This is the year to just go for it. Thinking of growing your pop-up business? You definitely should. Want to open your first restaurant? Why not? The future is uncertain, eggs are scarce, and tariffs are going to be expensive, but enterprising restaurateurs across San Diego are saying YOLO and doing the damn thing in spite of it all. I mean, we’ve all gotta eat.
The latest partners throwing caution to the wind are brothers Teodulo and Gaspar Mauricio, along with Teodulo’s son Brayan Mauricio. After working in restaurants like Allegro and Vincenzo Cucina & Lounge in Little Italy and Osteria Panevino in Gaslamp Quarter for over 30 years, the brothers are finally taking the leap to open their own restaurant—Pezzi Del Mio Cuore.
The concept opened this week in Point Loma, and it’s been years in the making. The Mauricios came to the United States from Mexico when Bill Clinton was president, and have been in the heart of San Diego’s restaurant scene ever since. Pezzi Del Mio Cuore, which translates to Pieces of My Heart, is a love letter to the city’s culinary scene. “This is about creating a place where people feel at home,” explains Teodulo.
To craft that homey vibe, the Mauricios developed a menu of classic Italian comfort foods, emphasizing fresh pastas and house-made sauces. Look for familiar favorites like lasagna alla bolognese with homemade pasta smothered with meat sauce and bechamel au gratin. Their take on linguine ai frutti di mare spotlights all the best fruits of the sea in olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes in a white wine marinara sauce. (If there’s a better combination than garlic, white wine, and seafood, I have yet to find it.)
They’ll also serve plump gnocchi with melted mozzarella and fresh burrata; ravioli stuffed with lobster meat in a vodka cream sauce; cioppino made with calamari, shrimp, clams, mussels; and a fish of the day—I’ll have one of each, please. Beer and wine (mostly Italian) round out the menu, and there are also gluten-free options to accommodate a variety of diets. That’s intentional, the brothers say. Offering alternatives means all guests feel welcome, comfortable, and cared for.
The restaurant is now open in the former Sabor Brazilian Grill space. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a short break between lunch and dinner. Dinner hours resume from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
La Mesa Launches First Annual Taste of La Mesa Village
It’s about time! There are “Taste Of” events for pretty much every neighborhood across San Diego by now, and with La Mesa’s ongoing revitalization, especially with new food and drink concepts coming to the quaint East County town, means it was due for its own version. The first annual Taste of La Mesa Village is Thursday, April 24 starting at 5 p.m., with over a dozen restaurants, breweries, bars, and coffee shops already signed on with the promise of more to come. There will be boba from Boba Life, beer at Helix Brewery, fancy cheese from Bougie’s, pizza, pasta, and lots more. It won’t be nearly as crowded at the largest Oktoberfest in San Diego, but I’m betting it will be equally as delicious.
Beth’s Bites
- The days of dollar oyster nights are gone. (Thanks, inflation!) But the next best thing is $2 oyster nights, which Finca in North Park now offers on Sundays from 3 p.m. until close. Grab a bottle of bubbly and a dozen oysters as you like them—raw, Rockefeller, smoked, or fried.
- Camellia’s Brunch is the latest spot to open in Bonita, and if their Instagram stories are any indication of what’s in store, I’ll be heading there shortly for some chilaquiles and mimosas.
- Congrats to the family behind Sisters Pizza, who recently opened their second location in the heart of North Park. They have big shoes to fill in the former Sicilian Thing location, but when you make it onto San Diego Magazine’s “Best Ofs” list in a few categories (Best Pizza and Dog-Friendly), you know it’s gotta be good.
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