Easter is just around the corner, and San Diego restaurants are already booking up fast for brunch reservations. Whether you’re hunting for a decadent Easter spread, looking for an egg hunt for your family, or hoping for a bottomless mimosa afternoon, we’ve got you covered. Mark your calendars, schedule that reminder text for your friend who’s always late, and get ready for a festive Easter weekend. Here’s where to get Easter brunch in San Diego this year:
Brunch by the beach this Easter at The Hotel Del. Brunch will be served in the Crown room, offering a variety of options like breakfast bread pudding, poached eggs, poke, pasta, and more. Overnight guests can enjoy an Easter egg hunt on the beach.
Head to ARLO for an engaging Easter brunch for the whole family. Enjoy dishes like pastries, seafood, quiches, lamb, and more. For entertainment, live music will be featured at the Martini Lawn. The brunch will also include two Easter egg hunts: one for children aged 4 and under at 10:30 a.m., and another for children aged 5 to 12 at 11 a.m.
Price: $90 per adult | $38 per child Hours: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Address: 500 Hotel Cir N, Mission Valley Reservations: OpenTable
Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa
Rancho Valencia is known for its extravagant holiday celebrations, and Easter is no exception. The resort will host an Easter brunch buffet featuring a raw bar, salads, carving stations, and more. Kids can enjoy two Easter egg hunts, one for all ages at 12:30 p.m. and another at 3:30 p.m.
Price: $235 for adults | $95 for children | Free for kids 3 and under Hours: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Address: 5921 Valencia Cir, Rancho Santa Fe Reservations: Call 858-759-624 to reserve
Bahia Resort
Dine dockside this Easter at the Bahia Resort. The brunch will feature a seafood bar, made-to-order omelets, a carving station, and more. The hotel will also host an egg hunt, arts and crafts station, live entertainment, and a visit from the Easter Bunny. View the full menu here.
Price: $125 for adults | $55 for children Hours: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Address: 998 W. Mission Bay Dr, Mission Beach Reservations: Bahia Resort
Provisional Kitchen, Café and Mercantile
Indulge in Easter eats at the Pendry Hotel. Their brunch menu offers a twist on classics like raspberry French toast, mortadella eggs Benedict, and Peeps pancakes for the kids. For those who prefer variety, several stations will feature artisanal cheeses, lamb and ham carving stations, a salmon station, amongst other selections.
This waterfront restaurant is hosting an Easter brunch buffet with dishes like verde chilaquiles, shrimp and Baja seabass ceviche, lemon ricotta pancakes, and a La Jolla lemonade cocktail featuring gin and limoncello. Bottomless mimosas are also available for $23 per person.
Price: $89 per person | $45 for children under 12 Hours: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Address: 8110 Camino Del Oro, La Jolla Reservations: OpenTable
Brickman’s Restaurant & Bar
Easter and buffet go hand in hand at Brickman’s in San Marcos. This buffet will feature an omelet station, cinnamon French toast bar, smoked salmon, herb-crusted prime rib, and many other festive dishes. Bring the kids for an Easter egg hunt and a special visit from the Easter Bunny.
Price: $85 for adults | $25 for children under 10 Hours: 7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Address: 1750 San Pablo Dr, San Marcos Reservations: OpenTable
Coasterra
Enjoy Easter at Coasterra with its brunch buffet featuring made-to-order options like omelets, Bananas Foster French toast, and more. The menu includes elevated brunch dishes reflecting the restaurant’s signature Mexican cuisine, such as enchiladas verdes and chilaquiles.
Price: $84.95 per adult | $19.95 per child Hours: 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Address: 880 Harbor Island Dr., Point Loma Reservations: OpenTable or call (619)-814-1300, extension 2
Piper
Celebrate Easter in North County just steps from the Oceanside waterfront at Piper, the signature restaurant at The Seabird Resort. Enjoy a decadent buffet featuring dishes like prosciutto benedicts, cedar-plank salmon, and herb-roasted leg of lamb. Bring the kids along for Easter egg hunts at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., plus special appearances by the Easter Bunny.
Price: $125 for adults | $55 for kids | Free for children under 5 Hours: 12:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Address: 105 Mission Ave, Oceanside Reservations: OpenTable
Adelaide at L’Auberge Del Mar
Escape to the beach for Easter weekend at the luxurious L’Auberge Del Mar. The resort is hosting an extravagant Easter buffet for the whole family, featuring dishes like herb-crusted prime rib, egg white frittatas, and Spanish seafood paella.
