Celebrate ArtWalk’s 15th Anniversary November 7-8

For more than 80 years, the North Chapel has been one of Liberty Station’s defining silhouettes. Opened in 1942, the multi-faith chapel  has hosted Navy services, weddings, memorials, and countless community milestones during wartime years. Its story stretches from religious services for military men and women to cultural anchor.

Then came a stalemate. In 2018, a new tenant, 828 Events, proposed a modernization of the building’s interior, sparking fierce pushback from preservationists and neighbors. The San Diego Union Tribune reported that the online leasing opportunity boasted the chapel would be “perfect for a restaurant or retail tenant.” The suggestion that the historic chapel may become a restaurant caused uproar from local community members. According to Congressman Scott Peters’ official website, his office requested an investigation by the City Attorney. The plan was halted, but what remained was a structure in limbo. 

In the years following, Liberty Station reshaped itself; breweries opened, restaurants buzzed with crowds, and gelato melted on children’s hands in sunny courtyards. The chapel remained unopened in a district otherwise reborn—until now, when Snake Oil Venue Company became its new stewards.

If you’re wondering why a company known for cocktails is reopening a historic chapel, the answer is simple: they’re no longer just a cocktail company. In 2019, after a decade crafting cocktails, Snake Oil launched its first venue, Julep, and pivoted into full-service events. Growth snowballed from there. This April, it opened Bramble Bay in Imperial Beach, followed quickly by Vesper at Liberty Station. In just one year, its footprint jumped from 32,000 square feet of event space to more than half a million.

But, even as experienced venue operators, the chapel was a unique endeavor. “This wasn’t acquisition; it was responsibility,” says Snake Oil’s CEO Michael Esposito.

The first time he walked inside, the neglect was unmistakable. “Here was a sacred San Diego landmark sitting quietly in a deteriorated state,” he recalls. Curtains were stained, corners layered with dust, and the once-ornate woodwork was overshadowed by a red carpet that “smelled like damp newspapers.” 

The chapel had sat unoccupied since 2019, according to Joe Haeussler, executive vice president of Pendulum Properties Partners, which acquired the leasehold to the chapel and several other Liberty Station properties in 2018. After considering several proposals for the dormant space, Pendulum brought Snake Oil on in 2023 to reopen and steward the building. “We felt their plans were the most respectful of the historic asset and would open the building to the public in the right way,” Haeussler explained.

Rather than impose a new vision, Snake Oil chose preservation. While it’s now an events space, it has retained its original intent as a gathering place for the community. Restoration, in this case, meant listening to the building. When the team began pulling up the carpeting, they uncovered exquisite, period-specific 1940s Douglas Fir flooring. They refinished the planks rather than replace them, breathing life back into the chapel’s historic foundation. Even the stained glass windows, which were not part of the original Navy design, remained. The earlier plans featured frosted panes that brought in soft, controlled daylight, but the stained glass had become part of the chapel’s collective memory. The restoration cost nearly $1.2 million.

Beyond sentiment and preservation, the North Chapel’s renewed functionality includes a main hall which offers 4,000 square feet of flexible space and seats roughly 425 guests, with additional pew seating on a mezzanine. An adjacent side chapel adds another 600 square feet for more intimate gatherings. Outside, three connected exterior zones (over 3,000 square feet total) provide ample room for receptions, cocktail hours, or garden-style events.The venue will have a preferred-vendor list, with some flexibility for outside vendors. Beverage and cocktail service is handled exclusively by Snake Oil Cocktail Company.

Christopher Bittner at OBr Architecture, Tim Wright of Wright Management, and Andre Childers with Pacific Building Group Construction led the improvement process, while Melissa Strukel of We are Human Kind designed the interiors and furnishings. Bittner says the project was shaped less by reinvention than by attention to what was already there.

“The building itself was the inspiration,” he says. Rather than dramatic alteration, the work focused on careful adjustment. “The building needed small, yet thoughtful, modifications to allow the building to be used for the new use. We worked through many options for how the building would function and at each stage thought through the potential historical ramifications.” 

