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The mezcaleria and Oaxacan restaurant quietly invigorates a historic San Diego street
Thirty-something years ago, I made my first candle right over there. Looked like a deformed ghost carrot. A kind, patient Mexican woman in a ruffled flower dress showed me how. Was it in a dusty historical dwelling with ghost vibes, maybe near the haunted Whaley House? Or was it in a retro retailer like Toby’s Candle Shop? I was seven—or was I nine? In the ’80s, every San Diego schoolkid came to Old Town to make bad candles, fumble their first Spanish phrases, and learn about missions (the gist, as I understand it: Europeans viewed god as an HMO plan, and natives could choose between the one and only one provider).
Old Town is the city’s heritage zone, dedicated to the culture of “Californios” (Spanish-speaking Hispanic people), specifically the ones who lived here from 1821 to 1872. But in actuality, the shops and restaurants have evolved it into an homage to our Mexican American culture.
Tahona Brings New Blood into Old Town
Justin McChesney-Wachs
This was the first European settlement in California, which is why it’s often called the birthplace of the state (on behalf of the Kumeyaay people, I take issue with the word “birthplace”). It’s home to San Diego’s first schoolhouse and first newspaper (The Union, which later merged to become the Union-Tribune). It wasn’t a very practical place to build a town, too far from navigable waters. So when Alonzo Horton began developing what is now the Gaslamp District in 1867, people ditched dry, waterless Old Town in droves. Now it’s our 230-acre living historical exhibit, preserved with 100 specialty shops, 32 restaurants, nine hotels, 12 art galleries, and 27 historic buildings and sites. It’s the place to be for Cinco de Mayo and Día de los Muertos.
And it’s in bad need of new blood.
Tahona Brings New Blood into Old Town
Carne asada taco
Many people deserve medals for Old Town’s important, historical work. In a city where our pro baseball team’s name is the Spanish term for “priests,” where half our streets and neighborhoods have Spanish names, and where 30 percent of the current population is Latino or Hispanic—those roots are vital to who we are. But at the risk of sounding like a local with no soul, a sucker for the now and the new, I think it’s long past time for Old Town to evolve. Mexican American culture is so much more than what I see here. Each time I visit, I feel less enchanted by our roots than sequestered in a sort of Mexican theme park, doing my best to avoid the full-court press of gift shops.
It reminds me of Avenida Revolución in Tijuana. When Prohibition cut off America’s booze supply, Hollywood celebs fled to Tijuana’s bars. The result was Revolución, a hackneyed version of Mexican culture designed to entertain tourists. Revolución did entertain a certain kind of tequila-absorbent, hey-babe-check-out-this-funny-hat tourist. But I don’t go to Paris hoping to see a street performer dress up in a beret and paint a nude of my girlfriend. I want to interact with real Parisians, doing real, modern Parisian things, even if it’s a bit boring or not so quaintly, predictively cinematic. In recent years, Revolución has ditched many of their cliché tourist attractions for new, modern, authentically Mexican concepts—and it attracted a new, modern, culturally aware breed of tourist.
Tahona Brings New Blood into Old Town
Guacamole
It’s time for Old Town to do the same.
You might argue that it’s not Old Town’s responsibility to have new ideas; leave the au courant creativity for modern Chicano neighborhoods in Barrio Logan or Chula Vista. But how many souvenir shops does San Diego Avenue really need? How many giant, premixed margaritas must be spilled from the soda gun in the name of history? Has Mexico a form of music other than mariachi? If there’s any doubt, I can submit a mixtape.
Tahona Brings New Blood into Old Town
Whaley House Punch set ablaze
In my ideal world, Old Town would strike a better balance between historical tchotchkes and modern Mexican culture.
Tahona is a very good example of the modern culture I’m talking about. The understated Oaxacan restaurant and mezcal bar is the most interesting whisper on a street that had forgotten how to whisper. Its muted, elegantly lit sign acts as a soothing night light for Old Town’s long departed, who lie buried mere feet away at the El Campo Santo graveyard. Inside, the candles (LED as they are) make the wicker and sturdy woods flicker with shadows.
