In 2006, Jerome Gombert was the talk of the town. His restaurant Vagabond was an eclectic eatery in South Park, long before the quiet neighborhood became the culinary hotspot and high-priced housing destination. When it closed in 2013, he quietly disappeared. But 12 years and one pandemic later, he’s chasing his joie de vivre once again with a new French restaurant, Suzette, on Third Avenue in Chula Vista.
Like Vagabond, she’s tres chic.
“I have a very good chef,” Gombert says of chef Omar Armas, formerly of Wormwood and who studied at the Apicius culinary school in Florence, Italy. He’s not the only heavy hitter Gombert tapped. To put together the menu and build the initial kitchen team, he turned to his friend—who happens to be world-renowned chef Marcelo Hisaki.
Suzette owner Jerome Gombert
Born in Mexico City to Japanese parents, Hisaki trained at Michelin-starred restaurants like Yoshi and Joël Robuchon. He’s participated in the Bocuse d’Or, which is basically the Olympics of gastronomy. He and his wife chef Reyna Venegas founded the Michelin-recognized Restaurante Amores in Tecate, Baja California in 2013.
“He’s a crazy chef,” Gombert says with admiration. “He’s the one that brought Omar and the rest.”
For Suzette’s start, they’re open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. for breakfast and lunch with dishes like sweet and savory crepes and sandwiches (croque Monsieurs!). Gombert plans to add a more ambitious dinner service soon with classics: coq au vin, steak au poivre, fish meunière, mussels, and, of course, a crepe Suzette. “Of course, that’s where the name comes from,” Gombert says. “Nobody gets it!”
Once operations are running smoothly, they’ll expand the menu and add a few more diverse dishes from around France. Currently Gombert holds a beer and wine license, but hopes to get permission to do full liquor.
For Gombert, Suzette is a dream re-realized. After closing Vagabond, he eventually opened Viaje Cocina del Mundo in Rosarito in 2018. The pandemic forced him to close, sending him back to his native France for a year. All the while, the idea to come back to San Diego and open a new concept was simmering. When a friend showed him the space on Third Avenue—a small, financially feasible suite in a quickly burgeoning area—he jumped on it.
Suzette’s ambiance is wholly French, yes, but don’t expect corny Eiffel Tower murals or waitstaff in berets. Interior decorator Roderick Shade implemented an orange, aqua, and off-white palette for the 1,800-square-foot space with lots of street-facing windows, 10 seats at the bar, 30 in the dining room, and around 30 more outside.
“It’s a small place… very airy, very open, and for what people say, very French,” he promises. It’s not a great time to open a restaurant—costs are up and patronage is down. But Gombert knows the reality of the business, and is ready for what lies ahead. “I am an optimist,” he laughs. “I don’t give up.”
Suzette is now open at 310 Third Avenue, Unit C4 in Chula Vista (closed Mondays and Tuesdays).
San Diego Restaurant News & Events
Longtime Bakery & Restaurant The French Gourmet Closing in January
As one French door opens in Chula Vista, another closes in Pacific Beach. The French Gourmet, the beloved bakery and restaurant Michel Malecót originally opened in 1989, will permanently close the doors at 960 Turquoise Street on January 4, 2026. Originally slated to close earlier this year, Malecót has since dealt with backlash from neighbors upset about the high-rise housing project slated to replace the business. It’s another unfortunate ending that feels similar to Las Cuatro Milpas, the Barrio Logan eatery whose imminent closure has also been riddled with drama, and another sad closure after a year riddled with more than our fair share of bad restaurant news.
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Beth’s Bites
- Are you feeling lucky? Tour de Tapas in La Mesa is giving guests a chance for a free meal by bringing a dice with the check at the end of lunch. Roll a one and the check gets comped (minus alcohol, tax, and tip). Not a bad deal for anyone with magic fingers!
- If you yearn for the slopes but don’t have a lift ticket, you can make believe at One Door North in North Park—the sister restaurant to longtime SDM favorite Smoking Goat—during its December pop-up. The Après All Day Ski Chalet runs all month (minus Christmas Day). You can make a reservation for small or large groups to pop into a cozy chalet with blankets, lanterns, a ski lift photo booth, pine trees, and more to really lean into that rustic-chic-forest feeling. And before you ask, yes, there are s’mores.
- Harrah’s Resort Southern California is about to get a little Funner (sorry, I couldn’t resist) with a new restaurant coming to the resort next summer. Tierra y Mar, or Land and Sea, doesn’t have a ton of information out about it yet, but it’s slated to be an elevated Mexican-inspired restaurant that will replace Salt & Fin. Think lots of fancy tequilas, fresh seafood, and a signature “Funner” beef birria that all sound pretty tasty after a few laps in the lazy river.
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