As word spread of the restoration, the stories came streaming in, carried by people whose most meaningful life moments unfolded within its walls. “For some, it was a grandfather who found a moment of resolve here before leaving to serve in World War II,” says Esposito. “For others, a bride who walked down the aisle as a young woman, or the loved one of a first responder whose life was honored within these walls.” The stories varied, but the sentiment was shared: the chapel’s legacy matters.

Rows of untouched seats face a stage still smelling faintly of sawdust and fresh paint. The air is quiet, almost reverent, as if the newly constructed theater is holding its breath before the curtain rises. After years of planning, one of the remaining puzzle pieces of Arts District Liberty Station is finally finding its place: the $43.5 million Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center (The Joan). 

Named in honor of co-benefactor Joan Jacobs, The Joan is Liberty Station’s most recent addition to its lively Arts District and the new home of the Cygnet Theatre, which spent the past two decades in Old Town. 

Housed in Building 178 (formerly a 1940s-era Naval Base Exchange) at Truxtun and Roosevelt roads, the project marries history and modern design. Inside the 42,000-square-foot space is a 282-seat mainstage, flexible 150-seat black box theatre, and open-air lobby. Backstage, the full kit includes green rooms, dressing rooms, and even an orchestra space. 

“This is beyond anything we’ve ever done,” says Lisa Johnson, president and CEO of Arts District Liberty Station (formerly NTC Foundation). “It’s going to elevate our entire Liberty Station community.” Since the late ’90s, the nonprofit has overseen the transformation of its 27 historic buildings into a cultural playground full of galleries, dance studios, and the Public Market. Adding a dedicated performance venue, she says, was always the missing piece.

The idea first surfaced in 2008, when there was talk of converting the space into a theater, but the plan was deemed too costly to operate. By 2017, however, the demand for live performance space was impossible to ignore. Meanwhile, Cygnet Theatre was ready to trade its Old Town nest for something more permanent. A partnership was born, and the two nonprofits got to work raising funds and getting the show on the road.

To execute the vision, Arts District Liberty Station tapped Christopher Bittner of obrArchitecture and the theater-design wizards at Fisher Dachs Associates. For Bittner, who’s been behind some of Liberty Station’s most striking renovations, including the Public Market, the challenge was less about creating something flashy than about honoring the bones of a 4,000-square-foot historic building with a layered past. 

And what a past it was. Before The Joan, Building 178 was basically a sailor’s one-stop shop: a department store, a tailor, a coffee shop, a disco called “Hot Sounds,” a movie theatre, and even a bowling alley tucked in the basement. “The bowling alley was one of the biggest design inspirations,” Bittner says. “We thought it was so unique and weird that it was in the historic building, so the entire lobby was inspired by its design.” 

Not in the neon bowling pins and cosmic carpet way, but with a sleek, open-air design; wood and steel detailing; and triangular floor inlays that point guests toward the stage like arrows on a lane. Think Gatsby, if he traded his Champagne tower for a bowling alley. Behind the scenes, the original lane numbers hang quietly by the dressing rooms—a wink to the building’s past life.

“Everything we talked about design-wise, we talked about acoustically,” Bittner explains. It’s one thing to build a well-designed theatre. It’s another to build one right under a flight-line—you can’t have the “Point Loma pause” cutting off the final act of the show. Eight inches of concrete and layers of acoustic materials and treatments fixed that right up, essentially grounding all flights until the cast takes their final bow. 

Not a bad landing spot for a theatre company that spent the first five years of its life in a renovated women’s gym in Rolando. Despite its humble beginnings, Cygnet has now made a name for itself in the performing arts community and already has its full season at The Joan mapped out. Co-founder and artistic director Sean Murray compares it to “artistic whiplash,” or planning a multi-course dinner party. “You don’t want all dessert or all main entrées,” he says. “Every dish is one that complements the other, but [they] are totally different.” 

