Featured articles
Featured articles
Featured articles
What's next
Featured articles
Featured articles
Featured articles
Ready to know more about San Diego?
SubscribeReady to know more about San Diego?
How a 45-year-old restaurant chain keeps up with the new, hip Joneses
Our need for new is nothing new—it’s just becoming stronger. Blame the whirlwind of reinvention that is the tech sector. Whereas planned obsolescence once bothered American consumers, we now demand a revolutionary new version of the iPhone every year.
For a long time, restaurants seemed immune to reinvention culture. People loved having “their spots”—dependable, unchanging restaurants that served as satellites of their homes. A favorite table at a restaurant with a long history of quality was just fine.
“Now, I think restaurants need to reinvent or at least refresh themselves every eight to 10 years,” says Mike Morton, Jr., president of The Brigantine. Beloved by locals for its swordfish, beef stew, three-dollar fish taco happy hours, oysters, and ice-cold beers, “The Brig” has been quietly giving itself a gigantic facelift over the last 10 years.
In the ’60s, Mike Morton, Sr. and his brothers owned a liquor store in Point Loma (now Trader Mort’s). They used to watch the area’s famed fishermen unload prize swordfish at the dock. The Chart House, then the hottest seafood restaurant in town, made the seafood restaurant business look easy. “So in 1969 my dad and his brother had the crazy idea to take a second mortgage out on their mom’s house and open a restaurant on a shoestring budget,” says Morton, who now helps run the family business with his wife, brothers, and about 1,200 employees.
Morton brothers of the Brigantine
The next generation: Mike Morton, Jr. (left, with brother Mark on right) took over the family business and now works to carefully evolve the flagship restaurants to cater to the modern diner.
The next generation: Mike Morton, Jr. (left, with brother Mark on right) took over the family business and now works to carefully evolve the flagship restaurants to cater to the modern diner.
They took over a duplex on Shelter Island Drive [now Miguel’s Cocina], originally an insurance office and flower shop. Out of the gate, they struggled. The senior Morton and his wife, Barbara, cooked, washed dishes, waited tables, poured drinks, handled accounts. “My dad’s favorite time was the weekend,” explains his son, “because the banks were closed. At one point they didn’t have enough money to make payroll, so my dad sold my mom’s car. I’m not sure she ever forgave him, but they’re still married.”
Mike Morton, Sr
Opening day: Mike Morton, Sr. opened the first Brigantine in 1969 with his wife and brother.
Eventually things got better—mostly because the Mortons resolved to stay open to 2 a.m. When The Chart House closed down for the night, the employees and other locals would head to The Brig for nightcaps. The late-night scene saved them. In 1973, they were able to open a second Brigantine in Coronado, across the street from the Hotel Del. In ’82, they opened their first Mexican concept, Miguel’s Cocina, using family recipes from their employee Javier Alaniz (thank his relatives for their esteemed white sauce). In 1999, they rounded out their portfolio with The Steakhouse at Azul on Prospect Street in La Jolla.
Now, 45 years later, Brigantine has 14 locations and three different concepts. Their general manager at the Coronado Brig, Eileen Montgomery, has been there since it opened. Their regional VP, Pat Walsh, started as a dishwasher 38 years ago.
It’s a San Diego institution, which comes with its own set of advantages—like customer loyalty, a recognizable brand, and bulk buying power. But a 45-year-old chain of restaurants also comes with its disadvantages. Mainly, staying relevant. The cult of new-new-new has never been stronger in the restaurant world. How can a nice family place once heavily decked with nautical paraphernalia and lacquered wood compete with the hip, designer restaurants that seem to open every three months? (Have you been to Little Italy lately?)
“If you look at the way big brands have evolved, you can see a 180-degree shift,” says Tom Penn of San Diego restaurant consulting group Real Restaurant Solutions. “As brands rolled out in the last half of the 20th century, there was value in the predictability and trust people had in a brand. Customers will go to a Starbucks in a different city because they know what they want, the risk is reduced, and they feel more secure that they know what they are going to get. A good brand is competent in delivering consistency.
“But the shift is on,” says Penn. “The level of sophistication of consumers continues to grow, so they are demanding more quality and unique experiences.”
Morton acknowledges that loyalty among their regulars is key to their success. “But you don’t want to age out with your guests. We had to take a good, hard look at our places.”
A series of moves within the Brigantine business plan has kept them in the game for the long haul.
Brigantine Old Logos
Brigantine new logo
In 1984, Harpoon Henry’s seafood restaurant in Point Loma closed. It was basically across the street from the original Brigantine. The Mortons loved the idea of a second-floor balcony overlooking the harbor. “So we literally closed on a Friday and moved in there on a Monday,” recalls Morton.
