Featured articles
Food & Drink
Food & Drink
Food & Drink
Featured articles
Everything SD
Everything SD
Everything SD
Featured articles
Things to Do
Food & Drink
Things to Do
What's next
Featured articles
podcast-ep
video
podcast-ep
Featured articles
Features
Features
Features
Featured articles
Everything SD
Everything SD
Food & Drink
Ready to know more about San Diego?
SubscribeReady to know more about San Diego?
From well-known brands to lesser-known ones, there’s sure to be something on this list of the best smelling soaps for men that catches your eye.
image11.jpg
There’s nothing better than starting your day with a nice refreshing shower, but it’s even better when your soap makes you smell great too.
There are thousands of kinds of soaps out there, and most of them smell feminine. These soaps smell great on women, but as a man, you probably aren’t looking to smell like a rose garden. Maybe it’s time to invest in a quality product that will leave you feeling refreshed and looking sharp.
But with so many soaps marketed toward women, how do you find one that leaves you clean and smelling like a man?
Well, look no further. We’ve rounded up the 16 best smelling soaps for men. From well-known brands to lesser-known ones, there’s sure to be something on this list of the best smelling soaps for men that catches your eye. And trust us, these soaps smell amazing!
image10.jpg
Blu Atlas is premium skincare for the modern man. They claim to make premium personal skincare for men that is backed by science with all-natural ingredients, so it’s no wonder they are our top choice for our list of the best smelling soaps for men.
Blu Atlas Body Wash is a luxurious all-natural body wash formulated with green tea, sugar cane, and aloe vera to cleanse pores and lock in moisture. Green tea is rich in antioxidants and nutrients, making it perfect for revitalizing any tired skin or soothing irritated skin. Aloe acts as a natural moisturizer that helps to keep skin hydrated all day long. Plus, it smells amazing and will make you smell amazing!
Caswell-Massey Heritage Newport Bar Soap is a long-lasting, plant-based soap that’s triple milled to outperform regular soap. It’s inspired by America’s first “seaside” cologne which was first introduced by Caswell-Massey in 1890. It has a sophisticated marine fragrance with notes of spiced mandarin, lavender, and balsam.
image14.jpg
This cologne-inspired soap is perfect for any man that wants to smell and feel their best. It’s also glycerin-rich, which locks moisture into the skin to keep your skin hydrated. Plus, there are no plastic bottles to waste.
If seaside cologne isn’t your thing, Caswell-Massey has numerous other scents that have the same benefits for your skin. Simple scents include almond, lavender, sandalwood, woodgrain and sandalwood, oatmeal and honey, and cucumber. More sophisticated scents include Jockey Club which is based on an 1840 cologne which was a favorite of John F. Kennedy!
The Tricorn soap bar has a sophisticated masculine fragrance with notes of citrus, cocoa, and sandalwood. The Number Six bar is based on a cologne from 1772 and has a contemporary fragrance with notes of citrus, rose, clove, and amber. Finally, the Centuries Verbena Soap has an invigorating burst of citrus verbena and green herbal notes, which will leave your skin lightly fragranced all day long.
image12.jpg
Aesop’s Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser is the perfect way to invigorate and refresh your body. Aesop knows simple is better, so they create simple skin care that can be used every day. This soap is made of a blend of both plant-based ingredients and laboratory-made ingredients to ensure you are getting the best of both worlds every time you use this body cleanser. More than anything, this body cleanser will cleanse the skin while also restoring the state of calm.
This best-selling botanically enhanced cleanser gently removes grime and banishes odor leaving the skin beautifully scented and refreshed. This body cleanser has an aroma of green, citrus, and fresh scents that will leave you smelling like a clean spring day. Key ingredients include geranium leaf, mandarin rind, and bergamot rind to ensure maximum cleansing without stripping your skin of its essential oils.
The Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser is a clear gel that is low foaming, so don’t be concerned if it doesn’t produce a thick lather. This formulation is also gentle enough to enjoy as a frequent-use hand cleanser.
image3.jpg
Duke Cannon Supply Co.’s Great American Frontier Assortment Men’s Soap will transport you to the great outdoors. Duke Cannon soaps were specifically made for the man who isn’t scared to leave wifi and comfort behind to experience everything the world has to offer.