Kicking off its full-course season is Goldman and Sondheim’s Follies—the gripping story of former Follies girls returning to the theater where they once performed, now to be destroyed and turned into a parking lot. The irony only makes it more riveting: the first show in a brand-new space featuring an old, crumbling 1930s theater as a set. 

Plus, it’s a “ride home play,” according to Murray. “You leave the show and you don’t just forget what you saw. You actually have a conversation about it driving home,” he explains. “For us, that’s what theatre’s about. It’s not just being entertained. It’s about looking at ourselves, other communities, and other ways of living and opening our eyes to life.” 

But The Joan isn’t just for loyal Cygnet fans. It’s meant to be part of the larger Liberty Station experience. The venue deliberately serves no food, nudging patrons to wander across the campus for dinner or a drink, while flyers for local artists and pottery classes dot the walls.

“We want to create that feeling that you’re not just going to see a play at Cygnet; you’re actually going to come have an experience,” Murray says. “Go to dinner, walk the grounds, have a bottle of wine, see the show, and linger after and argue about it. It’s all a part of the circular love fest.”

Ribbon cutting for The Joan will be held September 5, followed by a first preview of Follies on September 10.

In 2013, a 20-foot Aphrodite-turned-sea-monster emerged from the water at La Jolla Shores. In 2017, a small house suspended by a crane swung around gracefully to “What a Wonderful World.” In 2021—things went digital.

Now, one of the most innovative cultural happenings in the country—the WOW Festival, where La Jolla Playhouse turns various parts of the city into stages for wild performance art—is back in full swing for the first time in three years.

Since its inception in 2011, the WOW Festival (short for Without Walls) has recruited local, national, and international artists to create site-specific, medium-defying works. Theater, dance, music, circus—all morph and merge together. It’s an emancipation of expression, which resonates strongly now, after two years of retreating to our safest spaces. Amy C. Ashton, Playhouse producing associate, says the festival’s key intention is to reimagine the way performances are presented and viewed.

“What’s special is the shift that happens when you break outside traditional performance experiences of being inside a theater, sitting down in your seat, having a drink at intermission,” she says. “When those comforts are challenged, it changes the experience for the audience.”

This year’s event will encompass over 20 projects, featuring hundreds of artists and performers from around the globe in a four-day lineup that fully re-embraces live, in-the-moment performance and rediscovers the communal, connecting aspect of outdoor art. There are family-friendly shows (Hoopla!, Ants), video projection, and world premieres surrounding a special new hub at the center of the festival space.

La Bulle, by Toronto company Corpus Dance Projects, is a can’t-miss performance at the center of that hub. It features a Perriot—the iconic antihero of pantomime, face-painted and forever alone—living inside a large-scale, illuminated bubble, trying to communicate with the audience through movement, gestures, and text. Part commedia dell’arte, part Truman Show, it uses Corpus’s signature combination of lyricism and humor to explore themes of solitude, privacy, and transparency.

Monuments, by Australian installation artist Craig Walsh, digitally projects massive faces of community members and icons onto trees in the dark—creating an effect similar to the Wizard of Oz’s lording green hologram, and expanding the viewers’ perception of what public monuments can represent. The Frontera Project will create an interactive experience that offers viewers a glimpse into life along the US-Mexico border.

Local artists include the San Diego Opera, Latinx company TuYo Theatre, and Blindspot Collective, which will stage their new work Black Séance: a magical and immersive theatrical show in which a bartender-slash-amateur-magician channels Black icons including Josephine Baker, Frederick Douglass, and James Baldwin as he uncovers his own family history.

Ashton says that this year marks the first that La Jolla Playhouse will produce Without Walls on an annual basis: “One of the dreams is that the work created in this festival will also become a part of the larger arts landscape outside of San Diego. That we’ll see shows that premiered at WOW popping up in festivals around the world.”