Price: $125 per person | $39 for children under 11 Hours: 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Address: 1540 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA Reservations: OpenTable or call (858) 793-6467
Rumorosa
Celebrate Easter Baja-style with a brunch buffet at Rumorosa in Harbor Island. Chef Cesar Ocegura’s menu features mini concha sandwiches, steak and eggs Benedicts, and carrot cake waffles, plus omelet stations, charcuterie, and fresh salads. Bring the kids for a visit from the Easter Bunny and an Easter egg hunt on the Sheraton’s Harbor Vista lawn.
Price: $85 per person | $35 for children ages 6-12 | Free for kids 5 and under Hours: Buffet – 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Easter egg hunt – 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Address: 1380 Harbor Island Dr., Point Loma Reservations: OpenTable
Courtesy of George’s at the Cove
Easter Specials and Prix-Fixe Menus in San Diego
Mister A’s
Mister A’s offers a luxurious Easter brunch with the best views in San Diego. Enjoy a three-course meal, starting with appetizers like its signature French toast, followed by entrées like eggs Benedict with basil Espelette hollandaise, and ending with dessert options like crème brûlée or carrot cake.
Price: $92.50 per person Hours: 4 p.m. – 10 p.m. Address: 2550 Fifth Ave, 12th Floor, Bankers Hill, CA Reservations: OpenTable
The historic Westgate Hotel is hosting an Easter tea party in the Grand Lobby. Guests will enjoy tea sandwiches, pastries, treats for little ones, and an appearance from the Easter Bunny. Adults will be treated to a complimentary glass of Champagne, and kids will receive a festive gift.
Price: $95 for adults | $65 for children | Free for infants 1 and under Hours: 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Address: 1055 2nd Ave, Downtown, CA Reservations: Westgate Hotel
Rusticucina
University Heights’ Italian restaurant Rusticucina is offering a prix-fixe Easter dinner this year. Start with crispy burrata, followed by a pasta dish like the vodka gnocchi, and finish with a cannoli in true Italian fashion. Keep it simple and order the 36-month-aged cheese wheel for a satisfying meal.
Price: $55 per person prix-fixe or à la carte Hours: 4 p.m. – 10 p.m. Address: 3797 Park Blvd, University Heights, CA Reservations: OpenTable
George’s at the Cove
George’s at the Cove is serving a three-course prix-fixe Easter brunch in its lower-level dining room. Offerings include a pastry basket, spring salad, and a choice of entrée. For children 12 and under, an à la carte menu will be available.
Price: $55 per person Hours: 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Address: 1250 Prospect St, La Jolla Reservations: Tock
Lillian’s at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe
Celebrate Easter at the luxurious Lillian’s restaurant at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. This year, it’ll feature Easter specials like lobster Benedict, bunny- and egg-shaped waffles topped with whipped cream, and Nantes Dutch baby carrot pancakes.
Price: À la carte Hours: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Address: 5951 Linea Del Cielo, Rancho Santa Fe, CA Reservations: OpenTable
Roy’s Restaurant
Roy’s at the San Diego Bayfront will offer a two-course Easter brunch feast. Enjoy appetizers like Szechuan spiced pork ribs or crab & shrimp cocktail, followed by entrées like the Hawaiian lobster omelet or Parmesan bacon-crusted Chilean sea bass. For kids, Roy’s offers a $19 three-course brunch, starting with tropical fruit, followed by an entrée, and ending with a Keiki sundae.
Price: À la carte Hours: Brunch: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Dinner: 3 p.m. – 9 p.m. Address: 333 W Harbor Dr, Downtown, CA Reservations: OpenTable
The Henry
Located on Coronado’s Orange Avenue, The Henry is a great spot for Easter brunch. Enjoy an array of brunch options from smoked salmon bagels to cinnamon swirl French toast. Easter specials include oversized cinnamon rolls to share (or not) and pan-seared striped bass.
Price: À la carte Hours: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Address: 1031 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA Reservations: OpenTable
Seasons at Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara
For North County residents, Seasons restaurant at the Four Seasons Aviara is hosting a three-course meal curated by chef Jason Winton. The meal includes choices like bib lettuce salad, asparagus puff pastry, and BLTA bagel, followed by entrées such as smoked salmon flatbread, cinnamon & sugar pulled pork pancakes, and banana bread French toast. Finish with a passion fruit scone or rhubarb strawberry tart. End your Easter with a round at the Aviara golf club.
Price: $90 per person Hours: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Address: 7210 Blue Heron Pl, Carlsbad, CA Reservations: OpenTable
Farmer’s Table
For a hearty Easter meal in La Mesa, Farmer’s Table offers a special three-course meal, featuring creamy carrot soup, short ribs, zucchini blossoms, and your choice of carrot cake or blueberry bread pudding with a scoop of ice cream.
