Many beer makers remove gluten at the beginning of the brewing process, resulting in a watery, sad thing. Enter San Diego’s Duck Foot Brewing Company. At their new 5,000-square-foot brewery and 749-square-foot tasting room (fits 49 drinkers), owners Matt DelVecchio and Brett Goldstock add a natural, flavorless enzyme at the end that exorcises the gluten but keeps the craft beer taste. The 20 taps will feature pale ales and IPAs, plus concoctions like a chocolate-hazelnut stout and coconut-molasses brown. The space is modern minimalism meets Comic-Con, with concrete, steel, and wood and murals from childhood buddies at Brooklyn design studio Madonna+Child. 8920 Kenamar Drive, Miramar
Encinitas Ale House is the real deal—a consistently amazing and ever-changing tap and bottle selection, and servers who know their beer. #SDMBeer —@PetCobra
Plan 9 Alehouse. Their pork belly BLT is great and their nut brown ale is the best I’ve had. —@BallTerrence
Phileas Foggs: Great food, great beer, great staff, very clean, killer specials like 50-cent wings and $4 drafts. #SDMBeer —@TuyeYAYA
Bruski Burgers and Beer is my favorite place to grab a beer and food in San Diego. Their burgers beat out any burger joint. The pastrami burger is to die for. —Kyle Rayder via email
O’Brien’s Pub is one of SD’s oldest specialty beer bars. The owner, Tom Nickel, gets a lot of rare, one-off kegs. The prices are still really good—$4.50 for some pints. Some customers have been going there practically daily for close to 25 years. —Peter Hawkins via email
Has to be Blind Lady Ale. Why? Because @LeeChase of @AutomaticBrewCo will sit and talk beer with everyone! #SDBeer —@bernasconi
Hamilton’s Tavern
Hamilton’s Tavern | Photo by Paul Body
Hamilton’s Tavern’s easily my fave bar to enjoy craft brews. Choices galore, tons of events, 2nd Saturday. What’s not to love? —@MatyRice
Oh my fave beer bar is, hands down, Queens Of Beer in #Hillcrest—the world’s first out & proud #LGBT brewery. The pizza = epic. —@AHizz
Tiger! Tiger! is my absolute fave beer bar! The beer selection is always exceptional +food/staff put it over the top! —@jennjjones
Raglan Public House. Great beer selection. Knowledgable servers. Beach vibe. Oh, & good food too! #SDMBeer —@MartinEglitis
Hands down fave beer bar is MonkeyPaw. Fabulous rotating taps, great bottle selection, super knowledgeable staff & great grub! —@JenQFE
Stone Brewing Co.'s Craft Beer Ambassador and Certified Cicerone, Bill Sysak (aka “Dr. Bill”), salutes the newbies.
By Bill Sysak
Rip Current Brewing
Hop heads will love the Curl IPA, with 10.3% ABV and strong citrus, tropical fruits, and pine aromas.
Modern Times Beer
Try Fortunate Islands, a wheat beer brewed with West Coast hops. Its citrus and tropical notes are a great choice for warm summer nights.
Modern Times Beer
Modern Times Beer | Photo by Luis Garcia
Nickel Beer Co.
It’s great to see Tom Nickel (owner of O’Briens Pub) back in the brewing game. His beers are exceptional. Try Stonewall Stout, a classic English stout with coffee, chocolate, and vanilla notes.
Saint Archer Brewing Co.
Their connection to the extreme sports community is sure to convert a whole new wave of craft beer aficionados. Try the Pale Ale, a hop-forward California-style pale.
Amplified Ale Works
The in-house craft brewery of California Kebab & Beer Gardens has some delicious food and equally delicious beers. Rare Form, a Belgian quad with notes of fig, plum, raisin, and brown sugar, is the perfect nightcap.
Benchmark Brewing Company
Their Feisty Fleur, with its Belgian esters and light candy sugar notes, is a spot-on representation of a traditional Belgian tripel.
Culture Brewing Co.
The American strong ale clocks in at 7.7% ABV and 100 international bitterness units (IBUs).