Holiday parties may be on hold, but you can still toast to the season (and the end of 2020) with these festive to-go cocktails from some of San Diego’s top restaurants, hotels, and pop-ups. Cheers!

 

Campfire and Jeune et Jolie

These two Carlsbad restaurants, both co-owned by John Resnick, will be offering a holiday sangria and cocktail recipe in addition to their takeout menu all season long. Try the Grizzly Folk, a bourbon beverage with mulled cider, tamarind, and lemon.

2725 State Street, Carlsbad

2659 State Street, Suite 102, Carlsbad

 

Civico by the Park

The Bankers Hill outpost of this Italian eatery is offering four cocktails to go for their Cocktails di Natale menu. The drinks are classic recipes with a holiday twist, like the Holiday in Manhattan with black walnut bitters and a Punt e Mes aperitivo, or the Espresso Martini with a housemade vanilla bean syrup and a cinnamon garnish.

2550 Fifth Avenue, Suite 120, Bankers Hill

 

Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa

Head to the hotel’s Greenfinch Holiday Pop-Up Bar for fun holiday-themed boozy beverages every Friday and Saturday in December. Go for the English Ginger Snap, made with Earl Grey–infused Tito’s vodka, Amar Nonino, persimmons, and ginger beer. Rum fans will want the Santa Smokes Cigars, a smoky and spicy sipper with locally distilled Malahat rum.

9700 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla

 

The Grass Skirt

The Grass Skirt’s “Tiki Christmas” continues with their cocktail boxes. This week’s theme (the last one!) is Sippin’ Santa, an aged rum and Italian amaro–based cocktail completed with fresh lemon, orange juice, and a garnish of ginger and nutmeg. The box also comes with their signature Surfin’ Santa mug and a special edition The Grass Skirt stocking.

910 Grand Avenue, Pacific Beach

 

Kindred

Kindred’s popular takeout cocktails received the holiday treatment with a menu rollout of five seasonal libations. Find their takes on classics like a hot toddy or mulled cider, or go for something more unique like the Loxian Gate with gin, aquavit, sherry, lemon, cherry, rosemary, and allspice bitters.

1503 30th Street, South Park

 

Lionfish

Take your festive fix to go with one of Lionfish’s seasonal cocktails. The Fallen Apple, for example, puts the fruit forward with an apple spice syrup and apple brandy. They also have holiday classics for the traditionalists, like a spiced mulled wine and eggnog.

435 Fifth Avenue, Gaslamp Quarter

 

Moniker General

This Liberty Station hangout put together festive cocktail baskets for a boozy at-home celebration to last through the holidays. Each basket comes with staples like a Spiced Pear aperitif or their signature margarita; then you have the option to upgrade your kit with extras like their custom-blend Woodford Reserve or a Wildsong Sauvignon Blanc. Each basket comes with servings for 10–12 cocktails for you to hunker down and sip 2020 away.

2860 Sims Road, Liberty Station

 

Mr. Trustee

Stop by the Mr. Trustee pickup window at Cardellino restaurant Fridays through Sundays to warm up with some hot holiday drinks. The beverages—think candy cane hot chocolate and a classic apple cider—are naturally nonalcoholic (and delicious), but you can make it a true “holiday spirit” for an extra $6.

4033 Goldfinch Street, Mission Hills

 

Nolita Hall

Bar Manager Corey Tighe rolled out a tongue-in-cheek menu of holiday cocktails as part of Nolita Hall’s “F*ck 2020” takeout pizza pop-up. Try the Certify for Benefits, made with blanco tequila, apple cider, blonde ale, ginger, cinnamon, and lemon. Or the Melting Giuliani, a butternut squash eggnog with Malahat spiced rum.

2305 India Street, Little Italy

 

Realm of the 52 Remedies

The beloved speakeasy’s Home Therapy cocktail service continues with timely seasonal additions, like Nutcracker-themed tinctures. Each kit comes with a bottle of the selected spirit, all the garnishes and mixers to make 10–12 cocktails, recipe cards, and special gifts and barware.