This triple-milled bar soap is made in the USA and comes in three scents that are inspired by the great outdoors. Fresh Cut Pine is described as being for the man who doesn’t need an expensive cappuccino in the morning to start his day. Instead, this soap is for the man who appreciates hard work. The scent of fresh split pine and lush green grass is an invigorating scent that will bring any man back to the basics.
Leaf & Leather is for the man who would rather explore open land on horseback than walk around a parking lot at the mall. This scent is inspired by rolled tobacco leaf and old leather and takes you back in time to when things were simple. There are no citrus or flowery notes in this soap, making it perfect for the manliest of men.
Lastly, Campfire is described as being for any man who loves spending a night under the stars near a glowing campfire. There are rich scents of hickory and burning wood that celebrate a return to the basics. With three masculine scented soaps, you are sure to find one that works for you and makes you smell good all day long.
Plus, at 10 ounces each, these soaps are triple-milled for superior quality and last longer than your average bar soap, which means an excellent value for your money. These sturdy bars are also big enough to fit in your hand, making them easy to lather, and with many unique scents, you’re sure to find one you’ll love. You can buy each scent separately or get a pack of all three to find out which scent works best for you.
image8.jpg
Bay Rum Men’s Natural Soap by Dr. Squatch is a unique blend of essential oils and natural ingredients specifically made for men to cleanse and revitalize the skin. This revitalizing soap contains a blend of crushed cloves, cinnamon sticks, crisp pine, and zesty orange essential oils that will awaken your senses while leaving you feeling moisturized and fresh.
The cedarwood essential oil leaves an amazing scent and promotes an even tone in problem areas of the skin when used topically, while vitamins C and E help to calm any problem areas. The fir needle essential oil is also known to help combat body odor when applied topically. Bay Rum Men’s Natural Soap will keep you clean while making you smell wonderful all day long.
If Bay Rum isn’t the scent you’re looking for, Dr. Squatch has other great smelling soaps. One popular bar is Pine Tar, which is described as being rugged and woodsy and smells like old growth forest. Fresh Falls is refreshing and clean with a scent of a crisp forest waterfall. Birchwood Breeze is fresh and woody and smells like crisp birchwood. Wood Barrel Bourbon is a blend of spice and oak and smells like barrel-aged bourbon.
Additionally, while there are many different Dr. Squatch scented soaps, each soap has different levels of exfoliation for your specific needs. With all these options, you’re sure to find a bar of soap that works for you.
image7.jpg
Pre de Provence No. 63 Men’s Cube Soap is classic, spicy and masculine. Made with men’s skin in mind, this soap is enriched with shea butter to help hydrate and moisturize, and it’s perfect for guys who want to keep their skin clean and hydrated.
Quad-milled for a smooth, long-lasting bar, it won’t melt away in your shower when not in use since it is so dense. Even better, this soap will not leave any residue on your skin, so you’ll only be left with the beautiful and masculine scent.
Aromatic, warm, and spicy in nature, No. 63 is a perfect expression of masculinity. Pre de Provence No. 63 Men’s Cube Soap has top notes of citrus, heart notes of cedar, wood, juicy plums, violet leaves, and base notes of leather and tobacco. This ensures the scent that is left behind on your skin is soft but still masculine, making it a great option for any man. This soap is also gentle enough to be used every day and can even be used on your face.
You can be sure you are getting the best of the best with Pre de Provence No. 63 Men’s Cube Soap because Pre de Provence only uses the finest and natural ingredients. These products are created by following the traditions established generations ago by French artisans. They take extreme pride in their products and promise to uphold quality.
image2.jpg
The Baxter of California Exfoliating Body Bar Soap is rich in lather and contains jojoba meal and crushed olive seeds to help slough off dead skin cells and buff away rough patches. The bar also has a subtle masculine scent thanks to the blend of cedarwood and oakmoss essences. It’s ideal for daily use and leaves your skin feeling smooth, clean, and refreshed.
For best results, gently massage a moistened bar of soap onto your skin in circular motions. After a rich lather has been created, be sure to thoroughly rinse with warm water. Avoid contact with the face in case it causes irritation.
Described as being a pioneer of men’s grooming, Baxter of California was created in 1965 and has been creating high-quality products ever since. They draw from both science and nature to take care of a man’s every need.
image6.jpg
Step up your shower game with Mistral’s Bourbon Vanilla Bar Soap. This warm and inviting soap is made with pure vegetable ingredients, including glycerin, grapeseed oil, and grape leaf extract, all of which help to moisturize and nourish the skin.
