Another high-end Mexican food revolution is in full swing. Locals like Javier Plascencia and Chad White are already doing some inspiring voodoo with huitlacoche and chile peppers. And now chef Richard Sandoval has set up shop in Chula Vista. He earned his first stars in New York with Maya, then opened signature spots everywhere, including Raya at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel. For the affluent living near Otay Ranch Town Center, he’s brought his casual eatery and tequileria, Venga Venga. You’ll find riffs on the classics (tacos, enchiladas, etc.), plus tequila craft cocktails and stuffed churros for dessert. His arrival brings some national headline cred to an already thriving border food scene.
Best known as a bedroom community for both San Diego and Tijuana, Chula Vista's food scene is worth a visit in its own right
Madeline Yang
By Mario Cortez
The spicy chicken katsu at Ichiban Sando
Madeline Yang
The second-largest city in San Diego County was long considered drive-by territory on the way to and from Tijuana, though always good for a water park visit. Now, longtime locals who grew up through the food revolution are opening creative spots, and Baja cuisine has become San Diego’s lingua franca.
Bayfront improvements (a $250 million redevelopment project just got greenlit), a thriving beer scene, legal weed, and a strong sense of local pride have kicked this predominantly Mexican-American suburban border city into high gear.
The action concentrates on Third Avenue, home to beloved spots like Grindhouse (Cuban sandwiches, cold brews, craft beer) and the area’s biggest block party, Amps & Ales—which brings bands like B-Side Players and brass and cumbia musicians, plus samples of beers and wines from San Diego and Baja.
Main Street is lined with tacos and Mexican-style seafood trucks like Mariscos Y Birria El Prieto, serving both hankerings in one truck. Even far-out suburb Eastlake is turning up with decent places to eat, like Chef Budda Blasian Soul Food, which might just serve the best chicken strip in the San Diego metro. Here are five things to eat in Chula Vista right now:
Adobada at Mr. Adobada
Tacos el Gordo is still king in Chula Vista, but the lines can be punishing. Enter Mr. Adobada, a truck around the corner with a spinning trompo of—wait for it—adobada and grilled taco meats. While the namesake steals the show, the asada is worth a try, too.
Sando at Ichiban Sando
Nashville hot chicken sandwich fatigue is real. Ichiban’s spicy chicken katsu sando is a welcome twist that stacks a panko-crusted breast slathered with a house chili sauce, slaw, and jalapeños between thick, house-baked Japanese milk toast. There’s also pretty good milk tea boba to sip on.
Fish Tacos at TJ Oyster Bar
Chula Vista is stacked when it comes to mariscos options, but TJ Oyster Bar’s Baja-style fish tacos taste especially divinated: perfectly battered, perfectly fried, and perfectly paired with a michelada. Tack on a side of the tuna fries and venture into the unreal.
Chilaquiles at Talavera Azul
The Curiel family recipe for chilaquiles keeps locals coming back to this Third Avenue institution. Crispy tortillas get tossed in your choice of two sauces: chipotle, red, green, poblano cream, mole, or divorciados. Protein add-ons include shredded chicken, machaca, avocado, chorizo, chicken breast, or arrachera (skirt steak).
Pho-Men at Izakaya Naruto
Find a very South Bay meeting of Asian and Mexican flavors at this strip mall Japanese kitchen. The “Chula Vista Pho-Men” is a mashup of chicken broth, cha-shu chicken, and rice noodles, all with a nice cross-border accent coming from cilantro, jalapeno, and lime.
Plascencia is the real deal. He grew up on both sides of the border. His family, under Grupo Plascencia, has been a leader in Tijuana’s culinary scene for decades. Plascencia made his own name with his Chula Vista restaurant, Romesco, then opened his temple to modern Mexican cooking, Mision 19, in Tijuana, followed by the rustic Finca Altozano in Baja’s wine region, Valle de Guadalupe.
For all his repute—including features in the New York Times and The New Yorker hailing him as the chosen son of Baja cuisine—San Diegans have had to drive near the border to try his food. And now they don’t.
Bracero is a 4,800, two-level showpiece on Kettner Blvd. in Little Italy. Little Italy is the undisputed heart of San Diego’s culinary scene right now, and for the foreseeable future.
