plenty of LA transplants recently (Sugarfish, Mr. Charlie’s, For the Win, Katsuya Ko, Bacari). Global brands like Chef Fei, Zuma, and Pepper Lunch have locations of their own on the way, and upscale Canadian eatery Joey joined to the inescapable gravitational pull of Westfield UTC’s culinary cosmos for its first spot in America’s Finest City. Good to see the rest of the world is catching up with what we’ve been seeing the last few years—San Diego is a dining destination already on the rise.
Choosing To Not Choose
Between the never-ending news cycle of doom and perimenopause brain fog, I’m at the stage in life where I’m more than happy to let someone else make a decision for me, especially when it comes to what’s for dinner. And based on the way a lot of menus look right now, I’m not alone. It seems like half the places I visit offer some version of a prix fixe, omakase, or tasting menu. Restaurants are embracing the curated experience to solve the problem of affordability (a fixed menu reduces food and labor costs, guarantees an acceptable check average, etc.) and critical thinking in one fell swoop. Omakase (meaning “I leave it up to you”) is far from a new concept in high-end Japanese sushi culture, but now that it’s popping up everywhere from coffee experiences to grab-and-go sushi and sandwiches, it’s gone from somewhat niche to nearly omnipresent.
Courtesy of Rikka Fika
Local Coffee Hit the World Stage
The world got an up-close look at San Diego’s coffee industry when we hosted the premier specialty coffee expo World of Coffee for the first time this April. San Diego’s long and rich coffee history stretches back to the late 19th century. Things percolated fairly quietly for around a century before really picking up steam. Today, there are nearly 200 specialty roasters and cafes across the county, with many earning national accolades like the Good Food Award (Steady State Roasting, 2020; Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, 2023, 2021, 2019, 2017, 2016), Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine (Mostra Coffee, 2020; Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, 2012), and the Specialty Coffee Association Coffee Design Award for packaging (Rikka Fika, 2026). Now that we’ve moved past the comically insufferable coffee snob era of the early 2000s, even java newbies can feel comfortable walking into pretty much any coffee shop in San Diego, asking questions, trying a few things, and feeling confident they’re going to get great service and a great beverage.
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.
Summer has officially kicked off, and San Diego is celebrating the sunny season with a myriad of fun events. From San Diego Pride week and a fairytale performance at Civic Theatre to a Santigold concert and Comic-Con, there are dozens of opportunities to make memories worth adding to your scrapbook. Here are all the best things to do in San Diego this July:
Divine inspirations, operatic ballads, and symphonic pop production elevate Rosalía’s Lux to heavenly levels. Hear angelic vocals ascend—in up to 13 languages—during her performance at Pechanga Arena.
Enjoy a night of feel-good indie rock and sing-along anthems at the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre courtesy of Young the Giant and special guest Cold War Kids.
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Santigold collects genres like gold stars: musical accouterments that brighten her uniquely alternative sound. See her live in concert with dancehall producer Troy Baker Sound at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay.
Two male government workers pursue a secret romance amid the Lavender Scare in the San Diego Opera’s production of “Fellow Travelers” at the Balboa Theatre.
Audrey Hepburn. Marlon Brando. Salvador Dalí. What do these icons have in common? Each was the enigmatic focus of a Cecil Beaton portrait. Step inside Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World, an alluring showcase of 20th-century style at San Diego Museum of Art.
Courtesy of San Diego Pride
More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month
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The Little Italy Mercato will trade morning rays for golden-hour glow through its free Summer Sera, an expansion of the neighborhood’s farmers market with live music, artisanal finds, and a fetching amount of pet activities.
11–19
San Diego Pride week starts with a Dyke March and ends with the two-day “Pride Shines On” festival. The days in between? Run a 5K, march in the parade, visit the rainbow-lit St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, and more.
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Dress up for a Mediterranean-themed tea time at the Estancia La Jolla, a laid-back yet refined afternoon planned for the resort’s monthly Tea in the Garden series.
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Nerd culture’s biggest gathering returns to the Convention Center. San Diego Comic-Con welcomes fans of everything from comic book cinema to ultra-rare collectibles for panels, exhibits, sneak peeks, and much more.
Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.
Omakase and fixed-price menus are one way hospitality businesses are addressing our collective food decision-making fatigue. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, some restaurateurs are offering a bonanza of totally unrelated options for people ordering on a whim. Why not pair a lobster grilled cheese sandwich, açaí bowl, and ridiculously loaded hot dog?
Starting June 27, diners can satisfy their spur-of-the-moment appetites at Global Fork in Little Italy, the latest food hall from Southern California-based Tiger Hospitality.