Tahona Brings New Blood into Old Town
Mezcal flight in the tasting room
On the wall, the framed farmer lording over a smoldering pile of agave serves as patron saint and herald. Tahona Bar has one of the largest collections of mezcal in the US, sourced with obsessive zeal by Steven Sadri. Sadri’s been hunting bottles of the smokier relative of tequila for over a decade. One night he chooses a Mezcal Amarás, which has pine and citrus notes—almost like a sauvignon blanc that’s been set on fire—to echo the lime marinade of our scallops aguachile. Another mezcal he selects smells of tropical fruit and candies, and works with the excellent Cornish hen atop polenta, mole negro, and chicharrones.
Tahona Brings New Blood into Old Town
Tahona’s tasting room
Both have the characteristically strong personality of mezcal but are also incredibly nuanced, easy to sip. Pairing it with food reveals a real relationship between what’s in the glass and what’s on the fork. Sometimes new ideas in food-drink pairing are motivated more by novelty than grace. I was once served an espresso with a dry-aged rib eye, for example—and no matter how much I can intellectualize the acidic notes of coffee’s scientific potential to “cut” the fattiness of the meat, it tasted like two brutish flavors fighting for dominion over my mouth. With that in mind, the mezcal tasting room, located off to the side of the entrance with a large communal table, is an attraction of its own.
At the bar, Carlo Bracci Devoti and Blair Marano—both vets of the world-class Level2 cocktail program at George’s at the Cove—are using mezcals (and tequilas and rums) for 22 designer drinks, including the tiki-inspired Bien Picado, with El Silencio mezcal, roasted watermelon juice, mole grenadine, ginger, tepache (fermented pineapple rind), serrano bitters, and lime. Their margarita uses housemade triple sec, and is not dispensed premixed from a soda gun. That’s because Tahona values high acumen over high volume. I really sink into the Old Town Fashioned, a riff on the iconic drink that replaces the traditional bourbon with Casta Tribal mezcal, adding lapsang gomme (Chinese tea steeped with gomme, the silkier version of simple syrup), a touch of single-malt Laphroaig Scotch, and bitters. If you needed further proof that mezcal is a complex, worthwhile spirit, this is a treatise on the rocks.
Tahona Brings New Blood into Old Town
Bien Picado
Dinner at Tahona is basically appetizers and tacos with a couple mains, overseen by chef Adrian Villareal Mora, who spent time at the legendary Noma in Denmark and at Baja’s Corazón de Tierra. Mexico’s main mezcal region is Oaxaca, and it’s that mountainous, seaside region Mora draws inspiration from. Oaxaca has about as many cuisines as people, thanks to a bevy of ethnicities and microclimates.
Mole is religion in Oaxaca (it’s called the “land of the seven moles”), and for his, Mora uses a “starter” sauce that’s evolving over time, like how sourdough bread incubates a starter for generations. A server explains that the night of my visit is “the mole’s 100th day.” The mole flight is a long flauta filled with herbed potato puree and topped with all three—mole coloradito (brown from dried chiles), negro (black from not just chocolate, but also hoja santa herb), and verde (pumpkin seeds, tomatillos, cilantro, etc.). The coloradito has shaped up nicely in 100 days, while the others, like children, need more time to become complex beings.
Tahona Brings New Blood into Old Town
Sopesitos
Sopesitos are similar to Oaxaca’s memelas, almost like English muffins of masa. Tahona serves a trio of them topped, respectively, with delicious smoked mushrooms, barbacoa (if anything says barbacoa on their menu, order it, because it’s Mora’s crowning achievement here), and a less successful surf ’n’ turf of octopus and chorizo. The octopus tastes a tad low-tide, like it swallowed too much seawater. Mora’s not delicate when dressing or topping a dish, which works on the shishito peppers (a ticker-tape parade of chile morita, queso fresco, and partially ground corn nuts), but not so well in the otherwise nice kale salad (with fresh pears, queso añejo, pomegranate and pumpkin seeds, and too much morita-citrus vinaigrette).
I often pass on housemade guacamoles, which are like the miso soup of Mexican food—largely ceremonial, rarely distinctive. But Tahona’s is both delicious and different, with a thin line of ground chapulines. Yes, grasshoppers sound gross (eating them whole has freaked me out on multiple occasions), but he grinds the Oaxacan delicacy into a tangy-hot spice that brings a deeply Mexican electricity to the guac. Plus, chicharrones are served instead of chips. And chicharrones (fried pork skin) make chips seem a lesser participant of deep-fryer exercises.