San Diego’s long had a fitful relationship with gourmet Mexican food. Blame $3 defrosted rolled taco culture. But over the last few years, some of Baja’s most accomplished chefs have brought their riffs on seafood, chiles, charcoal and spice across to San Diego. The hottest thing in San Diego’s food culture right now is Mexico.
So the timing couldn’t be more perfect for Bracero. Expect small plates, large plates. Dishes inspired by Plascencia’s other restaurants. Dishes inspired by San Diego and Baja. They’ll be making their own masa in house—a key for a truly housemade Mexican experience. A crudo bar will serve shellfish from Carlsbad and wild seafood from Baja. The tequila program will be massive. Wines will come from California and Valle de Guadalupe. Craft cocktails will have a Mexican kick, and craft beers will be from both sides of the border.
There will be tiraditos, ceviches, sashimi, roasted meats, the smell of corn, peppers and sopes and high-end French saucing techniques. It will be a mishmash of border and culinary cultures.
San Diego has never been more ready to see what real, top-end Mexican cooking is all about.
But enough of that. Please enjoy our first look inside Bracero Cocina de Raiz, with design done by talented locals, Bells & Whistles.
Bracero opens today.
Bracero Cocina de Raiz, 1490 Kettner Blvd, Little Italy, 619.756.7864.
Four-star chef Trey Foshee opens new taco shop in La Jolla Shores
By Troy Johnson | Photography by Paul Body
Years from now, San Diego food lovers will talk about this week.
That’s because two restaurants from two of the area’s top chefs—Galaxy Taco by Trey Foshee (George’s at the Cove), and Bracero by Javier Plascencia (Mision 19, Romesco)—are about to help San Diego’s Mexican food scene take a giant leap forward.
Up first is Galaxy Taco. Foshee has long been one of the most respected chefs in the country. In 1998, a year after Food & Wine magazine named him “One of America’s Ten Best New Chefs,” Foshee joined owner George Hauer as chef of George’s at the Cove in La Jolla. It’s been one of the city’s iconic restaurants ever since. It only took them 16 years to spin off another concept—a 4,200 square-foot taco joint with craft tequila and mezcal cocktails, house-ground masa and wood-smoked specialties from Foshee and chef de cuisine Christine Rivera.
“For years, George wanted to keep all partners focused on George’s,” explains Foshee. “It was the right decision. We first started talking about Galaxy two years ago. The original idea was to do something super simple and fun and not very expensive. We were just going to do tacos and good music and good drinks. That got turned all upside down. The space dictated what we were going to do.”
The space is half of the old La Jolla Shores Market (2259 Avenida de la Playa) in the Kellogg Building. They also annexed two adjacent cottages (one a former kayak rental shop) with room for 160 guests (about 80 inside, 80 on patio seating). It’s an area where, right next to one of San Diego’s most bustling beaches, neither locals nor visitors could get a good taco and a margarita—until now.
Foshee designed the menu along with Rivera, who’s been at George’s for four years. They’ll base as much food as possible off their wood-burning grill (a staple of Baja cuisine). Also key to the food: grinding their own masa from scratch. Foshee and Rivera have been working for a couple years on the recipe and technique; Foshee built on his past experience working with chef John Rivera Sedlar and consulted with chef Carlos Salgado (of Tacos Maria in O.C.). To do it right, Foshee sent Rivera to work with chef Daniela Soto-Innes of famed NYC restaurant, Cosme. They had a $10,000 molino (masa grinder) custom-made for Galaxy, and will use heirloom, non-GMO corn from Masienda in Mexico.
Foshee also helped design the space with Mark Steele (of M.W. Steele), enlisting his neighbor Ross McDowell to paint a skeleton mural and surf icon Brian Szymanski (owner of Ding King and a paddleboard champion) to build weatherproof patio tables out of surfboard materials. The end result? Well, we’ve got the first photos in the known universe below. As for why one of the country’s top chefs would open a taco shop (albeit a pretty fancy one)?