Six different food concepts will be featured in the 4,685-square-foot, indoor-outdoor space along the Piazza della Famiglia promenade. The space’s inaugural lineup includes a mix of Tiger Hospitality-owned concepts (Cosmos Burger, La Vida, Lobster Lab, and Prik Ki Nu Thai) and outside operators (Seattle-based Moto Pizza and Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream). The space next door, Good Enough Cocktail Club, is another Tiger-backed brand, operated by the team behind Same Same and Amor y Magia in Carlsbad.
Cosmos Burger serves smashburgers stacked with classic toppings, while Lobster Lab focuses on seafood favorites including lobster rolls, shrimp rolls, and lobster mac n’ cheese. Prik Ki Nu Thai adds Thai street food to the mix, with traditional noodle, rice, and stir-fry dishes. And for those looking for something on the lighter side, La Vida offers things like smoothies, salads, and wraps.
Courtesy of Global Fork Food Hall
Moto Pizza focuses on Detroit-style square pizza with Filipino influences and, despite the name, is not affiliated with Mr. Moto Pizza. Handel’s, which began in Ohio in 1945, will offer dozens of flavors ranging from staples like chocolate and vanilla to rotating specialties packed with candies, cookies, and other mix-ins. (Handel’s already has a number of locations across San Diego, with a La Mesa store coming later this year.)
Some of these vendors already operate at Miramar Food Hall, the other Tiger-owned food hall in San Clemente. And some of them will also appear in Station8, the next food hall slated to open in UC San Diego’s Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood later this fall. But if you ask me, reviving the space that housed the Little Italy Food Hall before its closure last February is a far better outcome than leaving empty suites smack in the middle of an area saturated with fantastic food options. Plus, where else can you order a slice of beef adobo pizza alongside squares of caviar toast and a banana split?
Global Fork opens June 27 at 550 W. Date Street, Suite B, in Little Italy. Initial operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week, but vendor hours may differ.
Courtesy of Holland Partner Group
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Beth’s Bites
La Jolla is reviving one of its own shuttered spaces this August with Tacos & Jarros, coming to the space on Wall Street that formerly housedComedor Nishi and Coffee Cup. The all-day Mexican restaurant is the latest project from the family behind Cazadores Mexican Grill in Santee and Cotija’s Taco Shop, and will offer wine, beer, tacos, traditional breakfast dishes, as well as lunch and dinner. Some concepts may have hit their ceiling (craft beer, anyone?), but thankfully, it seems that Mexican food still has a long way to go before that.
In the latest hilariously-named collaboration, on June 9, The Lion’s Share will host executive chef Tara Monsod from Animae for a one-night event called Animaeniacs. (Millennials who know, know.) The three-time James Beard Award Semifinalist Monsod will work with Lion’s Share executive chef and co-owner Dante Romero to create a multi-course, family-style dinner inspired by Romero’s Mexican background and Monsod’s Filipino heritage. Tickets get you a seat at the table, plus access to an afterparty in the Marina neighborhood hotspot’s loft, with seatings at 5 p.m. for the early birds and 8:30 p.m. for the night owls.
Thanks to my son’s lifelong obsession with boba, I’m always on the lookout for the latest bubble tea place to check out. Next on my list is Tera Tea House, a boba, matcha, and fruit tea joint coming this month (maybe?) to City Heights near the Copley-Price YMCA. Will I go because their logo is a cartoon dinosaur sipping on boba tea? No, but it sure doesn’t hurt.
After opening their latest outpost in North Park, Moniker Group announced plans to open their third Moniker General later this year inside West, a 37-story mixed use building coming to downtown at 1011 Union Street. The space will continue the group’s signature menu of coffee, cold brew, matcha, small bites, wine, and beer, and founder Ryan Sisson says they identified downtown for their next location due to the area’s “tremendous amount of momentum.” I’ve never lived in a building with a built-in coffee shop, but I’ve got to admit, it does sound like a pretty nice perk.
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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.
Daniel A. Kaplan is a founding partner of Panakos LLP with more than three decades of civil litigation experience in both state and federal courts. Mr. Kaplan pursues and defends legal claims on behalf of companies, entrepreneurs, and business owners in high-stakes disputes. He focuses on business disputes including breach of contract, unfair competition, trade secret theft, securities disputes, fraud/misrepresentations, and employment matters.
“The best advocacy combines preparation, perspective, and a client relationship built on trust and candor.” — Daniel A. Kaplan
His clients include real estate investors, private and public corporations, and individuals seeking sophisticated legal counsel. Known for practical judgment and strategic advocacy, he works closely with an experienced and diverse legal team to protect, enforce, and defend his clients’ interests.
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