Price: À la carte Hours: 4 p.m. – 9 p.m. Address: 8141 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa Reservations: OpenTable
This classic San Diego breakfast spot is open for Easter this year. If you love large portions, you’ve come to the right place. Hash House is famous for its over-the-top pancake flavors, including Snickers, Cap’n Crunch chocolate, and smoked caramel bacon. If flapjacks aren’t your thing, they also offer a towering chicken waffle, fried chicken benedicts, and a zesty chorizo hash. Come hungry!
Price: À la carte Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Address: 3628 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest Reservations: Tock
Trust
Head to Brad Wise’s spot in Hillcrest for an unforgettable Easter brunch. Dine on elevated options like chilaquiles rojos, smoked salmon toast, and their ultimate sticky bun—limit one per day, which means it’s truly something special.
Price: À la carte Hours: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Address: 3752 Park Blvd., Hillcrest Reservations: OpenTable
El Patio
Enjoy classic Mexican brunch dishes at El Patio, a 70-year-old, family-owned restaurant in Chula Vista. Try favorites like huevos rancheros, steak and eggs, or the restaurant’s famous chilaquiles and mole. Pair your meal with a flavorful margarita or Mexican mimosa made from scratch with Tajín on the rim.
Price: À la carte Hours: 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Address: 410 Broadway, Chula Vista Reservations: First come, first served
Atelier Manna
This cozy Encinitas spot is serving simple yet decadent brunch dishes for Easter. Try its fan-favorite Turkish eggs with herbed yogurt and toast, or Spanish-style French toast topped with raspberry and dark chocolate granola. Be sure to order one of its vitality tonics to keep you energized for the rest of your Easter plans. The waitlist opens at 8:30 a.m., so arrive early.
Price: À la carte Hours: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Address: 1076 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas Reservations: First come, first served
Cole Novak is an award-winning writer with a passion for highlighting local figures, small businesses, and nonprofits. Born and raised in San Diego, Cole is passionate about photography, surfing, art, the local food scene, and the great outdoors.
Dominique Rocha is an editorial intern at San Diego Magazine in her last year as a journalism major at San Diego State University. She is a passionate writer who enjoys writing about music, arts and culture, and current events.
August is San Diego at full volume. Summer crowds are still chasing sunshine, but the calendar belongs to locals who know this is when the city really shows off. One night you’re dancing under the stars, the next you’re watching thoroughbreds with a plate of oysters in hand, catching Broadway hits, wandering gallery exhibitions, or rallying on a downtown pickleball court. Whether you’re looking for live music, festivals, theater, food, or an excuse to spend as little time indoors as possible, these are the August events worth putting on your calendar.
On the heels of Cross Pollination II’s release, house musician Lane 8 will co-headline FNGRS CRSSD x Cross Pollination, a day of back-to-back grooves at Waterfront Park.
Cross coasts at the Civic Theatre for a jukebox musical rooted in family, coming of age, and blossoming talent in Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen, inspired by the 16-Grammy Award-winning singer’s NYC upbringing.
August 23
Jeff Goldblum is a classic man. In his show at The Rady Shell, Goldblum will accentuate his old-school charm with his Mildred Snitzer Orchestra and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.
Photo Credit: Aaron Rumley
Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Month
August 1–October 10
Explore gallery walls lined with artwork juried by acclaimed artist Paul Mpagi Sepuya and chosen by the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library for its esteemed 34th Annual Juried Exhibition.
August 7
As you already know, we adore San Diego. That’s why we’re assembling the city’s crème de la crème—including over 90 curated vendors—in Liberty Station for our annual Best of San Diego Party, presented by Pechanga Resort & Casino.
Helado Negro and Reyna Tropical each specialize in bilingual music, songs overflowing with proud markers of Latinx identity. Hear the ear-tingling transmissions from their collaborative LP at Epstein Family Amphitheater.
August 16
Country music superstars, proud Georgians, and close pals Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan are doubling down on their summertime stadium tour with a boot-stomping concert at Petco Park.
August 27–September 6
The one-woman play Eleanor—told via the eloquent perspective of Eleanor Roosevelt—will make a limited return to the North Coast Repertory Theatre.
More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month
Now Through September 3
For six straight Thursdays, downtown’s Fifth Avenue will shut down and become the city’s first-ever street-style pickleball event. Bring a paddle and enjoy DJs, a wellness market, and zero-proof drinks at Gaslamp Urban Pickleball.
August 8
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club’s newest foodie event, the buttery Turf & Surf Festival, offers a luxurious combo of land and sea, built for watching trackside with a loaded plate in hand.
August 22
For the first time since 2019, the free Chula Vista HarborFest will hit the shores of Bayside Park with a classic car expo, lucha libre showdowns, and the chance to meet a mermaid.
August 29
Celebrate the seven decades (and counting) spent upholding Point Loma’s coastal landmark during Cabrillo Under the Stars, a 21-plus fundraiser with bites, Beatles covers, and, best of all, twinkling lights.