The view was nice. But it was the live oyster bar with the miniature performance kitchen that really started a new era. “My folks and some senior people had been scouting restaurants in San Francisco and the East Coast,” Morton explains. “The live oysters were great, but it was more that people could see the kitchen action happen right in front of them.”
In the past, restaurants kept the kitchen in the back of the house so that the grimy, unsexy mechanics of producing food didn’t dwindle the magic of the final, grandiose meal. By inverting that setup, The Brig turned cooking into an attraction itself. As the success of Food Network has shown, Americans get a primal satisfaction from watching food being made. Instead of CNN or ESPN on a TV above the bar, you can watch your fish taco get dressed. As we’ve seen with the success of Chipotle and In-n-Out, having an open kitchen also increases the trust level of an increasingly wary dining culture.
“People really responded to that,” Morton says. “They could have a seat and watch their food being made. Every Brig location would have an oyster bar from that point on.”
Earlier this year, Mike Morton realized his company’s website was less than optimal. In the third quarter of 2013, over 40 percent of OpenTable users booked a reservation using a mobile device. The company website was comparably analog.
On the advice of Ballast Point owner Jack White, an old Point Loma high school friend, Morton called MiresBall, a San Diego creative agency. The original plan was to overhaul the website, but MiresBall felt the Brig’s brand needed a little more TLC.
“There were about nine different logos printed all over the place,” says MiresBall creative director, Scott Mires. “You could tell it had evolved organically over time, with each restaurant kind of adding its own spin. But it was confusing to the customer.”
Scott Mires of MiresBall
Fresh eyes: Scott Mires of MiresBall was brought in to refresh the company’s logo, website, and overall brand image.
Fresh eyes: Scott Mires of MiresBall was brought in to refresh the company’s logo, website, and overall brand image.
The Brigantine had always given each of its locations autonomy over their personality. “We really encourage our general managers to become part of the neighborhood and let them decide what’s best,” explains Morton. The result was a scattered identity. In one place, the Brigantine was represented by a clipper ship with sails at full mast. In another, it was a swordfish majestically leaping out of the water between the letters.
“The swordfish leaping is one of the ultimate seafood clichés,” says Mires. “Hopefully we develop a good enough relationship with our clients that we can tell them some of those hard truths.”
MiresBall conducted interviews with shareholders. (“Independently,” Mires notes, “so that the loudest one in the room didn’t dominate the conversation.”) They interviewed employees. They visited all of the locations and observed, took photos, notes.
“You have this really old, built-in crowd of locals,” explains Mires. “The people that work there are old Point Loma surfers. It just has this really cool local vibe that I’m not sure was being expressed in their marketing.”
To keep it natural, MiresBall didn’t hire models when taking new photos for the website and other company visuals. There is no obligatory “pretty woman laughing over wine with her handsome friend” photo. “People can tell when they’re being marketed to,” says Elisha Lutz, MiresBall’s director of marketing.
MiresBall Creative Process
Make it modern: Creatives at MiresBall work to streamline four legacy logos into one modern symbol of the brand.
Mires adds, “The new generation is really good at sniffing out poseurs.”
The biggest overriding change in the process was to remove the clutter. At some Brigantine locations, you would have logos from every concept on a single napkin, which ends up looking like the hood of a NASCAR instead of a clean, iconic image of The Brig. The new logo is clean—a “B” in the middle of what looks to be either a periscope, series of fishhooks, or some sort of meditative circular maze. It’s a creative mashup, intentionally ambiguous. The image will be used everywhere—on menus, napkins, aprons, etc. The prosaic swordfish is dead.
The new Brig image—and website—launches this summer.
Poway Brigantine then
Brigantine now
Another crucial part of keeping up with the times started for The Brig in 2004, when they face-lifted the Coronado location. The Brigantine trademark atmosphere—heavily lacquered woods, nautical tchotchkes, and dark interiors—had fallen a little behind.
The discerning ’70s diner didn’t mix dinner business with drinking pleasure. So restaurants separated church and state. “People either wanted to go have a dining experience in a dining room, or they wanted to have a drink at the bar,” explains Morton. “We had real small lounges and big dining rooms.”
Now, social dining is in. At restaurants like Monello and Ironside Oyster Co., the bar action is highly visible from the dining room, with very little barrier between the two.
“You want to make everyone feel part of that energy,” explains Hatch Design Group owner Mike Hatch, who renovated the Del Mar and Escondido locations. “We did that at the Brigantine Del Mar location. You have a central bar where you can look across at each other. And you can see your food being cooked, which makes for a good experience.”
The 1970s were also a dark time. “Old restaurants had dark bars in ’em,” says Hatch. “But today everything is lighter, healthier, indoor-outdoor. It’s almost like you’ve got a problem if you’re drinking in a dark bar.”