Tahona Brings New Blood into Old Town
Cornish hen mole
Almost every Tahona taco delivers, some more than others. The barbacoa (on special one night) makes all sorts of pains go away, existential or otherwise. In the most recent census, at least 40 percent of San Diegans identified their religion as carne asada. And while Mora’s marinated steak may be thicker and less crispy/well-done than locals are used to, it politely surpasses most local taco shops with its chorizo mayo, avocado crema, and onion ashes. The fact that he uses refried beans shows he doesn’t let fancy Noma chops get in the way of a Mexican comfort food.
Aguachile is another Oaxacan tourist attraction and state pride. Most locals know only the clear, lime-based versions, but try Tahona’s red aguachile with shrimp, tinted with chipotle peppers. The scallops don’t fare as well, with an overriding bitterness. That’s usually one of two things—too much lime zest and pulp, or wet scallops, which are treated with sodium tripolyphosphate. I doubt Mora’s using STPP scallops, so it’s probably a zesting gone overly energetic.
Tahona Brings New Blood into Old Town
Capirotada
For dessert, they’ve got a nice churro with charred marshmallow fluff and chocolate sauce. But the exclamation mark is the capirotada, a Mexican-style bread pudding with dulce de leche and crème anglaise poured over candied walnuts, with a side of pears for freshness and zing.
New ideas have died in Old Town, repeatedly. Live mariachi and cruise-ship margaritas have a debilitating gravitational pull on many visitors. But the city just approved a measure to triple the housing here (from 474 to 1,405), which suggests that real, modern life is no longer their bogeyman. And the cozy, casual Tahona stands, quietly, on the precipice of overdue change.
Tahona Brings New Blood into Old Town
Justin McChesney-Wachs
Tahona Brings New Blood into Old Town
Mezcal flight at Tahona
Surf’n Slaw founder Kumi Alexander is introducing local farmers market crowds to okonomiyaki, the savory Japanese pancake she grew up eating
After 15 years married, my husband and I tend to agree on most things. But there’s one argument we both refuse to bend on—I prefer okonomiyaki Osaka-style, and he’s a die-hard Hiroshima-style devotee. (To be fair, we both adore both styles, but at this point, it’s just fun to have a low-stakes disagreement.)
Okonomiyaki is one of Japan’s greatest comfort foods, a savory pancake that’s about the size of a DVD, if you aren’t too young to know what that is. It’s not terribly hard to make—it’s flour, eggs, dashi stock or water, and a whole heap of shredded cabbage, plus optional fillings like green onions, pork belly, or bonito flakes, all cooked fresh on a flat top griddle. Drizzle some kewpie mayo and okonomiyaki sauce on top, and you’re hot to go.
However, it’s not easy to make well, and as you now know, people have capital-O Opinions about Osaka-versus-Hiroshima. Hiroshima-style layers the ingredients one by one rather than mixing them together, adding a layer of soba or udon noodles and topping it all off with a fried egg. For Osaka-style, all the ingredients are mixed together and then cooked on the griddle, so every bite includes every ingredient in a hodgepodge of deliciousness. (One Osaka variation called modan-yaki does include soba noodles mixed in the batter, but they’re not traditionally used in that regional version.)
Despite a childhood spent in Osaka, Japan, Kumi Alexander specializes in making Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. “Okonomiyaki has been part of my life for as long as I can remember,” she explains. “My parents ran their own business when I was growing up, so Saturdays were often busy, and okonomiyaki was one of my mother’s go-to lunches because it was simple and easy to make.”
Alexander came to San Diego seven years ago with a desire to bring a part of her culture with her—not just a product, but a feeling. “When I thought about what could do that, the answer was almost obvious: okonomiyaki,” she says.
She originally launched Surf’n Slaw as a mobile pop-up food stand in August 2025, offering what Alexander calls Japanese-meets-California okonomiyaki. “Our full Surf’n Slaw includes cabbage, noodles, umami dough, beef, shrimp, and vegetables,” she explains. The menu also has a “Green Wave Slaw,” an Osaka-style version that can be made vegan and gluten-free, as well as matcha drinks.
Currently, Surf’n Slaw pops up at farmers markets in North Park, Scripps Ranch, Hillcrest, La Jolla, and La Mesa, as well as other local markets and community events. Eventually, she may expand to a permanent location, but that’s a future goal. And while Alexander hopes that one day okonomiyaki will be as well-known to American audiences as ramen or sushi, for now, she’s just happy to share a bit of home with San Diego.
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.
