Eat your Way through San Diego’s Newest Bistros

San Diego has become renown for its cutting-edge bistros and variety of creative cuisines. So, no wonder that new exciting choices are springing up—some here for the feasting now and others on the near horizon. Take a look, then take a trip to savor the flavors a la San Diego.

Mangia!

The highly anticipated Little Italy Food Hall opened in mid-July, adjacent to the neighborhood’s new 11,000-square-foot Piazza della Famiglia. With décor paying homage to Little Italy’s family-oriented history and maritime past, the food hall offers six locally driven food stations, a bar program complete with an Italian-inspired craft cocktail menu and mobile outdoor chefs’ area situated on the patio, where local chefs regale with pop-up cooking demonstrations. Just wanting a great beer or wine? The Little Italy Food Hall Bar, situated in the center of all the action, offers an array of local draughts as well as Italian wines designed for pairing with the cuisine.

Asian-inspired speakeasy

Debuting this summer is yet another oh-so-clever San Diego speakeasy joining the already popular collection of secret bars.  Realm of 52 Remedies is coming to Convoy Street , the food thoroughfare affectionately known as San Diego’s Asian Restaurant Row. The new 2,400-square-foot 1920s-era inspired space will include a cocoon-like lotus-shaped booth among its seating options, a dragon painted on the ceiling hovering above suspended cloud sculptures, and hanging lights crafted from dumpling steamer baskets illuminating a chinoiserie-wallpapered hallway, transporting guests with elements that reflect the owners’ Asian heritage. Twelve featured cocktails named after signs of the zodiac will incorporate both Asian ingredients and spirits. Four premium seats at the 12-seat carved jade bar will have their own dedicated bartender who will host special cocktail experiences. Small plates and snacks will also be offered.

Farm fare

Opened in January 2018, Royale began as a tiny burger cart venture at one of the nation’s biggest film and music festivals (SXSW in Austin, TX), recently becoming a farming family’s mom-and-pop restaurant creation in Point Loma. The restaurant’s owners – a husband-and-wife duo – fulfilled their dream to open a certified organic, eight-acre family owned farm in North County, which they use for ingredients in nearly all of Royale’s menu items. Serving dinner daily, a weekend brunch and a recently launched late-night happy hour, Royale offers a nod to nostalgia that translates from the dishes to the design.

Gaslamp newbies

Juan Tequila, a Baja Med-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar, opened in late May 2018 in the Gaslamp Quartet, replacing Fourth Avenue pizza parlor and bar The New Yorker. Launched by the operators of the local favorite El Zarape restaurant, Juan Tequila explores the upscale presentations and innovative flavor combinations that have become hallmarks of Baja Med cuisine through a collection of small plates and larger entrée dishes, including chicken mole enchiladas, a casuela of vegetables, and nopales tacos. Beverages offered will include some tiki-inspired drinks based on tropical fruit and Mexican ingredients, as well as old world tequila, mezcal, other agave spirits, Baja wine and craft beer. (Photo courtesy of John Bahu)

Designed with Northern California’s iconic wine country culture in mind, Route 29, a farm-to-table “wining and dining” destination, opened this July in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. Although the menu promises to vary throughout the year, the focus is on preparing sustainable, local ingredients and a healthy list of vegan options. The restaurant also boasts an impressive lineup of around 150 wine selections, most of which are derived from sustainably managed vineyards. The décor at Route 29 reflects the essence of wine country’s rustic-modern vibe with dedicated elements of wood, iron and copper, a true fit with the relaxed San Diego lifestyle.

Rum tasting, Tiki-style

In June 2018, San Diego’s original Polynesian-themed resort, the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa, launched a new signature rum tasting experience with local distiller Malahat Spirits Co. to celebrate the re-emergence of tiki culture. Rum Social at Oceana Coastal Kitchen showcases the Malahat rum that was created exclusively for the Catamaran, and each event in the program will highlight a different signature drink, such as the Barrel-Aged Mai Tai, Barrel-Aged Mojito or Cannibal Colada.

North Park kombucha

California’s first organic hard kombucha bar, JuneShine, opened June 2018 in North Park. The airy, modern tasting room features a rotating 10 boozy kombucha flavors on tap based on seasonal organic produce, including such flavors as Carrot Orange, Beet and Berry and Mango Habanero. The company also boasts a group of brand ambassadors which includes prominent athletes as well as artists and musicians drawn to this healthier alcohol alternative that comes with good-for-you benefits like probiotics and antioxidants.

‘Top Chef’ cuisine at Liberty Station

Also opening in June was Chef Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins’ El Jardin restaurant at San Diego’s Liberty Station, the vibrant dining and arts district in the Point Loma neighborhood. Chef Zepeda-Wilkins recently appeared on season 15 of BRAVO’s “Top Chef.” El Jardin boasts a fusion of traditional Guadalajara-style cuisine and modern Baja Mediterranean food, and features an extensive selection of tequila and mezcal, all indicative of Zepeda-Wilkins’s trove of culinary expertise. The restaurant’s interior is centered around local artist Gloria Muriel’s expansive mural showcasing “Ojo de Dios,” while bull skulls branded with vibrant Huichol-beaded art, a living succulent wall and hardwood floors ribboned with turquoise hexagonal tiles decorate the 8,800-square-foot interior and 5,500-square-foot patio.

 

Images courtesy of sandiego.org