We hope you’re hungry. Nearly three dozen new restaurants are set to open between today and mid-September from Oceanside to Chula Vista, including high-profile spots helmed by some of the city’s most-acclaimed chefs.
Drew Deckman, who just earned a Michelin star in Mexico for one of his two restaurants in the Valle de Guadalupe, will open 31THIRTYONE in North Park. The Michelin-starred Jeune et Jolie team of chef Eric Bost and owner John Resnick will open Wildland in Carlsbad. Sometime this week, chef Brian Malarkey and Christopher Puffer will open Le Coq in La Jolla with chef Tara Monsod — a top 5 finalist for this year’s James Beard award for Best Chef: California — running the kitchen. And James Beard semifinalist Jonathan Bautista has been tapped to lead Ember & Rye, the Richard Blais-launched restaurant in Carlsbad that reopens after a kitchen fire last fall.
Here are the 32 most anticipated new restaurants arriving between now and mid-September, in alphabetical order.
Always Hungry Grocery & Goods, Carlsbad
Founder Katie Jayne Sprenkel, owner of Jayne Wedding and Events for the past 15 years, is opening this artisan market with a subscription “discovery box” program. 505 Oak Ave., Suite B2, Carlsbad. alwayshungrygroceryandgoods.com
Austin NOLA, North Park
Grind & Prosper Hospitality founder Pete Cich and his culinary director Quinnton “Q” Austin are teaming up on this 2,800-square-foot Southern Creole restaurant in late summer. The menu, inspired by Austin’s New Orleans heritage, will have a broader influence, potentially offering dishes like alligator carbonara and oxtail dumplings. Austin NOLA will be on the ground floor of the NIIMA Outpost mixed-use development. 2519 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego. grindprosper.com
Blanco Cocina + Cantina, Coronado
Fox Restaurant Concepts will open its second San Diego County location in Coronado in July. The Sonoran-style menu is highlighted by tiger shrimp fajitas, tacos, chimichangas and an extensive margarita menu. 1301 Orange Ave., Coronado. blancococinacantina.com
Bodega Vale, Solana Beach
Mario Guerra, the owner of Valentina restaurant in Leucadia, will open this 30-seat European-style wine and tapas bar this summer. With a heavy focus on raw bar items like oysters, the menu will also feature small plates of chicken liver pate, gambas al ajillo (spicy garlic shrimp) and tomato/eggplant dip. A lunch menu will offer sandwiches and salads. The wine menu will be curated by sommelier and operations director Ricardo Zarate Jr. The kitchen at Bodega Vale will also be a place for the team to play, experimenting with menu items that will rotate on and off the menu and find their way to the Valentina menu. 346 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. instagram.com/bodega_vale
Bonehead Burger Co., Old Town
Founded by chef Blake Bone and his brother Kit Wingate, this pop-up burger enterprise in Barrio Logan is opening its first brick-and-mortar location this summer in the Old Town Urban Market. Its signature product is the Bonehead burger with house sauce, cheddar, crispy onion straws, maple-bourbon bacon, scallions and more. 2548 Congress St., Old Town San Diego. boneheadburgers.com
Brewery X, Harbor Island
This Anaheim-based brewery will open its second brewpub June 27 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. BreweryX CEO Clayton Wellbank and Chief Brewing Officer Trevor Walls met at San Diego State University, when Trevor was brewing out of his garage in Ocean Beach and he then went on to earn a degree as a master brewer. The new venue features an outdoor brewing deck inspired by the company’s Anaheim beer garden. It serves 14 Brewery X beers on tap and hosts beer education and trivia nights. It offers a small-bites menu of food items designed to pair with the beers. 1380 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego. brewery-x.com
The Cottage, Del Mar
This La Jolla-born cafe business, which opened a location in Encinitas last year, will debut its third location in Del Mar in late June. The restaurant will open in a 2,000-square-foot streetfront space at Del Mar Plaza. Like its sister eateries, the Cottage in Del Mar will serve a breakfast-lunch menu with specialties like stuffed French toast and capellini crab cakes. 1555 Camino Del Mar, Suite 102, Del Mar. instagram.com/cottagerestaurants
The Crack Shack, Pacific Beach