San Diego entrepreneur Kenji Blouin-Ito is turning a tiny Uptown Inn space into a destination for bentos, coffee, snacks, and more
Tokyo unquestionably holds the title as one of the best, if not the best, food cities of the world. But despite the plethora of Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurants and hole-in-the-wall ramen joints, you’d be remiss in walking past glowing signs beckoning you to enter one of the 56,000-plus konbini across the country.
Konbini cafes like Lawson’s, FamilyMart, and 7-Eleven may look like run-of-the-mill convenience stores, but convenience store culture is a completely different animal there. Absent are the sad, floppy hot dogs sizzling sweatily on a rotating wheel of misery. Instead, konbini are stocked with a bevy of hot and cold drinks in every imaginable flavor, meals like tamago sandos (Japanese egg salad sandwiches) and prepacked bento boxes, snacks like onigiri (handheld triangles of rice and seaweed, often filled with fish or pickled plum), and even limited-edition merchandise (not unlike Wawa’s line of merch).
Soon, Hillcrest will get a taste of konbibi culture. Hako Hako opens in front of Uptown Inn by Vantaggio, next to Ramen Ryoma, in early 2027.
Kenji Blouin-Ito, a half-Japanese, half-French San Diego native grew up eating Japanese food at home and during trips across the Pacific. “I remember looking forward to eating bentos on the train,” he says, grabbing quick items to munch on without sacrificing quality or succumbing to cost. When in France, he saw a rise of appreciation for casual Japanese cuisine, “long before it happened here.”
So he decided to bring it here. After AB 626 passed in 2018 to allow different jurisdictions to permit Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKOs), Blouin-Ito launched Foodnome, the first legal marketplace for homemade food in the US. Eventually, the national nonprofit The Cook Alliance took over the project, leaving him open to the next new idea but with the experience of running a food-based business.
“That experience changed how I think about food, not just what makes it good but what makes it work,” he explains. Bento boxes felt affordable in a time of inflation, convenient in a bustling world, and versatile to a variety of palates. When he got the chance to open a konbini himself, he went for it.
His family runs Uptown Inn, a mix of apartments and hotel rooms that’s seen increased food traffic over the past few years. “We had a small space in front of the building that wasn’t being used, and it just made sense,” he says. Hako means “box” in Japanese, a reference to both bentos and small space from where he’ll sling freshly made bentos, coffee, drinks, pastries, snacks, and a small retail selection.
Hako Hako will initially open for morning and afternoon hours, but you don’t have to wait until next year to get a taste of Japanese culture. Blouin-Ito’s concept is popping up at various coffee shops around San Diego, with a few coming up: Easy Does It on September 19 and Cafe Moto on October 17. Until then, practice the art of gaman: patience with grace.
Hako Hako opens at 819 University Avenue in Hillcrest in early 2027.
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.
With Sosal Line, Heidi Greenwood and Juerie Masters are importing traceable seafood from small producers and building a global pantry business along the way
No matter your job, it’s helpful to find some sort of joy in it to avoid going completely insane. Some people savor the variety of personalities when dealing with customers. Others find comfort in the predictability of closing a bar after last call, counting tips and wiping counters. Perhaps achieving Inbox Zero really gets your blood pumping, or shipping a new product design sparks joy.
For Heidi Greenwood and Juerie Masters, work doesn’t get better than logistics and operations.
“[We] both love all the unsexy parts of supply chain and backend management,” laughs Greenwood. Tracking outbound orders? Ensuring compliance? Managing inbound freight? Stop me if this is getting too hot for you!
Not enough people think about the unsexy reality of running a business before launch, but effectively and consistently keeping an eye on operations separates successful companies from out-of-business ones. Both Masters and Greenwood already own their own businesses—Greenwood is behind the wine zine Campestre Mag and runs the online wine shop Esquina, and Masters co-owns Clos Wine Shop and Fintastic Provisions in University Heights with her husband Paul. Apparently, these gigs weren’t enough to satisfy their collective yearning for spreadsheets and inventory maintenance.
So, they decided to start another business together—Sosal Line, a San Diego-based import and distribution company specializing in global pantry items. The pair launched Sosal Line at the beginning of 2025 and currently only sell three brands of tinned fish, but Greenwood says they plan to expand their offerings as they discover other small or family-run businesses that share their values.
“We want to work with brands and with products that really have a sense of place and actually tell a story—not just the product, but the people behind it too,” she says.