4805 Convoy Street, Kearny Mesa

Addison

Addison and chef William Bradley are bringing the flavors of San Diego’s only Michelin-starred restaurant into the comfort of your own home. Available for pickup Thursday through Sunday, the four-course menu features seasonal local ingredients. The package is available for $89 per person, with the option to include wine selected by Addison’s wine director, Victoria O’Bryan. Schedule your pickup time through Resy.

5200 Grand Del Mar Way, Del Mar | 858-314-1900

 

Bleu Bohème

Bring the classic flavors of France into your home this holiday season with Bleu Bohème. The complete menu will be available to order, including their signature mussels and the rest of their expansive menu of classic French cuisine made with fresh Southern Californian ingredients. Bleu Bohème also offers a list of wines and signature cocktails to go. Curbside pickup and free delivery within two miles of the restaurant will be available on their website from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

4090 Adams Avenue, Normal Heights | 619-255-4167

 

Busalacchi Restaurants

Barbusa, Nonna, and Zucchero have teamed up to offer a to-go menu that highlights favorites from each restaurant. The menu includes three courses for $20, with the Busalacchis’ famous garlic bread serving as a starter, then your choice of two salads, five pastas, and the option to add extra sides, mains, desserts, and wine. Each meal is designed to feed one person, and the minimum order is two meals. Takeout orders can be placed daily from 4 to 8 p.m. All orders will be available for pickup from Barbusa; you can also get delivery through DoorDash.

1917 India Street, Little Italy | 619-238-1917

 

Café Gratitude San Diego

For those who want to trade in the holiday ham for something plant based, Café Gratitude San Diego has flavorful pies and sides for preorder. They’re offering seasonal, family-style specials like cranberry-roasted butternut squash and garnet yams. For the ones who like sweet treats, try the gluten-free maple pecan spice cake or mocha cheesecake. Order your choice of holiday pies and sides online or in-store by December 20 and plan to pick up on December 23 by 9 p.m.

1980 Kettner Boulevard, Little Italy | 619-736-5077

 

Cardellino

You can still enjoy a prime rib dinner this holiday without even changing out of your pajamas. Cardellino’s holiday takeout meal includes a 12-ounce slice of prime rib, mixed greens salad, truffled mashed potatoes, green beans almondine, horseradish cream, and jus. Dinner is $45 per person, but you can add on something sweet and something to sip on for an additional cost. Place your order by December 21 and pick up on December 24 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Cardellino. Preorders can be placed online.

4033 Goldfinch Street, Mission Hills | 619-600-5311

 

El Cruce + 241

This Chula Vista eatery will offer a series of to-go packages to pair with their to-go beer crowlers and bottles of wine from Baja. Order the Birria Tacos Family Pack, which includes 10 hand-pressed tortillas, birria, black beans, and all the fixings for $30. Or choose the Three for $40 special, which includes your choice of three signature dishes. El Cruce will be open on Christmas Eve, and orders can be placed in person and online.

241 Third Avenue, Chula Vista | 619-474-2244

 

DZ Akin’s

If you’re looking for a family-size meal with all of the fixings, then give DZ Akin’s a call to place your order. They’re offering either a ham or turkey feast complete with sides, rolls, and dessert. The turkey feast starts at $199, the ham feast at $225, with each meal serving 10 to 12 people. Order at least 24 hours in advance to secure your holiday dinner and pick up on Christmas Eve before 3 p.m. and New Year’s Eve/Day before 8 p.m.

6930 Alvarado Road, La Mesa | 619-265-0218

 

Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa

Feel like Santa Claus when you walk through the door with this special holiday package filled with delicious to-go items from Greenfinch at Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa. The restaurant is offering a special 11-course dinner on Christmas Day that serves four to six people. The dinner comes with appetizers, entrées, sides, and something sweet to end the night. The meal is $350, and you can pick up your package between 12 and 5 p.m. on December 25. Call the restaurant to place your order.

