But Leucadia? It hasn’t topped the list—yet. Stella Bayphouthongkham hopes to change that with a new Lao-Thai restaurant called Coast Thai-Way, slated to open late summer at 698 N. Coast Highway 101.
Coast Thai-Way’s menu centers around the idea of remixing Bayphouthongkham’s mother’s recipes from Laos and making them approachable for the coastal community by using Southern California ingredients, like non-GMO, organic, seasonal produce whenever possible, and meats like pasture-raised chicken and grass-fed or grass-finished beef. Everything at Mekong and Coast Thai-Way is cooked in non-GMO avocado oil as well, she explains, and with the new restaurant being so close to the ocean, she plans to focus on more seafood-centric dishes for a different spin.
Lao people first came to San Diego en masse 50 years ago in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, and Bayphouthongkham herself emigrated from Laos 36 years ago. “They call us ‘The 1.5 Generation,’ where we came when we’re really little, but this is all we know,” she says. Since then, she’s seen people outside the Lao community start to embrace the cuisine, but there is still plenty of opportunity to educate.
She’ll start off easy, by offering “familiar” dishes like pad thai and various curries. But Coast Thai-Way will also feature nam khao tod (crispy rice salad), khao soi (Northern Thai curry noodle soup), and a Thai beef noodle soup—probably without the traditional pork blood, she laughs. It’ll also offer matcha as a hat tip to the space’s former life as a cafe, plus local beer and natural wines to (hopefully) surprise some guests with how well the cuisine pairs with different beverages. And in low-key Leucadia, she thinks people will be pleasantly surprised.
“This food, it doesn’t have to be just quick takeout,” she promises. “People can come and enjoy it in a way that they never thought they could… I love the idea of people coming in and expecting one thing and getting another.”
Coast Thai-Way will open at 698 N. Coast Highway 101 in Leucadia by early summer 2026. Soft opening hours will be Wednesday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner (closed Tuesdays).
Courtesy of Taste of East Village
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Beth’s Bites
If there’s one thing that I will repeat ad nauseum in my food writing, it’s that San Diego has the most small farms than any other county in the country. I really don’t know if people appreciate how incredible that is! Whether you do or don’t, an opportunity to enjoy the bounty of our local farms is coming up on Thursday, April 30, during Graze at the Fields at the Carlsbad Flower Fields. Join the San Diego County Farm Bureau and a bonanza of local farmers, chefs, beverage makers, and other local agricultural organizations to eat, drink, and celebrate all things rooted in San Diego’s soil. The 21+ event is limited to 300 people, and looking at the vendor list, is basically a gathering of the top ag minds in the U.S.
For something a little more citified (but just as delicious), mark your calendars for May 13-14 for the 4th annual Taste of East Village. Between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. both evenings, over 25 restaurants around East Village will open their doors to meandering munchers aiming to taste all the apps, desserts, and other food and drink specials offered for the event. Yes, the neighborhood is highly walkable, but might I suggest a rideshare for making your way home?
North Park real estate (usually) doesn’t stay empty for long, and 3914 30th Street is no exception. The former home of Common Table, which recently vacated to take over the Coin-Op kitchen as 86’d, will soon be home to the second location of Pizza on Pearl, a La Jolla pizza joint that opened in 2009. I’m of the opinion that more pizza is always the right move, so we’ll see how they do when they open—and what North Park thinks.
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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.
