Plate of the Union

It’s a wild, birria-scented world out there. Dinner is not yet made by AI, but give it time. We’re finally feeling comfortable enough to eat with our hands (and with strangers) again. Our future robot overlords have begun delivering soup and bussing tables. The demand for that old restaurant magic is outstripping the available workforce, but moms and pops keep grinding, and culinary groups continue opening 200-plus-room hotels with bowling alleys inside.

In honor of this year’s Best Restaurants issue, our writers deep-thought a few of the major storylines in local restaurant culture right now. We’re celebrating the quiet but mighty with unassuming strip mall joints and utensil-free dining. We’re tracking the progress of a bill that could shift the tide in the right direction for fast food workers.

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Staff writer (and lifelong server) Danielle Allaire is reminding the world that artificial intelligence can’t replace human connection, even if it can carry plates. And content chief Troy Johnson is countering the cry that CH Projects is devouring San Diego alive, arguing that, as the quirky restaurant group rises like a loaf of sourdough, it’s helping put the whole city on the culinary map.

So, dig in. This is San Diego’s food scene.

Stripped Down: An ode to strip mall dining, where culinary wizardry remains in focus over flash

The Artifice of Service

A lifelong server’s thoughts on AI attempting to infiltrate the Apron Class

Fast and Furious

After unprecedented success, a San Diego–born law benefitting fast-food restaurant wage workers is now on hold

Pretty Little Hate Machine: CH Projects is San Diego’s biggest restaurant success story, and I hope they put a speakeasy on the moon