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 I have to choose between letting a trusted friend pick a bottle of wine or some random algorithm boosted by a faceless entity, I’m gonna go with the human 10 out of 10 times. And when you have friends like Amanda Sarich and Robert Blair, it’s pretty easy to trust their picks are going to be unique, tasty, and probably something I haven’t seen before.
Between the two of them, they have over three decades of experience working in wine. From buying to operations to building wine lists, they’ve worked together, wined together, and now, are going into business together with the Word of Mouth Wine Club.
Word of Mouth is a members-only monthly subscription that sends you two handpicked bottles each month, chosen entirely by the duo’s palates. It’s less “build your own box” and more “enjoy the surprise.” “The goal with the wine club was basically to get members that want to turn over their faith in our collections,” Sarich says. “Trust us—we’ll send you the cool stuff.”
The two first met while working at We Olive wine bar and shop in La Jolla, where Sarich joined the opening team in 2011 before eventually becoming a corporate wine director overseeing stores and franchises throughout California. Blair arrived the following year, after stints at Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido and Alternative Wines in Carmel Valley, later spending nearly a decade helping build Village Vino in Kensington.
When Village Vino closed last November, Sarich had recently returned home to San Diego after years in the Bay Area and brought Blair on board for a project she’s working on—Serafino, a cafe and wine bar slated to open in Mission Hills next fall. But to bridge the gap between Village Vino closing and Serafino opening, the two partners kept the momentum going by launching Word of Mouth.
Blair says once Serafino opens, the team will launch a wine club for that business that will focus on everyday drinking wines from anywhere. Word of Mouth is for us “to geek out a little bit,” he says, with more adventurous or hard-to-find options from small production family farmers. (But as a bonus, Word of Mouth subscribers will become Seraphino’s founding members, receiving exclusive benefits for supporting the project from day one.)
Current memberships include two bottles delivered monthly—usually a red and a white, though sparkling, rosé, orange, or skin-contact wines are always fair game. Members can choose three-month, six-month, or annual subscriptions, and every shipment includes detailed tasting notes, producer stories, pairing suggestions, and fun extras like playlists, puzzles, and the occasional surprise.
The selections often revolve around loose themes. For instance, they used the idea of what wines they’d drink at a summer barbecue to select the two bottles in the July box—which happened to be a pale French rosé and Mourvèdre from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France.
Over the last decade, places like Rumi, Clos, and Vino Carta have helped transform the San Diego wine scene from mainstream labels and a stodgy vibe to eclectic discoveries that break a lot of the former rules. Word of Mouth hopes to continue that evolution.
“I think it’s fostered a more adventurous sense of exploration,” Blair says. “There’s room in San Diego to keep expanding people’s palates.” Sarich agrees. “We’re trying to bring our fun wine palate to the world.” Bottoms up.
An’s Gelato continues its march towards worldwide domination this weekend when it opens its fifth storefront at the Top Gun House at Mission Pacific in Oceanside. An’s Gate D5 opens on Saturday, July 25 with an airport-inspired theme that follows in the footsteps of its previous stores (An’s Dry Cleaning in North Park, An’s Hatmakers in Del Mar, etc.) and will offer rotating flavors like “Checked Bag,” “Carry On,” and global flavors like “Ho Chi Minh” with banana and Saigon coffee, or “McAllen” with strawberry and grapefruit.
Tony Gwynn Day returns to AleSmith Brewing Company on August 15 in celebration of Mr. Padres’ 2,000th and 3,000th hit anniversary. Grab one of the special beer releases and a bite from one of the onsite food trucks and watch the Padres take on the Guardians at 4 p.m. Go Dads!
Celebrate 10 years of the San Diego Sake Festival on September 27 at the Julep Venue, where guests can dive into over 100 premium sakes from 50 booths, plus food pairings, workshops, and kagami-biraki (the ceremonial opening of a sake barrel). VIP tickets get you in an hour earlier, plus a $10 food voucher, and that’s not even mentioning getting first taste of some of the rarest and most limited sakes at the festival. This is the real deal, so get your kanpai on and toast a decade of deliciousness.
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.
Ask any local, human or shark—San Diego summer doesn’t really start until August. After June Gloom lifts and children file back into the halls of academia, our coastline comes to life with more space on the sand and a water temperature that finally rises above muscle-clenchingly frigid.
What better way to welcome Local’s Summer than by celebrating the bounty of the sea? At least, that’s what the gang at Puffer Malarkey Collective (PMC) figured when they launched Dockside Night Market four years ago.
Despite being born and raised in San Diego, Lillian Dang (the event’s co-producer and marketing director for PMC) says she didn’t know how abundant our local seafood scene was until she left and came back. “We are spoiled here,” she says, pointing not only to our plentiful produce from local farms, but also our sea-borne treasures.