This summer, the Little Italy-born fried chicken-and-co*cktail bar chain will open its fifth location in Pacific Beach. Like its sister locations in San Diego and Encinitas, it will offer chicken-centered sandwiches, salads and grain bowls, as well as shakes and kids’ meals. Crack Shack was launched in 2016 by the Juniper & Ivy restaurant team of owner Mike Rosen, operations director Dan Peña and chef Jon Sloan. The opening is slated for August. 4525 Mission Blvd., San Diego. crackshack.com
Ember & Rye, Carlsbad
Ember & Rye, Richard Blais-helmed steakhouse on the Batiquitos Lagoon at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, will reopen Saturday, June 22, following a fire-related closure last fall. James Beard Award semifinalist Jonathan Bautista, formerly of Kingfisher and The Fishery restaurants, will serve as executive chef. The menu will feature nine beef cuts, swordfish, salmon and crab dishes, lobster bucatini and more. 7447 Batiquitos Drive, Carlsbad. instagram.com/emberandryesd
Irv’s Burgers & Prince St. Pizza, Pacific Beach
Two quick-service restaurant chains from L.A. and New York are taking over the former Mission + Garnet Food Hall in Pacific Beach, with plans to open on July 4. Founded in 1946 in West Hollywood and now owned by Lawrence Longo, Irv’s Burgers has been serving pressed-to-order burgers on fresh-made buns for generations. The P.B. location will be Irv’s first in San Diego County. New York City’s Prince St. Pizza, famous for its rectangular Sicilian-style pizzas, opened its first San Diego location last year in the Gaslamp Quarter. 4505 Mission Blvd., San Diego. irvsburgers.com, eatprincestreetpizza.com
Izola Bakery, East Village
East Village’s 4-year-old Izola Bakery, which temporarily closed last fall, will reopen in a nearby location later this month. Izola, which is known for its wild sourdough bread and hot-from-the-oven croissants, has moved into the former Amplified Kitchen & Beer Garden space in Fault Line Park. 1429 Island Ave., San Diego. izolabakery.com
Knead Bakery at the University Club, downtown
Alex Mendoza, the former executive pastry chef of Puffer-Malarkey Collective and former kitchen manager for Wayfarer Bread & Pastry, will open this artisan bakery and scratch kitchen restaurant in late summer at The University Club, the 115-year-old gathering space for city leaders in downtown San Diego. Knead’s menu will include fresh-baked croissants and bagels, breakfast sandwiches and burritos, coffee drinks, sandwiches, toasts, soups and salads and grab-and-go items. 750 B St., San Diego. instagram.com/kneadbakerysd
Le Coq, La Jolla
Sometime this week, San Diego restaurateurs Brian Malarkey and Christopher Puffer (Animae, Herb & Wood, Herb & Sea) will open this 175-seat French-inspired steakhouse in the space formerly occupied by Herringbone, which the duo opened in 2012 and sold two years later to a national hospitality group. They’ve reclaimed the 7,500-square-foot building and are remodeling it into an elegant, modernist French eatery that will serve escargot, frisée salad, chateaubriand and other classic French fare. The name is inspired by the French dish “coq au vin.” The restaurant’s executive chef is Tara Monsod, who oversees their Michelin recognized Animae restaurant and a 2024 James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: California. For updates on the opening and reservations, visit instagram.com/lecoq.sd. 7837 Herschel Ave., La Jolla. lecoq.com
Leila, North Park
Consortium Holdings will open this two-story Middle Eastern restaurant sometime this summer. The menu will feature the flavors of Morocco, Iran, Israel and Lebanon. It will be lavishly decorated in the manner of all of CH founder Arsalun Tafazoli’s properties. Tafazoli lived in Iran in his youth and the cuisine of his Middle Eastern heritage is close to his heart. The restaurant’s executive chef will be Wesley Remington Johnson. The 5,596-square-foot restaurant will include a second-floor dining room and second bar that overlook the dining room. 3956 30th St., San Diego. consortiumholdings.com
Little Victory Wine Bar, Carlsbad
Owners Jerry Simpson and Kirsten Potenza will open this 700-square-foot wine bar specializing in biodynamic, organic and natural wines with a small plates menu to complement them. Opening is planned for September. 505 Oak Ave., Suite B, Carlsbad. littlevictorywine.com
L55 Tacos + More, UTC
This new concept from Frank Vizcarra, the Tijuana-born founder of Michelin Bib Gourmand-honored Lola 55, will open in August at Westfield UTC mall. Taking over the former Tocaya Organica store space, the 2,800-square-foot eatery will serve Lola 55’s burritos, bowls, salads and an all-new lineup of gourmet tacos created by Mexican-born chef Daniel Soto (formerly of Michelin two-star Pujol in Mexico City). The restaurant will offer indoor and patio seating and a stand-alone bar. 4301 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 2003, San Diego. lola55.com
