When I moved to San Diego from Richmond, Virginia 15 years ago, one of the first things I noticed was a severe lack of biscuits—especially fluffy, airy buttermilk ones that taste like they came straight out of a grandma’s kitchen and are best washed down with a tall glass of sweet tea on a front porch rocking chair.
For a while, Urban Solace got the job done. (R.I.P. to the best blues brunch in town.) But ever since they closed in 2019, I’ve had to make do with Popeyes, Carl’s Jr., and my pitiful home baking attempts, none of which scratched that Southern itch. But hope is on the horizon—Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken is (finally) opening at 6364 El Cajon Blvd this April.
Rise originally debuted in Durham, North Carolina in 2012, serving buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken, and other Southern breakfast favorites like grits, pimento cheese, and fried green tomatoes. By depending on technology like a heated food locker for online and delivery orders and texts when orders are ready, the brand minimized labor costs and quickly franchised across the country, establishing their first California location in Thousand Oaks in 2022.
San Diego will be the second, but not last California storefront for Rise. Local owner Jason Kasid says he plans to open multiple locations over the next five years and is currently in negotiations for a second spot.
“I am thrilled to bring the best-dang biscuits to San Diego,” says Kasid, calling the online ordering system a “seamless” way to grab-and-go. However, he adds, the SDSU location will have a few tables for dining in, as well as some vegetarian options on the menu.
Rise SDSU will host a grand opening event in mid-April with plenty of raffles, a school fundraiser, and a chance to win free Rise for one year.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Beth’s Bites
If you’ve been creepin’ on Oslo Sardine Bar’s Instagram stories (couldn’t be me), you might have seen peeks of a very haunted looking shack and a cryptic tag of the Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel. Oslo founder and local artist Max Daily declined to comment on the project as of yet, but promised more news was coming.
VAGA Restaurant & Bar at Alila Marea Beach Resort in Encinitas is bringing back their quarterly dinner series, the Elements of Nature, for the second year. First dinner is March 22: “Nature of Fire.” Exec chef Ananda Bareño’s menu will pay homage to fire and local ingredients, like smoked short ribs, charcoal-grilled halibut, tuna tataki, grilled Sage Hill Ranch carrots, and a s’mores cream puff.
Corner Pizza is throwing a grand opening party for its Bressi Ranch location on March 20, and they promised there will be wine and meatball tastings. Say less!
Juice me up, Scotty—SunLife Organics is opening in Del Mar Highlands this spring and Horton Plaza this fall. (Did anyone else forget that Horton Plaza was a thing, or just me?)
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