Masters and Greenwood are both Korean-American and named this burgeoning business after Haenyeo, the legendary free-diving women of Jeju Island in South Korea. Traditional Haenyeo equipment and garb include oribal (swim fins), yeoncheol (lead belts to help them sink), and the company’s namesake sosal, a hand-held fishing spear (sometimes called jaksal).
The average person, if sitting completely still, can stay underwater for up to a minute and a half at most. Haenyeo can hold their breath for up to three minutes while actively foraging, harvesting, and swimming. Scientists say these diving women spend more time underwater than any other group of humans on earth. Not badass enough for you? The average age of Haenyeo is around 70.
“Fishing is a strong heritage for Koreans, and it’s the same here in San Diego with the Portuguese settlers,” Greenwood explains. (We aren’t the tuna capital of the US for no reason.)
Sosal Line carries 100 percent traceable, wild caught fish from Galicia in Northern Spain and the Pacific Northwest, all family-owned companies who don’t compromise on sustainable practices. Tinned fish has never been more popular—or more debated—but there’s more to it than cute labels designed for maximum Instagram reach. “I want to know who I’m purchasing from,” says Greenwood. One of their suppliers, Craft Fish Co., which is based in San Diego but fishes in the PNW, is run by JJ and Jessica Gerritsen. JJ catches, Jessica packages, and it’s a business relationship on a first-name basis. “You can’t find that when you’re working with some nameless brand.”
San Diegans can find Sosal Line products at local retailers like Clos/Fintastic (obviously), allmine in Oceanside, Always Hungry Grocery & Goods in Carlsbad, J. Brix Wines in San Marcos, Collins & Coupe/Tablespoon in North Park, and Green Acre in La Jolla. They’re also available in select retailers in Northern California, Oregon, Arizona, and strangely enough, South Carolina. Expanding its client base is, of course, a goal. But not at the expense of quality or joy of discovery.
“I would love to see people try food from different cultures and be excited about it,” says Greenwood. “Maybe make them want to travel to experience different areas of the world.”
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.
At Vi at La Jolla Village, residents don't have to choose between security and adventure, connection and independence. They get all of it.
Today’s seniors are more connected than ever, with a renewed focus on retirement as a time of discovery and enriching experiences. The ultimate reward for a retirement well-earned is the wisdom to appreciate it all, and what better place to enjoy that unique perspective than Vi at La Jolla Village, in the heart of San Diego.
All-access pass to good living.
As a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), Vi provides access to a connected and fulfilling community while making it easy to plan for future care, should the need ever arise. With a care plan in place, residents enjoy greater financial predictability and long-term value, freeing them to focus on making the most out of retirement.
Resort-style amenities at the epicenter of a cultural hub like San Diego offer a retirement experience unlike any other. Paired with exceptional dining, spacious accommodations and dedicated staff, the best of maintenance-free living is all around. And with the introduction of Vista 360 Well-Being, Vi’s panoramic approach to wellness, there are more ways than ever for residents to access it all.
The harmony of mind, body and community.
The key to longevity is striking the right balance in maintaining an active lifestyle with an active mind in a fulfilling community. With newly renovated community spaces and restaurants, Vista brings a variety of opportunities for residents to elevate their well-being through Vi-exclusive “Signature Experiences.”
Vista Enrich takes an evidence-based approach to brain vitality, keeping residents at the forefront of cognitive health through exergaming (exercising + gaming), nutritional plans and informative workshops. It is also home to The Brain Vitality Studio, an innovative facility dedicated to cognitive fitness that has garnered national recognition.
Vista Discover invites residents into stimulating educational experiences, from chef-led cooking demos and guided wine tastings to lectures at local universities and intimate lectures following cultural outings.
While Vista Enrich focuses on brain health and Vista Discover engages residents intellectually, Vista Explore cultivates a sense of adventure through curated travel and local excursions. But broadening one’s horizons doesn’t always require a plane ticket. One recent event brought a taste of the world right to the community: an onsite “jazz cruise” featuring live music and global cuisine served at a series of themed “ports” all within the community’s own ballroom.
“Location, location, location”
One of the biggest perks of life at Vi at La Jolla Village is its proximity to just about everything. With easy access to transportation and local attractions just steps away, residents can explore and engage with their community at their own pace.
“There are trolley and bus stops within a 5-minute walk that will get you to the beach, UCSD Campus, medical appointments, downtown La Jolla or San Diego, et cetera. We rarely use our car,” said resident Tom Yager.
With the best of San Diego just steps away, residents don’t just live in the city, they live within reach of everything that makes it special.