Almost every one of the Brigantine locations featured dark woods with mood lighting. Shadows were the overriding design theme. These days, natural light rules the restaurant scene. Roll-up garage doors. Completely al fresco restaurants. San Diego has pretty nice weather, and restaurants are framing that as a design element. At Del Mar, Hatch blew out as many walls as he could to let the outside in.
“A lot of the dark woods went away,” says Morton. “Our locations now have much more of an open-air feeling. We want to get away from dark corner booths.”
Outfitted with a full ship’s mast in the dining room, the Escondido Brigantine was the most ship-like of any of the Brigantines. “It looked like the Pirates of the Caribbean,” admits Morton. “So we spent about $2 million and blew it out.”
To renovate the entire building would’ve cost way too much, so they made slighter changes. Hatch replaced the dark woods with white tiles, and created a modern entry space so that people’s first impression walking in the door felt circa now. The new Escondido Brigantine opened in March (their Eastlake location is next on the list for renovating). Morton is very pleased with the results, although it’s not without detractors.
“We still get emails from old customers who are upset that we changed it,” he says. “But you have to make a leap of faith.”
That’s really it, according to Morton. That’s how a restaurant survives 45 years in the culture of new. Institutionalizing what works (swordfish, fish tacos, bulk buying power) and slowly ponying up the cost to fix what doesn’t (dark bars, scattered branding, over-indulging in the nautical tchotchke market).
“It’s an evolution, not a revolution,” says MiresBall’s Lutz. “They had this really rich history, and we weren’t going to throw that out.”
Brig Changes
Light and bright: The Brigantine in Escondido
The city's fish taco hero is opening Concrete Cowboy across the street, plus a home-cooked Mexican sandwich spot
You have to be crazy or a genius to name a restaurant Fish Guts. You have to be even crazier to open a restaurant that holds maybe two dozen people at a time—if you don’t mind elbowing one other while scarfing down some of the best fish tacos in San Diego.
And yes, “best” is a relative term. But in Fish Guts’ case, it’s for real—and that’s saying something in a town literally world-famous for fish tacos.
Ever since Pablo Becker opened up his diminutive eatery in 2023 at the corner of Logan Avenue and Sampson Street in Barrio Logan, Fish Guts has been named one of the city’s best new restaurants in 2023, Critic’s Pick for the best fish tacos in San Diego in 2024, 2025 and 2026, as well as readers’ top pick in 2024. It’s like if Rubio’s married into the royal family.
Most of his ingredients come straight from the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean, which happens to be down the street. His de espada (blackened swordfish) taco is the stuff of legend. He’s kept Fish Guts operating at an elite level, which tends to happen when you work for five years in Chicago under chef Richard Sandoval (who, by chance, is also his cousin) and open an ahead-of-its-time high-end modern Mexican restaurant in East Village (El Vitral Restaurant & Tequileria, 2009-2013).
Now Becker is branching out again, opening two new concepts in Barrio Logan this fall.
The first will be upstairs from Fish Guts, which at one point was destined to become an intimate omakase counter. Santo Poco will be a lunch-only sandwich shop, offering takeout and delivery (no dine-in), and the sandwiches will be a little Mexican, a little French, a little Italian, a little from Chicago, a little from New York. Basically, a bunch of different styles all on really, really good bread.
“There’s probably going to be a Cuban-style sandwich in there with a touch of Mexican, some cold cut Italians, too, putting my touch on them,” he says. “That’s what I feel like is my style of cooking.”
Things will be traditional, but inventive. Like his fish & chips taco at Fish Guts: two classic dishes, one killer mash-up. There will also be a hat tip to the late, great Anthony Bourdain, a sandwich called the Antonio Bourdain.
The second will be across the street from Fish Guts in the former Lia’s Lumpia space. Concrete Cowboy will be a taco-driven joint on the same wavelength as Fish Guts (keep it simple, keep it special), but featuring land animals rather than sea brethren. Think tacos made with duck confit, ribeye, pork belly, skirt steak.
The inspiration behind Concrete Cowboy comes from Becker’s father, a lifelong Western obsessive, despite growing up in Mexico City’s urban metropolis. “He always liked that cowboy life, that vibe,” he says. “I always say ‘Dad, you just grew up in the wrong city.”
He’s aiming to open Santo Poco in October and Concrete Cowboy in November. Neither require massive renovations, and while the former Lia’s Lumpia space will keep the cabin-esque aesthetic, he’s creating more of an adobe-style exterior and an interior lined with Western-themed wallpaper and taxidermied animals. He’ll also tweak the bar layout to move from a fast-casual feel to full service.