When she and her co-producer Lucien Conner (PMC’s director of operations) brainstormed over what they felt the city’s food scene lacked, they realized: “What’s missing is an event that really celebrates the local seafood,” explains Dang.
Photo Credit: Enrique Espinoza
Dockside Night Market is meant to be a “San Diego summer party on the pier,” she says, bringing together local fishermen and local chefs to highlight the fruits of the local seas. Chefs from some of San Diego’s best restaurants clamor to be a part of the 15-chef-max roster, including Travis Swikard (Callie and Fleurette), David Sim (Kingfisher), Aidan Owens (Herb & Wood), Chianne Mallari (Herb & Sea), Tara Monsod (Animae), Jacob Ruck and Eric Bost (Jeune et Jolie), not to mention Mabel’s Gone Fishing, Bica, The Lion’s Share, Nine-Ten, Marisi… you get the idea.
Part of the intrigue is not knowing exactly what seafood will appear—in past years, there’s been uni, bluefin tuna, halibut, black cod, but it ultimately comes down to what’s fresh and what’s available. And with a chef lineup like that, it’s fun to imagine what sorts of surprises await. (If you’d like a small hint, there arecalendars of seasonal availability in the area.)
The one-night-only annual event takes place at Tuna Harbor Dockside Market on Tuna Harbor Pier (598 Harbor Lane), the same spot as the weekly fish market every Saturday from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. or sellout (it’s usually the latter). VIPs get in at 6 p.m. and general admission is 7 p.m., and 100 percent of all ticket profits go to support the San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created to support the best interests of the region’s commercial fishermen. There’s also four cash bars and a live DJ (but leave the kids and pets at home).
“I think this is an event that can only happen in San Diego,” says Dang. Our city’s culinary cache is on the rise, and our proximity to some of the best fishing waters in the world make it a pretty dynamic duo. “It’s curated, it’s intimate, it’s all the things,” she promises.
The future of one of San Diego’s quintessential restaurants is up in the air. For 50 years, Kearny Mesa’s 94th Aero Squadron has slung its signature champagne brunch buffet, lunch, and dinner from a WWI-inspired restaurant and events space that looks like it was dropped straight from the French countryside. Recently and without fanfare, the restaurant added a message to its website that reads “Our restaurant is closed until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience.” Mysterious, alarming, and vague—one can only hope it takes flight once more.
Apparently July is “National Pickle Month,” and if I’d known sooner, I would have celebrated accordingly (by stealing all the leftover pickles from people’s plates at lunch). I’m already deeply devoted to TNT’s pickle pizza any month of the year, but Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley is joining the briny fun with two specials at the lobby bar Monkeybar through the end of June—the Monkeybar Spicy Pickletini (vodka, spicy pickle juice, dry vermouth, the the resort’s housemade Riki Tiki hot sauce) and the “What’s the Big Dill” pizza, a not-terribly-creatively-named pie with mozzarella, red sauce, dill pickles, bacon bites, and a dill garnish. I’ll admit I haven’t had a pickle pie with red sauce before, so I’m interested in checking it out for that novelty alone. (Have you tried either? I’m genuinely curious how they are, so drop me a line at [email protected] to let us know!)
Since 2009, restaurateur Tracy Borkum’s Urban Kitchen Group restaurant collective has operated places like Cucina Urbana, The Kitchen at MCASD, and more, racking up local likes and an IYKYK reputation for solid food at decent prices. Now, all three of her Cucina locations (San Diego, Newport Beach, and Irvine) are offering new price-conscious specials that help ease the financial stress for people who just want to eat some damn good food without going broke. One example: for $145, their Sunday Supper special feeds four people with a family-style Italian feast of focaccia, salad, a whole spatchcock chicken, veggies, polenta, a choice of Rigatoni Bolognese or Bucatini Amatriciana, and tiramisu to finish things up. For a casual pizza and wine night, their happy hour bar special from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. gets you a margherita or pepperoni pizza, plus a bottle of red or white wine for $45. Simple? Yes. Savings? Also yes. Scrumptious? Undoubtedly.
Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene
Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
Implementing a farm-to-table model hardly deserves acknowledgement these days. It’s not a stretch. It’s not innovative. “It’s the bare f**king minimum,” says Herb & Sea‘s executive chef Aidan Owens.
When I arrive at the Encinitas restaurant, I’m ready to talk sustainability, farm-to-table stuff, with Owens. “Did you see the chin on that?” he says of the extra big jiggly chin on the sheephead that just arrived with the day’s fresh catch. I did. It was Jay Leno adjacent.