Merenda, Oceanside
Married Oceanside residents Aaron Crossland and Lauren Crossland-Marr will open this global wine bar and bottle shop in South Oceanside in August. The couple spent two years in Italy’s Lombardy region while Crossland-Marr did research for her doctorate in food anthropology and they developed a passion for what Crossland calls “middle-terranean” food. Chef Travis Hayden’s menu will feature house-made salumi and seasonal small plates and Heidi Greenwood’s extensive by-the-glass wine program will feature old world classics, emerging labels and grower-produced sparkling wines. 1935 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. merendawine.com merendawine.com, instagram.com/merendawine
Moniker Outpost, North Park
The latest project from the Moniker Group at Liberty Station, this 2,000-square-foot coffee shop, café and retail home and apparel shop will open in late summer in the newly revitalized, 74-year-old Waldorf building. 3140 University Ave., San Diego. monikergroup.com/expressions
Ponyboy, Point Loma
This restaurant-bar, named for the lead character in S.E. Hinton’s 1967 novel (and La Jolla Playhouse-born Broadway musical) “The Outsiders,” will open this summer at the historic Pearl Hotel. The retro-inspired menu will celebrate the dishes of the 1950s-’60s and beyond, with fondues, ambrosia salad, tuna casserole, cherries jubilee and mint julep co*cktails. The restaurant will be run by the new hospitality group Service Animals, run by several former staff members of Addison, San Diego’s Michelin three-star restaurant, including creative director Ian Ward and culinary director Danny Romero. 1410 Rosecrans St., San Diego. thepearlsd.com
Punta Mar, Encinitas
Lalo González, owner of Mexico’s 35-restaurant Grupo Gula, will open this authentic Mexican eatery in late June. The menu will feature aguachiles, ceviches, pizza birria, tostadas and micheladas. The 2,066-square-foot restaurant will seat 75 guests. 345 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas. puntamarsd.com, instagram.com/puntamarsd
Resident Brewing Village House, Chula Vista
San Diego-based Resident Brewing, founded eight years ago by Robert Masterson, is taking over the former Third Avenue Alehouse, which closed last year. The 1,500-square-foot tap room location, managed by partner Scott Dickson, will serve Resident’s beers and collaboration brews. Food can be ordered from or brought in from area restaurants. Resident is known for its IPAs. The opening is slated for early July. 319 Third Ave., Chula Vista. residentbrewing.com
Roma Norte, Marina District
The Mexican American founders of Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar will expand their restaurant location at the Headquarters retail center in downtown’s Marina District in late summer with a new high-end co*cktail bar concept. Puesto V.P. of Bar & Spirits Beau du Bois’ co*cktail menu will be inspired by the melting pot of cultures and nightlife of Mexico City. The menu will feature 10 to 12 co*cktails featuring the Central and South American spices found in the bars of Mexico City’s hip Roma Norte neighborhood. Puesto chef Erik Aronow is creating seafood-focused menu of tostadas, ceviches and tortas. The indoor-outdoor bar, with seating for nearly 100, will be open five nights a week. 789 W. Harbor Drive, Unit 155, San Diego. instagram.com/romanorte.sd
Rustic Root, Solana Beach
RMD Group, the company behind Huntress, Lumi and the original Gaslamp Quarter location of Rustic Root, will open a second location of the American comfort food and co*cktails restaurant-bar, in Solana Beach in late summer. The new indoor-outdoor restaurant will occupy 4,196 square feet of the newly constructed Sandbox Property building at Highway 101 and Dahlia Drive. 343 S. Highway 101, Suite 100, Solana Beach. rusticrootsd.com
Spill the Beans, Ocean Beach
Verant Group will open its fourth Spill the Beans location this summer in Ocean Beach. The walk-up/drive-through spot joins locations in the Gaslamp Quarter, Seaport Village and Mission Valley that serve coffee drinks, fresh-baked bagels, spreads, breakfast sandwiches, oatmeal and protein bowls and more. The new location will have outdoor seating for 50. 4827 Newport Ave., Ocean Beach. spillthebeanssd.com
Sura, Otay Ranch