The best of all worlds.
At Vi at La Jolla Village, retirement isn’t a chapter to slow down; it’s an invitation to discover more. Tailored community experiences created by Vista, paired with the vibrant pulse of San Diego just outside the door, mean that residents don’t have to choose between security and adventure, connection and independence. They get all of it.
This is what an all-access pass to good living looks like: the comforts of an elevated lifestyle, a community built for growth and a city made for discovery – all in one place.
To learn more about Vi at La Jolla Village or for details on available floor plans, visit ViatLaJollaVillage.com/SDM.
The folks behind Oddish Wine and Lost Cause Meadery are partnering with Bica to open an all-day cafe, coffee shop, wine bar, and restaurant near La Mesa Village
La Mesa: a bucolic, hill-dappled city long regarded as a somewhat frumpy, never quite trendy bridge between the urban cool of Mid-City and the rural sprawls of East County. La Mesa’s population clocks in at around 4 percent of the city of San Diego’s—fewer than Chula Vista, Oceanside, Escondido, Carlsbad, El Cajon, Vista, San Marcos, and Encinitas, in that order. It’s home to a killer Oktoberfest, one of the best charter high schools in the state, and a theatrical mayor who tools around town in a golf cart (and so far, hasn’t cut any arts funding or closed public bathrooms).
But any area that’s only 20 minutes from downtown San Diego and under 20 miles to Mission Bay will only stay under the radar for so long. Slowly but surely, bits and bobs from San Diego’s cultural tastemakers have been popping up all over town. Dark Horse Coffee and the boutique Small Batch both opened in La Mesa in 2018. Stella Jean’s and Pop Pie are coming later this year. Native Poppy is building its new headquarters and studio this fall. After a year in business, the new owners of JK’s Greek have established themselves as one of the best Greek restaurants in the county.
Next year, La Mesa will get one of its most ambitious projects yet. Billy and Suzanna Beltz, owners of Lost Cause Meadery and Oddish Wine, are pouring everything they have into renovating a 5,000-square-foot building between the Village and MacArthur Park to open a wine/beer bar, coffee shop, all-day cafe, and wine shop.
The concept doesn’t have a name (yet), and Bica in Normal Heights will come on as a partner to run the restaurant aspect and coffee program (which also won’t be called Bica. Still lots of naming decisions to be made). But the Beltz’s vision is to create something in La Mesa that doesn’t exist yet—a community gathering space open from morning until night that’s family-friendly, creatively designed, and well… cool.
The building has been around since the 1940s, first operating as a neighborhood market, then butcher shop, secondhand children’s store, electronics store, dry cleaners, and bike shop. The Beltzses say they plan to keep the “soul and character” of the space as much as possible, highlighting original details like a barrel-shaped wooden roof, brightening up the corner building by utilizing the large front windows, and eventually building an outdoor dining/drinking space and kid-friendly area—a must for the neighborhood’s plethora of young families. They tapped all locals for the design and build: Tecscape Design, design consultant Carly Miller-Chen (who owns Ayi boutique in South Park) to create the space, and local contractor CLTVT.
Starting in the morning, the space will offer coffee and light breakfast items before transitioning to lunch and dinner menus, plus a full bar that will feature Oddish and Lost Cause products as well as other local wines, beers, ciders, and other beverages alongside an aperitivo program and low-ABV cocktails and spritzes. Food-wise, they plan to install a wood-fired oven and rotisserie, but expect more menu details to be revealed closer to opening.
There will also be a small retail space focused on natural wines and ciders from places like Raging Cider & Mead in San Marcos and other San Diego and Baja California makers. But don’t expect run-of-the-mill options from the guy who makes weird wines and mead, the oldest alcoholic beverage in human history (hardly TikTok trend material). “We have a unique perspective… Hopefully we can expand some palates and minds in the process,” says Billy.
Community is the heart of the project, more than food, more than drinks. “We have a young family. [Bica owners] Manny [Da Luz] and Charlie [Knowles] have families,” says Billy. Suzanna adds: “People want a space that they know they’re going to get really amazing food, really fun drinks, but they can also feel like they can bring their kids during the weeknights.” It won’t be North Park 2.0, although many families now living in La Mesa came from various neighborhoods across Mid-City (like the Beltzes). It’s filling a void. It’s something they can build from the ground up. And just maybe, it’s something that will surprise people who have yet to discover La Mesa’s potential.