I learn quickly that he somehow oozes both charm and stone-cold honesty. Maybe he could construct a new dish with chin goo, like he did when he had a bunch of tuna scraps and voila’d it into a smooth and crowd-pleasing ‘nduja. “I want to know what’s in there,” he says.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
The instinct to look closer, to dig into what others might discard, says a lot about the chef’s approach. I guide him back to our topic, but he has something else on his mind. “We’re overcomplicating food—what happened to just cooking good food and having fun with it?”
Owens grew up on a farm in Byron Bay, Australia, where sustainability wasn’t a concept you chat about so much as a way of life. Think dirt roads, backyard chickens, pulling vegetables straight from the ground, and a mother who believed that if you couldn’t pronounce the ingredients on a package, you shouldn’t eat what was inside.
Food wasn’t precious or performative. Making it was what you did because you were hungry and that’s still what inspires Owens today. “I like to cook good food because I like to eat good food,” he says.
His approach to sustainability at Herb & Sea began so naturally that it felt just like instinct. “I was just like, ‘Let’s order food from the people who live and work here,’” he says.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
And why wouldn’t he when lives in San Diego? Cities all over the world vie for our goods. Our tuna is sent overseas. Our spiny lobsters hit dinner plates in China and Japan. Not to mention California’s producing a third of the country’s vegetables and three-quarters of its fruits and nuts.
“Why would we outsource when it’s all here?” Owens asks.
Sustainability, in this context, is about cooking what exists in abundance, nearby, right now. “I love the local fish here. It’s f**king delicious and San Diego citrus, I mean, it is so f**ing good,” he says.
Instead of importing ingredients, Owens also looks for nearby alternatives. “You can find really cool things in the local waters,” he says, pointing out that stingray cheeks taste similar to scallops.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
Whatever he finds in that sheephead chin might just be the next substitute for marrow. But to make this work, it means getting diners amped up about the slightly unfamiliar.
Tasting menus, where diners are completely in his hands, become an opportunity to gently push boundaries. “I’ll serve mackerel, because people think they hate it,” Owens says, noting that the abundant local fish can have some fishiness. “But when it’s fresh, it’s arguably one of the best fish in the ocean.”
He also tweaks the language on the menu so people might feel more compelled to give dishes a try without preconceived notions. He might use “lengua” instead of “tongue.” “Whelk” instead of “snail.” When he puts “stingray throat” on the menu, he disarmingly calls it “skate.”
To reduce waste, scraps aren’t always discarded but rather turned into something new. Sometimes they’re smoked, cured or fermented. Apples going bad turn into apple ponzu. Lemons turn to marmalade, which stretches their usefulness far beyond peak season. “And it’s super tasty on our pizza,” he says.
What makes the food even richer, is the relationships he’s built with farmers. Though it didn’t always feel natural, Owens sought personal connection first. He recalls approaching a fisherman at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market. “I was awkward,” he says. “I went up to him and said, ‘I like your fish.’”
Owen’s is now so close to his suppliers—like fishermen Ryan Sebo and Joe Daly—that he gets texted pictures of fresh catches right as they flop on the boat. The messages always ask if he wants first dibs. “I say yes to a lot of fish,” Owens says, noting that Herb & Sea can go through 2,000 pounds of seafood a week.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
The next evolution of sustainability, in his view, will be chefs working directly with producers such as his alliance with Sebo, cutting out middlemen and purveyors where possible. “It will put more money in the pockets of the people doing the work,” he says.
It will mean that chefs can’t just know their local farmers and producers, but they’ll choose to work with the ones who have the best practices. Dining and sustainability will become much less about the final plate. “It will be more about the impact that plate has on the Earth,” he says.
Ultimately, he believes sustainability doesn’t need to be loud. It doesn’t need hashtags. It just needs to be honest.
“We aren’t saving lives. We’re feeding people good food,” he says.
And yet, in feeding people well—simply, thoughtfully, responsibly—something meaningful happens. Guests leave satisfied. Ingredients are respected. Local ecosystems are supported and food returns to what it has always been at its core: nourishment, pleasure, and a quiet reflection of the place it comes from.
When Rigo Munoz opened a weekends-only taco stand on Market Street in 2018, at first, he was just hoping to sell his tacos to however many customers he could. That low-key, word of mouth approach worked well for a couple years. Very well.
“Then, the line started,” he laughs. He began to double his sales week after week, until an influencer from Tijuana paid them an undercover visit in 2024. Munoz was hanging out in his backyard the next Monday when his phone started pinging and ringing off the hook. “So I go onto my social media and there, lo and beyond, the video already had 10,000, 12,000 views in like, less than an hour,” he says. The next day, there was a line of customers waiting for him before he opened at 5 p.m. The Chula Tacos revolution sparked there.
