Local food culture has finally, mercifully accepted that Mexican food goes far deeper than the albeit almighty taco. Baja seafood is world-class (if you haven’t yet enjoyed fresh lobster in Puerto Vallarta, remedy that as soon as possible). Oh, the lamb barbacoa of Hidalgo. Oaxacan mole tradition stretches back centuries, and the Caribbean influence across the Yucatán Peninsula manifests in fresh fruit accompanying things like cochinita pibil. Heck, just do a quick google search of “restaurants” + “ Mexico City” and you’ll get a glimpse of how wide the wings of Mexican food spread.
That variety is what Origen hopes to show off and proliferate when it opens in Hillcrest this week. It’s the first collaboration between co-founders Franco Mestre and Sebastian Berho who previously launched a number of concepts (like Trattoria Da Sofia in Kensington).
“Origen, in English, is where everything starts,” Mestre explains.
For Mestre, whose family came to San Diego from Mexico City (his father helped open a number of restaurants in San Diego, including the beloved Candela’s), it’s long been a dream to open a place that would redefine people’s notions of what Mexican food can be.
Chef Tomás Fernández has created a minimalist menu of shared plates that’ll change daily. Expect plenty of fresh seafood, a Mexican-seasoned short rib, a Peruvian-inspired ceviche with leche de tigre (tiger’s milk) with lots of fresh citrus, and tuna tartare—all served on custom plates made by a ceramicist in Guadalajara. Brandon MacLyman (Noble Experiment, Trattoria Da Sofia) will head the beverage program, focusing on organic ingredients and housemade accoutrements. Expect around seven house cocktails—plus wines from around the world, including natural options. “They’re fun, they’re funky, it’s something different and fresh,” Mestre says.
The 3,000-square-foot space seats 90 guests, with a design that expresses the laid-back, Baja beach vibe. “A lot of tans, a lot of beiges, very calming,” explains Mestre, who says he and Berho were inspired by surf trips to the area fueled by fresh seafood at unfussy restaurants. “It’s just the art from the local people that live there, and the community that it creates in those spaces. It’s fantastic… we wanted to replicate something from down there and bring it up here.”
Origen opens Sunday, March 2 and will be open for dinner service Tuesdays through Sundays from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., although Mestre says they may quietly soft open this week to work out any kinks. He hopes that with a constantly rotating menu, people will feel enticed to keep coming back.
Origen opens its doors next month at 3831 Park Blvd, Hillcrest.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Marisi Hosts Michelin-Starred Chefs For One Night Only
However you choose to celebrate 311 Day, there’s one place that will very likely be the most delicious destination in town. Marisi in La Jolla will host chefs Rodrigo Rivera-Rio (Michelin-starred KOLI in Monterrey) and Luis Ronzón (Ixi’im at the Chablé Yucatán, named a “50 Best” hotel in 2024) on March 11 for one night of Mexican-American wizard food. Expect course after course of housemade pastas, hearth-prepared meats, and other surprises (plus an optional wine pairing). Amber might be the color of my energy that day, but hungry will definitely be the state of my being.
Wynston’s Ice Cream
Beth’s Bites
- After some company shakeups and major real estate moves, The Lost Abbey’s iconic Duck Duck Gooze release opens to the public this Friday, giving beer fans the chance to get their mitts on the oak-aged sour ale that only comes out every three years. Who said craft beer was dead?
- Not all hotel breakfasts are created equal. Take Gooseberries Kafe in Hillcrest, for instance. The bakery and restaurant on the ground floor of The Аврóра Hillcrest serves coffee, pastries, and other simple eats for breakfast and lunch, and is definitely a step up from run-of-the-mill continental fare. As of next month, it’ll do the same in Little Italy when they open a standalone location at 1502 India Street.
- San Diego is an ice cream city—I said what I said. Now that San Marco-based Wynston’s Ice Cream took home two first place ribbons from the National Ice Cream Association Awards, more people than ever are going to know about it. (It begs the question—are scoops the new fish taco?)
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