The luxurious bar is also free from harmful chemicals like parabens, alcohol, and phthalates, and it’s sustainably sourced. Plus, it features a tantalizing blend of bourbon vanilla, smoked bourbon cask wood, and golden tobacco leaf that will leave you smelling great long after you’ve rinsed off.
If Bourbon Vanilla is not the scent for you, Minstrel offers plenty of other options. Black Amber is an original fusion of amber, black patchouli, warm woods, and citrus. Cedarwood Marine is inspired by the Mediterranean coast and is a blend of marine and pine scents. Mezcal Lime smells like freshly squeezed lime juice, guaiac wood, and agave syrup.
Regardless of which soap you chose, you are bound to smell good if you use a Mistral bar soap.
image9.jpg
Awaken your senses with the fresh, earthy scent of Wood Sage & Sea Salt Body Wash from Jo Malone. This invigorating formula is enriched with meadowfoam seed to help cleanse and condition your skin, while the woodsy aroma of sage and sea salt delivers an uplifting fragrance experience.
The fragrance family is earthy and woody, the scent type is earthy green with herbs, and the key notes are ambrette seeds, sea salt, and sage. If you’re looking for a soap that will make any man smell great, the Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Body Wash is a great choice.
image13.jpg
Looking for a deep-cleansing, exfoliating soap bar that smells great? Look no further than Marlowe Body Scrub Soap Bar. With its combination of apricot seed and pumice, this soap can scrub away any layer of dead skin cells, revealing the healthy, new skin hiding underneath.
Choose from three scents: original, oud wood, or santal. Each has its own unique blend of scents. Original is a fresh and woodsy scent that has light scents of pine and agarwood, oud wood is an earthy blend of oud wood, smoked birch, cardamon, and vanilla, and santal is a warm scent with different layers of amber, spice, and citron.
Regardless of which Body Scrub Soap Bar you pick up, you’ll fall in love with the scent. Plus, it’s never tested on animals, made in the USA, and paraben/phthalate free.
image1.jpg
Boozy Soaps Swag Brewery is the perfect soap for craft beer lovers, wine drinks, whisky sippers, or any man who wants to smell great. These products are handcrafted in the USA with quality ingredients that include real beer, wine, and whiskey.
The Kentucky Bourbon Whisky Soap has a scent derived from whisky itself. This soap is made from ingredients like crushed oats, rosemary leaf extract, apricot seeds, and actual whiskey to ensure the scent is authentic.
The Vintage Merlot Wine Soap is scented like real wine and is described as smelling like rich and bright jam. It’s made with ingredients like cranberry seed, rosemary leaf extract, and actual wine. The wine included is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, making it not only smell great but also a nutritious treatment for your skin.
Finally, the Hoppy IPA Beer Soap smells like real beer with spicy, herbal, and grassy scents. This soap is made with ingredients like rosemary leaf extract, real hops, and beer. These soaps create such a good lather that they are perfect for washing, shampooing, or even shaving.
image15.jpg
Blue Charcoal Oars Bar Soap is a deep-cleansing soap that will keep your skin pimple-free and smelling great. This soap is designed specifically for guys who want to get rid of dead skin cells and bacteria that can lead to acne and pimples.
Volcanic Sand gently buffs away the dead skin cells, while Activated Charcoal binds to dirt and sweat to help keep your pores clear. And thanks to the inclusion of Blue Green Algae and Witch Hazel Extract, your skin will be balanced and less oily. The Blue Charcoal Oars Bar Soap smells great and will leave you feeling clean and refreshed.
For best results, it’s recommended to use it every other day. Wet the soap first and massage it into wet skin to remove dead skin cells, then be sure to thoroughly rinse. Avoid your face or open cuts when using this soap.
image4.jpg
This Kiehl’s Grooming Solutions Exfoliating Bar Soap is perfect for men who want to invigorate and energize their skin. It has a rich, lathering texture that leaves skin feeling soft, smooth, and clean. The Grooming Solutions Exfoliating Bar Soap is infused with a woodsy aromatic blend that energizes and invigorates the skin while leaving you smelling great all day long.
Pumice is used as an abrasive in the soap and works as a natural exfoliating. This will help to remove dead and rough skin, leaving behind smoother feeling skin. Jojoba seed powder is used within the formula as a gentle exfoliant. After your skin has been thoroughly exfoliated, pracaxi oil is used to add moisture back into the skin.