Now, he’s ready to open his third location on August 1 at 4994 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach. It wasn’t an easy or straightforward path—the city shut down his original location citing too much noise and traffic. But Munoz was looking ahead, already in talks with a restaurateur to take over his space at 1719 Palm Avenue in the Nestor neighborhood of southeast San Diego. From the time he got shut down to getting the keys of his first brick-and-mortar was less than two days.
The second location in Chula Vista caught fire on Valentine’s Day and is slated to reopen later this fall (689 H Street). Munoz says he also plans to open a fourth location somewhere between the Ocean Beach and Morena Boulevard areas, but has aspirations for more.
“I’d like to become the In-N-Out of tacos,” he says. He’s actively looking for places that could support either a drive-thru or the typical fast-casual taqueria style, but no matter what, he’s going to keep his menu simple.
Each location has the same menu, except labio, which are ox lips, and beef intestines. They’re top-sellers at Palm Avenue, but might not translate as well to the OB crowd, he says. But guests can still get their fix of vampiro tacos, tacos de trompo, and from-scratch horchata and jamaica.
Chula Tacos is best known for its kekas (pronounced keh-kuhs), which are extra-large quesadillas stuffed with your choice of meat. “It’s a hefty thing,” Munoz promises. It’s such a trademark that he filed for a patent, which is still pending.
Building a taco empire has been a long time coming. Munoz first started making tacos at age 12, and has operated a number of cafes, delis, and other businesses on both sides of the border ever since. “We’re a family business,” he says. He’s been trying to hit that mother lode for years—and all it took was one video to light the fuse.
The newest location of Chula Tacos opens August 1 at 4994 Newport Avenue, Suite A in Ocean Beach. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to midnight daily. (Opening date subject to change.)
Courtesy of Oceanside Sustainable Food Festival
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Beth’s Bites
Everyone (clap) watches (clap, clap) women’s sports! (Thunderous applause!) San Diego’s first women’s sports bar, One of Us, opened this week in the former URBN Pizza space in North Park. I stopped by the preview and can confirm the Big Ass Fan is still there, but now there are tons of TVs lining the walls ready to broadcast women’s soccer, basketball, volleyball, and all the other sports events you could ever dream of. (And yes, they’ll be showing the men’s World Cup on Sunday, because I guess people watch men’s sports, too.)
Rolando’s ears must have been burning, because a month after interviewing chef Coral Strong of the now-closed Garden Kitchen, Campus Burgers announced plans to turn the formerly hyperlocal farm-to-table restaurant into a spot for affordable smashburgers. I’m sure the local college kids will appreciate the $1.99 smashburger special—although let’s face it, in today’s expensive times, everyone is ready for a wallet-friendly outing.
A few months ago, I gave Navore Market’s farm-to-front door delivery service a try and as a longtime former CSA subscriber, I have to admit it felt nice to leave the produce purchasing to the pros. But as of July 12, you can now head to Navore’s second community pickup hub at Mission Valley YMCA (5505 Friars Road) every Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Having a centralized drop-off point makes it easy for farmers, and buyers don’t have to commit to a subscription—sounds like a farm-to-table win to me.
Keeping on with the farm-to-table news, the 4th annual Oceanside Sustainable Food Festival is scheduled for July 25 in downtown Oceanside, bringing 50-plus vendors together for a day of global food and drink, artisan products, home goods, live music, and more. The event usually draws in a couple thousand people, so might I suggest arriving close to the 11 a.m. kickoff for the best chance at maximizing your nom?
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.
There’s a place in heaven for a steakhouse that remakes chicken nuggets but uses Jidori instead of whatever glum bird is proffered in the children’s section. And then they top it with caviar. That, plus an editor with an obsession-level ranking of chai in Carlsbad, and a whole fish from one of San Diego’s OG top chefs who has mercifully returned to the kitchen. These are the very best things we’ve found from another month of eating professionally in San Diego. Go get some.
Stake Chophouse & Bar
Caviar Chicken Nugget
One of my favorite experiences at Stake in Coronado is that—if the patio is chilly enough to warrant heaters—they’ll surround you with towers of flame. Paired with the retaining wall of heat against the glass railing overlooking Orange Avenue, there is so much surrounding fire that it feels like dining in a much nicer version of the Elmo meme, in which the nasally puppet’s whole world has amusingly arsoned.
Three things you have to get here: first, the Wagyu popcorn (kernels popped in melted Wagyu beef fat, salted with paprika); second, the Snake River Farms Wagyu skirt steak (its Gold grade means incredibly high marble), one of the best steaks in the city; third, the Jidori chicken nuggets with herbed crème fraîche, pickle, and a perm of caviar. A childhood food, deliciously adulted. —Troy Johnson
Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen
Tri-Tip Sando
It’s been 15 years since married folk Aaron and Roddy Browning opened Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen in a hidden south Oceanside hovel—using vinyl records as placemats, the decor an assortment of welded metal weirdities. One thing has always remained: Pork is their native tongue.