Local designer Dane Danner is designing both spaces and visual direction for menu layouts, logos, and packaging, going for low-key, but high on vibes. Once Concrete Cowboy opens, Fish Guts will temporarily close to remodel the space to switch its white palette for a warmer feel, plus introducing a refreshed menu featuring some new tacos and other items.
Could another Fish Guts be on the way somewhere else in San Diego? Not likely, says Becker. “Fish Guts is cool, “ he says. “I feel once you start branching out, it’s more forced, not as organic.” So for now, count on Becker staying in the neighborhood.
Santo Poco opens for lunch daily October 2026, 2222 Logan Avenue (above Fish Guts). Concrete Cowboy opens Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner November 2026, 2219 Logan Avenue.
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 University Heights eatery will close September 7 for a multi-month renovation and rebrand
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.
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.
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.
Sinner Buns is building a following for its slow-made, seriously gooey weekend treats
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. 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.”
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.
Behind every beautiful space is a thoughtful process, and ASID San Diego is helping homeowners understand the value of professional design.
A perfectly designed home rarely happens by accident. Those kitchens that feel effortless and rooms that seem to tell a story the second you walk in? They’re usually the work of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing.
It’s knowing which ideas will actually work, which materials will hold up over time, and how to turn a collection of choices into a space that feels intentional. That’s where a professional interior designer comes in.
For the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) California San Diego Chapter, the goal is to help people see interior design as more than just the finished look. Behind every well-designed space is a process built on technical expertise. Designers are educated in everything from professional software and construction details to building codes, space planning, materials, and functionality.
“People don’t always realize how much goes on behind the scenes,” Kirsten Recce , current president of the ASID California San Diego Chapter, says. “Our designers are not just doing furniture placement and color selection and picking out new fluffy pillows. That’s not what they’re trained for.”
ASID members bring formal education, continued learning, and industry knowledge to their projects, helping create spaces that are not only beautiful, but designed to work. A paint color that changes completely depending on the lighting. A material that looks beautiful in a showroom but doesn’t make sense for everyday life. A layout that photographs well but doesn’t function for the people living there. These are the details where professional guidance can make all the difference.
Still, one of the biggest misconceptions about hiring an interior designer is that it’s reserved for massive renovations, luxury homes, or people who already know exactly what they want. The process can feel intimidating. Where do you begin? Is a designer worth the investment? What if you only need help with one room?
ASID’s answer: start with one hour.
ASID’s Spruce Up events break down one of the biggest barriers between homeowners and professional design: knowing where to begin. Held twice a year, the community program gives homeowners the chance to work directly with an ASID designer through a one-hour, $125 consultation in their own home. Whether you’re looking for advice on furniture placement, window treatments, kitchen and bath updates, remodeling ideas, vacation rentals, color selections or something else entirely, the upcoming September 2026 event offers an approachable way to get expert guidance before committing to a full project. Signups are open through Sept. 7, with consultations taking place Sept. 21 through Oct. 31. Proceeds benefit ASID San Diego’s educational and community programs. Register here!
“It’s a great opportunity for people who are in that exploratory phase,” Recce says. “Maybe they’re not sure they want to hire an interior designer yet, or they think it sounds daunting or expensive. This gives them a chance to discover what working with a designer is actually like.”
Design is personal. A good designer isn’t just creating a beautiful room; they’re helping create a space that fits the way someone lives.
“We’re a resource to all of San Diego County,” Recce says. “It doesn’t cost anything to pick up the phone and call and ask. We’ll answer.”
Follow ASID San Diego on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook for updates on upcoming events, or connect with the chapter directly at [email protected] or 619-548-8847.
From her Rancho Peñasquitos kitchen, Yanira Majano is sharing family recipes through San Diego’s growing home-restaurant movement
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.
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.
After two years of farmers markets and pop-ups, the San Diego baker is bringing its Korean-inspired pastries to University Heights
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.
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 Tuesday, 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.
Mon Chourie will open inside Kairoa Brewing Company by the end of 2026 and posts the next week’s schedule of upcoming events and pop-ups on Instagram every Monday.
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.
Laika Nur, MD, takes her love of volleyball from the court to the clinic as team physician for the San Diego Mojo
Growing up, Laika Nur, MD, Scripps Clinic sports medicine specialist, loved watching beach volleyball when the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour came to her hometown of Chicago. A talented volleyball player herself, she remembers sitting in the stands all day, and once, even got a couple autographs. Years later, Dr. Nur was attending a professional event focused on women’s sports, and the discussion turned to a new professional women’s volleyball league. The general manager and coaching staff for San Diego’s team, the Mojo, happened to be in attendance, and Dr. Nur took the opportunity to ask them if they needed a team doctor. Flash forward to the Mojo’s inaugural 2024 season, when Dr. Nur officially became the team physician. Click here to read more about Dr. Nur and how she incorporates lessons she learned on the court into her practice.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