For best results, it’s recommended to gently massage the bar soap onto wet skin to create a rich lather. After this, be sure to rinse thoroughly with warm water. The Kiehl’s Grooming Solutions Exfoliating Bar Soap is not meant to be used on the face.
image5.jpg
Musgo Real Classic Scent Soap on a Rope will revive your senses and is the perfect start to any man’s day. This soap is infused with the classic scent of the original Musgo Real fragrance and is a masculine blend of warm musk, patchouli, and vetiver. The top notes are patchouli, neroli, and bergamot, the heart notes are lavender, violet, and wood, and finally, the base notes are vetiver and musk, resulting in an elegant masculine fragrance.
Musgo Real Classic Scent Soap on a Rope is also enriched with walnut extract and formulated with 100% vegetable oils to moisturize your skin. Each soap comes with a pure cotton cord that is manually inserted into the soap by experts to ensure proper placement. The rope reduces the risk of dropping the soap in the shower which makes it easy to hold.
Additionally, the rope makes it possible to hang the soap after use allowing it to dry quickly. When the soap hangs and dries fast, it’s more hygienic and lasts longer, which saves you money in the long run.
image16.jpg
Just like you’d start your day with a cup of coffee, start your day with the Charles + Lee Coffee Soap Bar. This soap bar is formulated with arabica beans and oatmeal for gentle exfoliation, while jojoba oil, shea butter, and vitamin E is added for nourishment and hydration. Additionally, the shea butter helps to reduce blemishes and restore skin elasticity.
The Charles + Lee Coffee Soap Bar smells like coffee and vanilla and is sure to make your shower smell like your favorite coffee shop. This is a great option for any man who wants to smell good and is also vegan and cruelty free.
image17.jpg
Even though this soap is the last on our list of the 16 best smelling soaps for men, the Seattle Sundries Manly Man Soap is still a great option.
Seattle Sundries Manly Man Soap is the perfect soap for men who want to feel like men. This rich, complex body bar is scented with the oils of clary sage, vetiver, and lime to give it a marvelous musky aroma that can make any man feel like a badass.
Not only does this soap smell great, but it is also good for all skin types. It’s a whole body cleansing experience, including the face. There are no parabens, preservatives, or artificial dyes in this soap either, making it all natural. Plus, this bar is long lasting, meaning you will enjoy it for many showers to come.
While this soap was formulated with men in mind, it is safe for all skin types and women and children to use. You might find that everyone in the family loves the smell of Seattle Sundries Manly Man Soap.
With such a variety of scents ranging from citrusy and woodsy to clean and fresh, there is sure to be something on this list that will make you feel more confident and attractive. Pick your favorite off this list and enjoy the benefits of a good-smelling soap today.
.
The San Diego home remodeling company works on full homes, kitchens, bathrooms, home additions, ADUs, garages, landscapes, and hardscapes.
Most homeowners want two things before they commit to a remodel: a realistic sense of cost and a clear picture of what the finished space will look like. Milan Design + Build helps deliver both through its online remodeling estimator and personalized design consultations, supported by a showroom experience and 3D renderings.
“The online estimate gives homeowners a starting number in about a minute, and the showroom and 3D renderings let them see materials and layouts before anything is built,” says David Noriani, CEO of Milan Design + Build. “Keeping design, permits, and construction with one team helps us manage expectations and keep everyone working toward the same vision.”

Modern design is a particular focus for Milan, with an emphasis on clean lines, natural light, functional layouts, and carefully selected materials. The team adapts each design to the homeowner’s lifestyle and the character of the property. Milan Design + Build combines thoughtful design with construction expertise, creating spaces that are as functional as they are beautiful.
The online estimator covers kitchen remodels, bathroom renovations, full-home remodels, and ADU construction. At Milan’s showroom on Carroll Road, visitors can review real materials, finishes, and design options, meet the design-build team, and discuss project scope, budget, and timing. Consultations can also be held virtually for homeowners who prefer to start remotely.
At Milan Design + Build, one integrated team works on the entire project. Design and construction aren’t divided between separate firms. The process begins with a consultation and feasibility review, followed by design, space planning, and 3D renderings developed from detailed measurements and digital scans. The team also coordinates architectural plans, structural engineering, city approvals, and material selection, with construction overseen by a dedicated project manager.
Homeowners can explore their remodeling options, get an initial estimate, or request a design consultation at MilanBuild.com.