“All those conversations we’ve had about what is San Diego food,” says Foshee, a longtime surfer. “Well, fish tacos and Mexican food and margaritas are part of that and I love that. You get off the beach, you go have some ceviche and a good margarita. It’s the little things done well. We’re not reinventing the wheel. People aren’t going to come in here and say ‘Wow, I’ve never seen that before.’ Hopefully they’re going to come in here and say, ‘Wow, that’s fu**ing delicious.'”
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.
Courtesy of ASID
“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!
Courtesy of ASID
“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.”
Rick Bayless finally opens a restaurant in San Diego
By Troy Johnson
Rick Bayless not having a restaurant in San Diego didn’t make much sense. That’s about to change.
One of the most famous white men cooking Mexican food (the James Beard Award winner hosts the long-running PBS series, Mexico: One Plate At a Time), Bayless’ project Red O is set to take over the space from Donovan’s in La Jolla (4340 La Jolla Village Dr., across from Westfield UTC mall). Donovan’s will be serving food until the new year, at which point they’ll relocate to 1270 Prospect Street (currently home to Azul Steakhouse).
Red O reportedly has big, big plans. Whereas Donovan’s was an exclusively indoor restaurant, the Irvine Company wants to create Red O as a sprawling environment that serves as an amenity for employees in the business park. Full plans aren’t set in stone, but we’re expecting a sort of craft beer and Mexican food oasis (sounds a bit like Karl Strauss’s digs in Sorrento Valley). In February they’ll start by razing the old Donovan’s building and erecting a whole new 8,300 square-foot restaurant structure that’ll include 2,000 square-feet of patio dining.
Irvine Company’s Michael Lyster says the company has a long-standing relationship with Red O due to the other restaurant location at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.
Bayless is most famous for his Chicago restaurants Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and Xoco, which pay chefy homage to his favorite food culture. Red O is a very modern, design-forward Mexican concept in partnership with L.A. restaurateurs Mike Dobson and Rick Teasta (who also own Ma’Kai Lounge in Santa Monica). San Diego will be its fourth SoCal location (the original was launched on Melrose in 2010), opening mid-2016.
Red O’s signature dishes at other locations include pork belly sopes, ceviche Fronterizo, goat cheese tamales, achiote-suckling pig, and goat cheese cheesecake with caramel corn and Mexican root beer sauce. The existing locations also boast over 100 tequilas, specialty cocktails and all sorts of craft beer.
More details to emerge soon all over San Diego media.
Rick Bayless finally opens a restaurant in San Diego
By Troy Johnson
Rick Bayless not having a restaurant in San Diego didn’t make much sense. That’s about to change.
One of the most famous white men cooking Mexican food (the James Beard Award winner hosts the long-running PBS series, Mexico: One Plate At a Time), Bayless’ project Red O is set to take over the space from Donovan’s in La Jolla (4340 La Jolla Village Dr., across from Westfield UTC mall). Donovan’s will be serving food until the new year, at which point they’ll relocate to 1270 Prospect Street (currently home to Azul Steakhouse).
Red O reportedly has big, big plans. Whereas Donovan’s was an exclusively indoor restaurant, the Irvine Company wants to create Red O as a sprawling environment that serves as an amenity for employees in the business park. Full plans aren’t set in stone, but we’re expecting a sort of craft beer and Mexican food oasis (sounds a bit like Karl Strauss’s digs in Sorrento Valley). In February they’ll start by razing the old Donovan’s building and erecting a whole new 8,300 square-foot restaurant structure that’ll include 2,000 square-feet of patio dining.
Irvine Company’s Michael Lyster says the company has a long-standing relationship with Red O due to the other restaurant location at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.
Bayless is most famous for his Chicago restaurants Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and Xoco, which pay chefy homage to his favorite food culture. Red O is a very modern, design-forward Mexican concept in partnership with L.A. restaurateurs Mike Dobson and Rick Teasta (who also own Ma’Kai Lounge in Santa Monica). San Diego will be its fourth SoCal location (the original was launched on Melrose in 2010), opening mid-2016.
Red O’s signature dishes at other locations include pork belly sopes, ceviche Fronterizo, goat cheese tamales, achiote-suckling pig, and goat cheese cheesecake with caramel corn and Mexican root beer sauce. The existing locations also boast over 100 tequilas, specialty cocktails and all sorts of craft beer.
More details to emerge soon all over San Diego media.
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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