9700 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla | 858-550-1000

 

Fortunate Son

Fortunate Son, CH Projects’ newest venue, is honoring the takeout tradition of ordering Chinese on the holidays by offering their full menu to go. The restaurant will be open from 4 to 10 p.m. on Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day; orders can be placed by calling the restaurant or via their online order form.

2943 Adams Avenue, University Heights | 619-391-3766

 

Hotel del Coronado

Though the holidays look different this year, especially at the Hotel del Coronado, you can still enjoy a Christmas dinner to eat at home. Parking is validated, so plan a few extra minutes to stop in and take a look at The Del’s lovely interior before you pick up your holiday feast. The menu for four people includes lovely entrée options, decadent sides, and a yummy dessert to finish off the night. Order online by 3 p.m. on December 18 for pickup on December 23, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

1500 Orange Avenue, Coronado | 619-435-6611

 

Mille Fleurs

Craving some French classics to enjoy in the comfort of your home? Try Mille Fleurs’ new three-course takeout meals. The menu changes weekly and is offered Wednesday–Sunday, 4–8 p.m. The restaurant has also moved their wine cellar online, so you can order a bottle to toast alongside your meal. Cheers!

6009 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Santa Fe | 858-756-3085

 

Moniker General

Enjoy an at-home celebration with Moniker Cocktail Co.’s boozy bundles. The baskets change every week, so keep an eye out for your favorites or try something new. If you want to upgrade your kits, you can order additional wine varieties, too. Orders must be submitted each week by Wednesday at 4 p.m. for free Friday delivery throughout Point Loma and Ocean Beach or for pickup at Moniker General.

2860 Sims Road, Liberty Station | 619-255-8772

 

Mongolian Hot Pot

Mongolian Hot Pot is bringing their classic hot pot experience to your home with their takeout kits. Each kit includes different meat options, sauce, veggies, homemade noodles, and their house soup base. Families can also purchase a stove-and-pot set with their food, and the kits can feed anywhere from two to six people. Prices range from $45 to $120, with the option for more add-ons.

4718 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, Clairemont | 858-274-2040

 

Parc Bistro

Put a French twist on your occasion and call Parc Bistro to place your order for the holidays. Each package serves two people with a menu of coq au vin, baked salmon, or filet mignon in addition to appetizers, sides and, of course, dessert. The packages range from $100 to $150 and are available for preorder now over the phone. Pickup times are December 24, 25, or 31 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

2760 Fifth Avenue, Bankers Hill | 619-795-1501

 

Pendry San Diego

Provisional Kitchen at the Pendry San Diego is offering their Pancakes and Pajamas holiday brunch event to go on December 19. This brunch takeout kit will include cooked pancakes, colorful toppings, and a pair of complimentary children’s holiday pajamas from P.J. Salvage for all hotel guests.

550 J Street, Gaslamp Quarter | 619-738-7000

 

Pho Ca Dao Vietnamese Kitchen (Mission Valley)

Enjoy a family meal from Pho Ca Dao this holiday season. Offered for groups of two or four, the meals are packed with their most popular items—including pho, appetizers, and rice dishes—for a delicious, no-brainer dinner. The meals range from $25 to $65. Orders can be placed in person or over the phone daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

2647 Fenton Parkway, Suite D104, Mission Valley | 619-684-5129

 

Puffer Malarkey Collective

Enjoy an herbaceous, locally sourced, family-style Christmas Eve feast with chef Brian Malarkey’s Herb at Home. For Christmas Eve, menu items include American wagyu sirloin, braised local pork belly, pesto white beans, and dessert. The New Year’s Eve spread includes white truffle mashed potatoes, pink peppercorn-crusted filet mignon, and dessert. Guests can preorder their dinner on OpenTable. Pickup will take place at both restaurants the afternoon of each holiday.