The Campaign for La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) will fuel scientific innovation and medical advances
La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) is going public with a bold bet: a $55 million campaign to propel medical research into a new era. The Campaign for LJI will fuel discovery, empower scientific innovation, and expand the impact of immunology on human health.
The Institute quietly kicked things off in 2023, guided by its Board, campaign volunteers, and early believers. Nearly 80% of the $55 million goal is already in hand. Now LJI is opening the doors and inviting the whole community to carry their visions across the finish line and back discoveries that change how LJI researchers understand, treat, and prevent disease.
And there’s a bonus. To mark the public launch, LJI Board member and Campaign Honorary Chair Anthony R. Carr is offering a special matching gift so new donors can double their impact. Full details are here.
Immunology has already rewritten human history. Advances in immune science helped wipe out smallpox, pushed polio to the brink of elimination, and revolutionized how we prevent and treat infectious disease. Today, immune-based therapies are opening doors for patients with cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other serious illnesses once considered untreatable.
For nearly four decades, LJI scientists have stood on the front lines, driven by one insight: the immune system shapes disease in virtually every organ in the body. By decoding how the immune system works and how to harness it to prevent and treat disease, LJI researchers are chasing the Institute’s ultimate mission: Life Without Disease®.
To make that mission real, the Institute pairs world-class scientists with cutting-edge technology, speeding up breakthroughs and turning discoveries into transformative new therapies that ease suffering worldwide.
The Campaign for LJI supercharges that momentum, uniting the vision of the Institute’s scientists with a community that believes in research. Focused on advancing LJI’s most promising areas of study, the campaign aims to help build a future free from the burden of disease, a goal that demands bold ideas, lasting partnerships, and generous philanthropic support.
The Campaign for LJI will advance research across three critical pillars:
1. President’s Priority Fund. Flexible, unrestricted dollars let big ideas move now, not later. Scientists can launch high-risk, high-reward projects, bring experts together across disciplines, build transformative technologies, and train tomorrow’s scientific leaders.
2. Center for Sex-Based Differences in the Immune System. Male and female immune systems don’t respond the same way, and LJI researchers are tracing the fundamental differences down to individual cells and molecular pathways. The Campaign will speed up this pioneering work, revealing hidden drivers of disease and paving the way for more precise, biologically informed therapies for autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, cancer, and beyond.
3. Center for Vaccine Innovation. Immunologists, bioengineers, and vaccine experts are teaming up to design the next generation of vaccines and immune-based therapies. With donor support, LJI scientists can engineer longer-lasting and more personalized vaccines, pinpoint the cellular mechanisms driving protective immunity, and refine delivery methods to prevent autoimmune disease and treat cancer.
As the campaign enters its public phase, LJI welcomes new partners and supporters to join this landmark initiative. Community support is essential to accelerating scientific discovery, and there are many meaningful ways to help shape the future of immunology. Donors may direct their gifts to any campaign priority or other area of interest. As a comprehensive campaign, all gifts to LJI count toward the campaign goal, regardless of designation. Join the campaign, and multiply your impact with our limited-time matching opportunity.
To explore the campaign, visit imagine.lji.org.
Scripps orthopedic surgeons are investigating stem cells as an alternative to joint replacement
Shiley Center for Orthopaedic Research and Education at Scripps Clinic recently received a $12.7 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to investigate whether they can transform stem cells into tissue that can repair some types of knee injuries. Currently, if a patient has lost most, if not all, of the cartilage in their knee, then their doctor will recommend a total joint replacement. Joint replacement is safe and effective, but patients who’ve only lost part of their cartilage often don’t qualify. A stem cell-based treatment would provide these patients an option that doesn’t involve donor tissue. Click here for more on the preclinical trial process.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
Artwork throughout the Lusardi Tower at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas promotes hope and healing
The recently opened Lusardi Tower at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas is a state-of-the-art addition to the hospital staffed by dedicated team members who’ve helped make Scripps one of the nation’s leading healthcare systems. Complementary to that medical excellence, the Lusardi Tower also represents the latest expansion of the Scripps Arts for Healing Program. The philanthropic initiative strategically places nature- and community-based artwork throughout the hospital to support health and well-being. Both Scripps Encinitas and Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla have healing arts programs as part of new building projects and growth on the campuses. Click here to read more about the Healing Arts Program and how residents from a nearby retirement community showed their support.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
From century-old Craftsman homes to vegan fantasy bars, dive bars, and a tiki room built for exactly two people, this is one of San Diego’s great little neighborhoods
You may not realize it, but Balboa Park is bigger than Central Park (in fact, 1.5 times larger). Pressed right up against its southeastern edge is a little architecture farm built on old trolley bones, where houses look like someone was collecting architectural styles and local businesses are still run by people who seem personally invested in keeping this place interesting.