The team behind Common Theory Public House is slated to open Sura, an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant, in Otay Ranch at the end of June. Sura will have 30 tables, each with its own gas grill, where up to 150 diners can cook their own dishes. The restaurant will accommodate up to 150 diners and will be open for lunch, takeout and dinner seven days a week. The 4,500-square-foot Sura restaurant will open near Common Theory’s new Otay location in the Millenia development. 1960 Optima St., Chula Vista. commontheorysd.com
Taqueria By El Prieto, Chula Vista
For 26 years, Mariscos El Prieto has been serving Mexican-style seafood and birria from food trucks around the South Bay. In March, the family-owned business opened a food court featuring three of its trucks surrounding a raised and shaded dining patio in Chula Vista. Now, El Prieto’s first brick-and-mortar location will open for business at 10 a.m. Saturday.689 H St., Chula Vista. instagram.com/taqueriabyelprieto/
31THIRTYONE, North Park
One of Northern Baja’s most acclaimed and newly Michelin-starred chefs, Drew Deckman, will open his first U.S. restaurant in the former Hoxton Manor space in North Park in mid-July. Deckman and his wife, Paulina, own two restaurants in Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe, Deckman’s en el Mogor and Conchas de Piedra, the latter of which earned a Michelin star last month. Their 31THIRTYONE will serve a tasting menu and a la carte dishes. The restaurant will seat 100, with a dining room/bar that includes a 10-seat chef’s counter and oyster bar, an upstairs private dining room and a 25-seat rooftop patio. The cause-based concept will build on Deckman’s Baja-born earth-to-table mission to revolutionize sustainable food culture, prioritize sustainable sourcing throughout the restaurant’s operations, and pledge 1 percent of monthly revenue to help farmers implement carbon farming projects in partnership with Zero Foodprint. 3131 University Ave., San Diego. the3131.com, instagram.com/31thirtyonebydeckmans
TNT Chula Vista
TNT, short for Thick N Thin, is a pandemic-launched pizza delivery business that opened its first storefront in East Village in October 2021. Owners Kevin Gist and Joseph Wehrly serve four styles of pizza: New York, Detroit, “Grandma” and tavern-style, both whole and by the slice. The new 2,500-square-foot location will have 50 seats, plus standing room and a pizza bar. It’s set to open by the end of July. 221 Third Ave., Chula Vista. instagram.com/tntsdpizza
Venchi, UTC
Venchi, billed by its owners as the first “cioccogelateria” in Southern California, will open this summer at Westfield UTC shopping center. Venchi will sell up to 50 varieties of imported Italian chocolates as well as up to 20 flavors of Italian-recipe gelatos, which will be made fresh in-house daily. 4303 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite E-25, San Diego. us.venchi.com
Wildflour Delicatessen, Liberty Station
Chef Phillip Esteban will expand his family of fast-casual restaurant concepts in July with this multi-concept dining-and-drinking venue in the historic Barracks 19 building in Liberty Station’s Arts District. Wildflour, whose name is inspired by the Wildflour café in the Philippines, will offer an all-day menu of sandwiches, cured meats, fresh-baked bread and grab-and-go items with a focus on locally sourced ingredients and seafood. Provecho Coffee will manage the space’s coffee program. There will also be a full bar menu with a selection of natural wines. The 4,000-square-foot space has a front patio as well as a back patio it will share with Carruth Cellars. 2690 Historic Decatur Road, Suite B, Liberty Station, San Diego. instagram.com/wildflourdelicatessen
Wildland, Carlsbad
Partners John Resnick and chef Eric Bost, the team behind Michelin-starred Jeune et Jolie and Michelin-recommended Campfire in Carlsbad, will open Wildland, the first part of this dual restaurant concept project, this summer. The second part, Lilo, will open in the fall. Wildland and Lilo will share a 10,000-square-foot space inside the former Morey Boogie Board factory with entrances on both State and Roosevelt streets. Wildland will be an all-day, no-reservations-necessary neighborhood café, bakery and bar with a California vibe and Old World culinary traditions. It will serve fresh-baked goods, fresh pastas, rotisserie-cooked meats and wood-fired pizzas. Lilo (pronounced “LIE-low”) will be a fine-dining concept in the 2,000-square-foot east corner of the building. It will serve a seasonal multicourse tasting menu at a 22-seat chef’s table. 2598 State St., Carlsbad. wildlandallday.com
pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