2210 Kettner Boulevard, Little Italy | 610-955-8495

131 D Street, Encinitas | 760-704-8300

 

Ranch 45

Ranch 45’s à la carte pickup menu allows you to fully customize your holiday feast. With choices like herb-crusted prime rib, smoked turkey leg, smoked Cornish game hens, roasted broccoli with Parmesan and garlic, and olive oil smashed potatoes, it’s hard to say no. Dessert will also be available to purchase. The Solana Beach butcher shop and eatery will be accepting orders up to 48 hours in advance. Place your order online or over the phone.

512 Via de la Valle, Solana Beach | 858-461-0092

 

Rancho Bernardo Inn

Rancho Bernardo Inn has put together some seasonal dishes for takeout so you can still celebrate the season even at home. The menu includes lobster bisque, watercress and grilled endive salad, a 10-ounce grilled prime ribeye, and dark chocolate mousse. Preorder by December 22 at 12 p.m.

17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive, Rancho Bernardo | 888-976-4417

 

Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa

Take the hassle out of the holidays and order the Holidays to Go feast from Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa. Order before 5 p.m. on Friday, December 18 and pick up your meal on Christmas Eve between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Choose from menu items like prime beef tenderloin, lobster bisque, and truffle mac and cheese, along with a selection of wine pairings.

5921 Valencia Circle, Rancho Santa Fe | 858-756-1123

 

Rusticucina

Give your home Christmas meal a Sicilian twist with Rusticucina’s holiday menu, which includes short ribs, cannelloni pasta with roasted chicken, and dessert. Each order comes with a full panettone! Preorders can be made by phone or through the website and are accepted until December 24. The restaurant is also offering gift baskets with savory treats to send to your loved ones.

3797 Park Boulevard, Hillcrest | 619-684-5129

 

Tamales Ancira

Indulge in a holiday tradition with some tamales from Tamales Ancira. You can order a dozen for $25 or order the party pack of 50 tamales to freeze for later. Call in your orders over the phone and check in on their social media for special offers and deals throughout the holiday season.

2260 Main Street. Suite 17, Chula Vista | 619-424-3416

 

Teriyaki & Bao

Teriyaki & Bao brings some holiday cheer this year with their holiday bao bun special. December 21–January 4, order their snowman bao buns filled with fresh sliced bananas and nutella. The restaurant is open regular hours even during the holidays, and is currently offering takeout and delivery through their website and third-party apps.

711 Grand Avenue, Carlsbad | 760-637-5737

 

Tribute Pizza

North Park’s Tribute Pizza is continuing their curbside pickup this holiday season with meal specials for the family. Feast on wood-fired porchetta or a vegetarian lasagna with add-ons like Brussels sprouts, potatoes au gratin, and spiked eggnog. Place an order online for pickup on December 23 or 24.

3077 North Park Way, North Park | 760-637-5737

 

Villa Manila

The Filipino holiday meal to go from Villa Manila in National City comes with à la carte items like bibingka, halaya, and buko pandan salad. Orders can be made online or over the phone and must be placed at least three days in advance. Pick up anytime between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

500 East Eighth Street, National City | 619-477-8512

 

Vistal

The waterfront InterContinental San Diego will be offering a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day takeout dinner from their signature restaurant, Vistal. The meal includes an entrée, sides, and gravy for $32 per person. Guests also have the option of adding on a soup or crème fraiche option for $9 per person. Orders, which will be available for pickup from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve and Christmas, can be placed by calling the restaurant or by emailing [email protected].

901 Bayfront Court, Embarcadero | 619-535-0485

 

The Westgate Hotel

For those who don’t want to cook during the holidays, but still want to bring a little fanfare to the dinner table, The Westgate Hotel is offering a four-course dinner for two. The meal includes a porcini mushroom and chestnut soup, salad, 16-ounce Angus beef tenderloin, and dessert. The price for this upscale dinner at home is $138. Call the hotel or order through this online link before December 22. Pickup is December 24 or December 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

1055 Second Avenue, Downtown | 619-238-1818

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Jenna Miller is a freelance writer. Her website is jennaruthmiller.com.