This is South Park.
To understand why it feels the way it does today—less like one commercial strip and more like a handful of tiny villages—you have to go back to the trolley.
The land that became the original South Park Addition (the subdivision’s original name) was surveyed in 1870 and officially filed in 1890, but the neighborhood really started becoming a neighborhood in the early 1900s. The Bartlett Estate Company began developing and marketing the tract in earnest around 1906, pairing lots and new homes with something extremely useful if you lived outside Downtown in the horse-and-buggy era: an electric streetcar.
On May 1, 1906, the South Park and East Side Railway made its first trip. Developers didn’t just build near transportation; they helped pay for the transportation, then used it to sell the dream. Downtown had industry, noise, and congestion. Out here were palms, sidewalks, utilities, room to breathe and a four-cent ride back to the city.
It worked. Homes began filling in around the streetcar route, and little commercial clusters grew around the places where people got on and off. That transportation pattern is still written into South Park’s geography. Some of the neighborhood’s odd street geometry is also due in part to the trolley—the old line cut across parcels instead of politely obeying the grid, leaving behind pieces of land that later businesses learned to build around. Places like Station Tavern sit on the former easement and station site of San Diego’s No. 2 trolley line.
Then San Diego went big for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in neighboring Balboa Park. The exposition transformed much of the park and helped push the city through another burst of building and growth. South Park was right there to absorb some of that momentum.
And the people building houses here had taste.
Walk the residential streets now and it can feel like somebody planted an architectural sample garden: Craftsman, Prairie, Mission Revival, Tudor Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival. Creedence Clearwater Revival. All the revivals. The neighborhood includes work by Irving Gill, one of the defining architects of early modern California; Gill-designed Prairie homes still stand along Granada Avenue.
The city formally designated the South Park Historic District in 2017, recognizing roughly 400 properties and a period of significance stretching from 1906 through 1949. In other words, a lot of what makes the place feel old is actually old.
While the trolley eventually disappeared, the basic idea behind it didn’t. South Park is still a neighborhood organized around little pockets of human activity: a couple blocks where you can buy a record, drink a beer, find a 60-year-old lamp, eat a vegan burger beneath gothic beasts, browse a bookstore, and walk home past a century-old Craftsman.
The 30th-and-Fern area may be the clearest example. Several surviving buildings there date to South Park’s early development, including the old Fire Station No. 9, Rose Grocery building, and Burlingame Garage. What began as infrastructure for a young streetcar suburb became the neighborhood’s commercial heart.
That history is also partly why buying a house here can be competitive. There isn’t some endless supply of vacant land waiting around the corner for another subdivision. Much of the neighborhood filled in generations ago, and the architecture itself is part of the appeal.
San Diego Mag’s been documenting the city for 78 years. And we’ve been looking for a partner who loved the city enough to help us tell its stories. Redfin is that partner. They’re helping us tell the story of some of the city’s most unique neighborhoods. They launched Redfin Early Access this year to get their people in first and to see certain coming-soon and exclusive listings on Redfin before they appear on other major real-estate sites.
First up: South Park.
Here are some of the people and places worth knowing here:

Start with Judy “the Beauty” Forman, because it’s difficult to explain South Park without her. The former social worker bought Big Kitchen in 1980 and turned a neighborhood breakfast joint into a gathering place for artists, musicians, activists, politicians, eccentrics, and pretty much anyone who needed somewhere to belong. As Judy puts it, “I built this for people who others passed over.”
One of those people was a young single mom named Whoopi Goldberg, who worked as a dishwasher here before the Whoopi Goldberg part of her career happened. Today Big Kitchen still serves breakfast and lunch Thursday through Monday.
3003 Grape Street
Whistle Stop reopened in 2001, right as South Park’s little independent-business ecosystem was finding a new generation. Owner Sam Chammas—also connected to Live Wire and, later, Station Tavern—helped turn it into the kind of neighborhood bar where the calendar can jump from a DJ night to live bands to some strange communal event nobody at a normal sports bar would propose.