This sandwich pries open long-dormant pleasure receptors in most alive human bodies. Brandt Beef tri-tip is rubbed with its “Pig Spice” (hint: good paprika and celery seed do wonders), sleeps for 24 hours, then is seared and rested for an hour—sliced and seared again, placed on a mini baguette wet with fresh chimichurri and smoked tomato aioli, then topped with melted aged provolone, grilled peppers, onions, and gremolata (parsley, garlic, lemon zest). Order two, or be prepared to fight. —Troy Johnson
Valentina
Pan Tomaquet
Pintxos are Basque-country bar snacks, finger foods for Real Sociedad games. The appropriate utensils are a couple of fingers and a toothpick. But Valentina’s in Leucadia are done with just enough culinary school ambition (not too much, fuss has no place in pintxos) from exec chef Enrique Ñol, who worked at the estimable Wrench & Rodent.
Its tomaquet (tomato bread) could be underestimated as a stacked pile of quality ingredients, but it’s undeniably great—toasted pan de cristal (light, airy, Catalan “glass bread”) dressed with tomato, garlic, salt, EVOO, and a layer of one of the world’s greatest meats: Cinco Jotas Iberian jamón. Eat it with a minor winefall of porrón, and ask for Todd—a certified sommelier and one of the most knowledgeable food minds in the local scene. —Troy Johnson
Ironside Fish & Oyster
Whole Fish
Get the whole fish. Doesn’t matter the catch, just trust that chef Jason McLeod’s got you. When CH Projects opened Ironside in Little Italy in 2014, the restaurant group took over the old Farkas furniture store and turned it into a replica of an ocean liner, tapping McLeod (a chef who’d earned two Michelin stars in Chicago) to oversee its menus.
It quickly became a San Diego staple for seafood. After leaving for a few years to help concept and launch some big-name restaurants in Vegas, McLeod is back again getting his hands dirty in the kitchen. And his fish? They come in fresh from local fishermen who he’s established relationships with over the years. So yeah, get the whole damn thing. —Nicolle Monico
Steady State Roasting
Indian Summer
I have a running spreadsheet of chai rankings in Carlsbad. The chai that stays on the highest shelf? Steady State’s gingery, nutmeggy Indian Summer with an almond milk base and fresh nutmeg shavings on top. Juiced ginger gives the drink deeper, warmer notes, but not so much spice that your throat closes on the first sip.
Too often, coffee shops advertise authentic chai, then uncork that carton of sugar-bomb concentrate from an artisanal wholesaler called Costco. This is the real deal; it’s mildly sweet, a little more spicy, and in my opinion, best served hot. If I could order a keg of it, I would. (Can I?) —Emma Veidt
National Philanthropy Day, presented by PNC Bank, Celebrates the Best of Philanthropy in San Diego
The 53rd Annual National Philanthropy Day Takes Place on November 21. Join us from 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the new Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center!
Once yearly, AFP San Diego joins with others worldwide to celebrate National Philanthropy Day (NPD), a special day set aside to recognize the great contributions of donors and nonprofits that enrich of our community and the world. San Diego’s NPD is one of the largest and most successful in the U.S., attracting nearly 900 participants, including philanthropists, nonprofit leaders, CEOs, board members, development professionals, and business, community, and civic leaders.
Sponsorship proceeds from National Philanthropy Day are reinvested in education, training, scholarships, career development, and the advancement of fundraising professionals throughout San Diego. These resources and training provide fundraising professionals with the tools necessary to support our region’s diverse array of nonprofit organizations, which rely on charitable giving for close to half of their annual revenues.
The National Philanthropy Day Honorees are selected by the NPD Honorary Committee, a group of highly respected, diverse nonprofit and business leaders. Our 2025 Honorees include:
Outstanding Development Emerging Leader – Taylor Thompson Self-Nominated
Outstanding Development Professional – Sharyn Goodson Nominated by: AJ Steinberg & Jeanne Schmelzer
Outstanding Organization for IDEA – Accessity Self-Nominated
Outstanding Philanthropic Institution – Life Science Cares San Diego Nominated by: Blair Search Partners
Outstanding Philanthropist – Dan & Phyllis Epstein Nominated by: CSU San Marcos & KPBS
Outstanding Student Volunteer – Camden Hall Nominated by: Curebound
National Philanthropy Day San Diego provides an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of giving and to celebrate the selfless contributions of individuals and organizations across the region. We look forward to celebrating with you!
Sponsorship opportunities and individual tickets are available. Please visit www.afpsd.org for more information.