Oddish Wine/Lost Cause Meadery’s new concept is projected to open by the end of 2027 at 8495 La Mesa Blvd.
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.
At The Delicate Squash, Shannon English is rethinking cookies, cakes, and pastries with seasonal ingredients and natural sweeteners
Midway through my phone conversation with Shannon English, owner of The Delicate Squash, I hear an alarm shrilling in her background.
“Sorry, I’ve got to pull some cookies out of the oven right now!” she apologizes. After a few beats, she picks the phone back up and laughs. “I feel like I’m bouncing around all over the place.”
After hearing her run through a list of her professions and current hobbies, I’d have to agree. English runs The Delicate Squash, a gluten- and dairy-free bakery; teaches cooking demos; pops up at farmers markets; wrote a book of poetry (Deep Water came out this month from Beyond the Veil Press); hosts a monthly open mic night; dipped her toe into ballet; recently joined a running club; volunteers at local farms; and finally, teaches at a play-based, nature-based preschool.
I’m tired just talking to her.
Surprising no one, English seems to have unlimited energy and enthusiasm for all this work, notably in education. Early childhood education is one of the most pivotal times for nurturing lifelong learning, but she also aims to educate the public on how to eat cleaner, feel better, and support your local food systems. She started The Delicate Squash in late 2023 after discovering she has a chronic illness, going through the typical standards of care and even strict elimination diets, to no avail.
“I’m not going to say I found a diet that has ‘cured’ me, but I have found that taking a more mindful approach to a lot of things, including diet, has made symptoms far more manageable for me,” she says.
Even people with dietary restrictions deserve a little treat from time to time, but she had a hard time finding anything that tasted good and made her feel good. Thus, The Delicate Squash was born.
All of her baked goods avoid gluten and dairy, and use natural sweeteners like coconut sugar or maple syrup as well as herbs, fruits, foraged flowers, and other natural flavorings. Her signature cookie, the “Delicate” cookie, is a sea salt dark chocolate cookie that’s soft, a little salty, a little sweet, and made with oatmeal to keep it gluten-free. Other crowd favorites are thumbprint jam cookies with jams made from scratch with change seasonally; breakfast pastries like orange, dark chocolate and cardamom scones; brownies; orange and black sesame banana bread; seasonal pies; and custom and seasonal cakes (currently, the late summer flavor is a dark chocolate coconut milk ganache with berry jam).
English says some people are surprised she can produce such a variety of goods with the dietary restrictions she adheres to. “A lot of feedback I get is ‘I could never do that,’” she says. But if she can do it, she assures me that anyone can. “I like to say ‘practice makes progress, not perfection.’”
Her advice? Focus more on being present than presentation, and don’t be afraid to experiment to keep things interesting. And if that doesn’t work, you can always hit her open mic night to ask for tips.
Customers can order from The Delicate Squash’s online store, check her upcoming schedule of pop-ups, or find her goods at various independent retailers around San Diego.
Escondido is getting in on the listening bar phenomenon. On September 5, musicians Mat Rakers, Kevin Capacia, and Billy Petty will open Plot Armor, a Japanese-style vinyl listening bar that Rakers says they aim to feel “curated and intelligent.”
“Currently, there are not a lot of ‘cool’ spots in Escondido,” he says. Backed by The San Diego Music And Art Company and The Escondido Music And Art Company, Plot Armor will soon offer sake, wine, beer, and soju cocktails, plus Japanese non-alcoholic options and cold brew. Eventually, they’ll add Japanese-inspired snacks, but the focus will be creating a small place (very small—the seating capacity is 20) where vinyl junkies can come listen, linger, and libate.
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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.
Laika Nur, MD, takes her love of volleyball from the court to the clinic as team physician for the San Diego Mojo
Growing up, Laika Nur, MD, Scripps Clinic sports medicine specialist, loved watching beach volleyball when the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour came to her hometown of Chicago. A talented volleyball player herself, she remembers sitting in the stands all day, and once, even got a couple autographs. Years later, Dr. Nur was attending a professional event focused on women’s sports, and the discussion turned to a new professional women’s volleyball league. The general manager and coaching staff for San Diego’s team, the Mojo, happened to be in attendance, and Dr. Nur took the opportunity to ask them if they needed a team doctor. Flash forward to the Mojo’s inaugural 2024 season, when Dr. Nur officially became the team physician. Click here to read more about Dr. Nur and how she incorporates lessons she learned on the court into her practice.
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