Encinitas Ale House is the real deal—a consistently amazing and ever-changing tap and bottle selection, and servers who know their beer. #SDMBeer —@PetCobra
Plan 9 Alehouse. Their pork belly BLT is great and their nut brown ale is the best I’ve had. —@BallTerrence
Phileas Foggs: Great food, great beer, great staff, very clean, killer specials like 50-cent wings and $4 drafts. #SDMBeer —@TuyeYAYA
Bruski Burgers and Beer is my favorite place to grab a beer and food in San Diego. Their burgers beat out any burger joint. The pastrami burger is to die for. —Kyle Rayder via email
O’Brien’s Pub is one of SD’s oldest specialty beer bars. The owner, Tom Nickel, gets a lot of rare, one-off kegs. The prices are still really good—$4.50 for some pints. Some customers have been going there practically daily for close to 25 years. —Peter Hawkins via email
Has to be Blind Lady Ale. Why? Because @LeeChase of @AutomaticBrewCo will sit and talk beer with everyone! #SDBeer —@bernasconi
Hamilton’s Tavern
Hamilton’s Tavern | Photo by Paul Body
Hamilton’s Tavern’s easily my fave bar to enjoy craft brews. Choices galore, tons of events, 2nd Saturday. What’s not to love? —@MatyRice
Oh my fave beer bar is, hands down, Queens Of Beer in #Hillcrest—the world’s first out & proud #LGBT brewery. The pizza = epic. —@AHizz
Tiger! Tiger! is my absolute fave beer bar! The beer selection is always exceptional +food/staff put it over the top! —@jennjjones
Raglan Public House. Great beer selection. Knowledgable servers. Beach vibe. Oh, & good food too! #SDMBeer —@MartinEglitis
Hands down fave beer bar is MonkeyPaw. Fabulous rotating taps, great bottle selection, super knowledgeable staff & great grub! —@JenQFE
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.”
Stone Brewing Co.'s Craft Beer Ambassador and Certified Cicerone, Bill Sysak (aka “Dr. Bill”), salutes the newbies.
By Bill Sysak
Rip Current Brewing
Hop heads will love the Curl IPA, with 10.3% ABV and strong citrus, tropical fruits, and pine aromas.
Modern Times Beer
Try Fortunate Islands, a wheat beer brewed with West Coast hops. Its citrus and tropical notes are a great choice for warm summer nights.
Modern Times Beer
Modern Times Beer | Photo by Luis Garcia
Nickel Beer Co.
It’s great to see Tom Nickel (owner of O’Briens Pub) back in the brewing game. His beers are exceptional. Try Stonewall Stout, a classic English stout with coffee, chocolate, and vanilla notes.
Saint Archer Brewing Co.
Their connection to the extreme sports community is sure to convert a whole new wave of craft beer aficionados. Try the Pale Ale, a hop-forward California-style pale.
Amplified Ale Works
The in-house craft brewery of California Kebab & Beer Gardens has some delicious food and equally delicious beers. Rare Form, a Belgian quad with notes of fig, plum, raisin, and brown sugar, is the perfect nightcap.
Benchmark Brewing Company
Their Feisty Fleur, with its Belgian esters and light candy sugar notes, is a spot-on representation of a traditional Belgian tripel.
Culture Brewing Co.
The American strong ale clocks in at 7.7% ABV and 100 international bitterness units (IBUs).
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.
Courtesy of Kelly Kim
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 Wednesday, 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.
Mabel’s Gone Fishing has always supported the arts—see their Fishbowl Artist Series—and they’re keeping things going this month with The Studio Table, an immersive dining event on Saturday, August 29 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Barrio Logan-based ceramic studio Tao of Clay. For $160, guests can slurp down oysters and other Spanish-inspired pintxos, Basque ciders, cocktails, and take home a handmade oyster bowl made with reclaimed oyster shells. Gratuity is included for this 21+ event, so be prepared to slow down and enjoy the tangible fruits of nature.
City Tacos keeps moving and shaking, and the restaurant group’s next landing place is Liberty Station. El Punto by City Tacos is slated to open in October in the former El Jardin space (2885 Perry Road, Suite 102). Once destined to become another Lola55 outpost, the space will now become a full-service, family-friendly, and dog-friendly restaurant with seafood, tacos, cocktails, and more.
For as many closings as we’ve seen over the past year, restaurant openings seem to be back on track. The long-awaited Honor Bar finally opened its doors in Del Mar this summer, and Soul Sip in North Park is soft open from 4 p.m. to midnight daily. Still on the way are The Shackhouse by Julian Beer Company (slated to open by Labor Day) and Sprouts Farmers Market plans to open in the former Pancho Villa’s building in North Park this October. (La Mesa is still waiting patiently for Stella Jean’s and Pop Pie to make their debuts.)
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.
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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