Later this year, Marbella Oyster Bar will be added to that roster when it opens in the space that formerly housed Peace Pies, just behind Coast Thai-Way.
Marbella is the first restaurant for owners—chef Armando Martin del Campo and Jhonathan Velazquez. Martin del Campo went to culinary school in Mexico before working his way through kitchens in Mexico and the US. His vision for the restaurant is simple food prepared elegantly and served without pretension.
Oysters, of course—but also simple seafood dishes prepared with Japanese, French, and a touch of Mexican techniques. Ceviches won’t be too spicy, Martin del Campo says with a slight laugh. There will probably be at least one steak dish, thanks to his 13-plus years of exporting beef over the border.
Expect Spanish bomba rice, tacos made with non-GMO corn tortillas, crudo, sashimi, salads, and ceviches. For the maximum freshness of seafood, Martin del Campo says they plan to use the ikejime technique. The traditional Japanese method isn’t seen too often in local restaurants, because it’s not easy to master and it takes more work—but it’s widely considered one of the most humane ways to process and prepare fish. In ikejime, a spike is driven into the fish’s spinal cord, killing it instantly. The method reduces stress in the fish, which reduces the release of lactic acid (which harms texture and flavor); it prevents muscle spasms an rigor mortis (also bad for texture) and preserves ATP (adenosine triphosphate, a naturally occurring building block of umami).
lunch and dinner will feature a Euro-centric wine list sprinkled with a few US and Mexico options. Decor of the indoor-outdoor space will be minimalist, seating about 30 people in shades of beige, white, gray, and brown. “In San Sebastian, you go into all these [seafood] places… it’s like, yeah, they’re pretty, but it’s about just the food,” says Martin del Campo.
There will be an open-seating seafood bar with front-row seating for the seafood prep. “In Mexico, you go to a taco stand and you just eat it in the bar by yourself and you just move,” he explains.
Del Campo hopes Marbella is the first of several. “I want to create a restaurant group,” he says, perhaps expanding to a more fine dining approach in the future.
“It took me so many years to have my kitchen in San Diego, up north in Encinitas,” Martin del Campo explains. “I feel more prepared and blessed and experienced and mature in other ways… the timing was just perfect.”
Marbella Oyster Bar will open in August or September 2026 at 133 Daphne Street in Encinitas.
A shadow is looming over National Burger Day on May 28. Ground beef prices hit record highs this year, up 77 percent since January 2020 and double what they were in 2013. The Washington Postreports that the cost of beef brisket is up 28 percent from last year, leading to menu price increases and even restaurant closures across the barbecue belt of Texas. San Diego burger joints are feeling the beef-lation as well, and with summer burger season just around the corner, the outlook feels as gloomy as the May Gray skies. So if you notice that the price of your favorite burger has gone up a couple of bucks, be kind—it’s an unavoidable reality of today’s economy, and one the whole industry is facing together.
Courtesy of Little Italy Association
Beth’s Bites
First came Carlo in Cardellino, now Trust Restaurant Group is keeping the “hidden” bar concept going with the now-open Georgette’s at À L’ouest. Up the spiral staircase lies a cocktail bar designed for the curious, the travelers—basically anyone with a penchant for the mysterious, or if you’re just thirsty. Reservations are a must, and after peeking at the menu, I’m salivating for the Core Memory with bourbon, Calvados, lemon, Carondelet, and egg white. (Calvados, the apple brandy from Normandy, France, is my weakness… hint hint).
Wellness center by day and non-alcoholic lounge by night, Andreane is now open at 1050 Garnet Avenue, Suite A in Pacific Beach. Guests can grab a matcha post-sound bath or imbibe on mocktails after dark—either way, I, for one, am glad to see the sober bar movement continuing to grow.
Be there or be hungry—the annual Taste of Little Italy returns June 16 and 17! There will be pizza. There will be pasta. There will be live music. There will be belts ready to burst. Eat your way through nearly two dozen restaurants and wear loose pants (take it from someone with experience).
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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.