The room still has that laid-back, slightly sweaty house-party quality. Check what’s happening before you go, because Whistle Stop changes personality depending on the night: sometimes neighborhood beer, sometimes everyone dancing beneath the disco ball like work tomorrow was canceled.
2236 Fern Street
Station Tavern may be the most literal example of old South Park becoming new South Park. It opened in 2009 on land once crossed diagonally by the No. 2 trolley line, and architect Lloyd Russell incorporated that history into the design rather than pretending the weirdly shaped lot wasn’t weirdly shaped. The project won the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s Grand Orchid Award the same year it opened.
Sam Chammas built the place as an open-air burger-and-beer spot with big communal tables, a backyard, room for kids, and room for dogs. It still works exactly that way: get a burger, get the tots, let everybody spread out, stay awhile.
2204 Fern Street
Kindred arrived in late 2015 looking nothing like the beige-and-leafy vegan restaurant stereotype. The place went full gothic fever dream—heavy music, wild cocktails, decadent plant-based food—and eventually collected national vegan accolades plus local Restaurant of the Year and design honors.
And in 2026, it got even weirder. Hidden behind a chain-mail passage inside Kindred is Throne Room, a medieval-fantasy cocktail chamber whose mythology grew out of a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired map the Kindred team created for a 2017 Coachella pop-up. The 90-minute experience has scroll menus, plant-based mezze, cocktails and zero interest in pretending restaurants need to behave normally.
1503 30th Street

Vinyl Junkies has good music-scene DNA. Founder Eric Howarth previously ran indie label Hi-Speed Soul, whose roster included acts like Nada Surf and Swervedriver, then teamed with Casbah owner Tim Mays after the pair had spent years putting on Vinyl Junkies record swaps.
They opened the South Park brick-and-mortar shop in 2017, and it remains a buy-sell-trade temple for people who understand that owning music on a physical object is irrational in exactly the right way. Go flip through the new arrivals. Leave holding something you had absolutely no intention of buying.
2235 Fern Street
Bad Madge is what happens when “vintage store” doesn’t quite explain the situation. Owner Tanya McAnear and her team fill the shop with furniture, clothing, barware, records, art, jewelry, collectibles, and various objects that seem like they may know things about their previous owners. The shop opened in 2011 and has made reuse and upcycling part of its identity ever since. Go in without looking for anything specific—specificity will only slow you down.
2205 Fern Street
Across the neighborhood’s vintage-and-vinyl universe sits Thread + Seed, a local boutique built around clothing, denim, gifts, and personal styling. Its South Park shop has an especially deep denim program—petite, tall, wide-leg, straight, flare—and the store also offers one-on-one styling built around color and body type. In other words, this is where you go after deciding the jeans currently on your body have betrayed you. South Park understands that sometimes personal renewal begins with pants.
2220 Fern Street
Seth Marko started The Book Catapult as a book blog in 2006. In 2017, he and his wife, Jennifer Powell, turned it into an actual bookstore in South Park, specializing loosely in fiction, local interest, and children’s books while maintaining the more important bookseller skill: putting something into your hands that you didn’t know you needed.
There are staff picks, author events, signed books, and the dangerous possibility of walking in for one title and emerging with four. Because no one ever died thinking, “I shoulda read less.”
3010-B Juniper Street
Chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, and craft mixers - meet our 2026 Tastemakers, the minds behind the magic.
Chef Roberto Alcocer showcases all that Mexican cuisine and culture has to offer at Oceanside’s Valle. The Michelin-guide recommended restaurant takes inspiration and techniques from all over Mexico—with a heavy Baja influence—and blends them with local San Diego ingredients to create original and delectable contemporary Mexican cuisine. The seasonal tasting menu allows Chef Alcocer to experiment with the freshest available ingredients, creating dishes that defy guests’ expectations, while the wine list features more than 100 labels from Mexican artisans. Even the restaurant’s walls are a celebration of Mexican culture, all decorated with work from artists of Baja.
“My favorite part of being a chef of Valle is being able to showcase the Mexico that I know to everyone who visits,” Chef Alococer says. “Not only through the food, but with the design, culture, and welcoming service.”
Lobster Taco: Flour sourdough tortilla with lobster shell bisque and local red spiny lobster

222 North Pacific Street, Oceanside, California 92054
866-723-8906 | valleoceanside.com