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Hot San Diego Restaurant Openings You May Have Missed, December 2025

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Hot San Diego Restaurant Openings You May Have Missed, December 2025



Each month brings a slate of exciting new restaurants to San Diego, whether it’s a splashy new restaurant helmed by an iconic chef, a low-key neighborhood spot, or a pop-up settling into a permanent location. Consider this monthly rundown a go-to guide for the newest and boldest debuts across San Diego.

Miramar— The second location of the Cakery has opened after the launch of the Carmel Valley storefront in early 2024. The Cakery got its start during the pandemic before selling at pop-ups around San Diego. The larger cafe in Miramar has an indoor seating area decorated in a soothing minimalist aesthetic. The expanded bakery menu features Basque cheesecakes, French tea cakes, hojicha and matcha drinks, along with a wide array of sandwiches and pastries. Highlights include the Cakery grilled chicken, which comes with melted cheese, homemade mustard, and barbecue sauce on a toasted ciabatta. The full kitchen in Miramar serves as the central production facility for the cafe and the original Carmel Valley location.

Fleurette.
Eric Wolfinger.

La Jolla— On December 10, the team behind Michelin-recognized restaurant Callie opened Fleurette, a French Mediterranean restaurant in La Jolla. Chef Travis Swikard focuses on “cuisine du soleil,” offering dishes like Hope Ranch mussels “vol au vent,” oeufs and eggs served in San Diego uni, egg yolk fettuccine studded with golden caviar and Meyer lemons from the on-site garden behind the 120-seat restaurant. Other menu highlights include Provencal lamb duo, San Diego bouillabaisse with spiny lobster and saffron bourride, and winter citrus vacherin with orange blossom meringue. Cocktails include the Nice, made with honey, lavender, and blue layers of mint, and the Eze, a blue cocktail made with tequila, lime juice, and foam.

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Hand holding up a tray of three sliders from Rosemarie’s Burgers.

Rosemarie’s Burgers.
Gabriel Halvor

Encinitas— Rosemarie’s Buns and Brews debuts its third outpost in beachy Encinitas, offering wagyu beef sliders, hot chicken miniature sandwiches, duck fat wings, and chili pork-loaded fries. Located in a former burger restaurant that catered to cars, the drive-thru area has been replaced with a family-friendly turfed patio area with outdoor seating, games, and a large outdoor television screen to broadcast sports and movies. The concept started as a food truck that parked at Harland Brewing in Bay Park before opening restaurants in Mission Beach in 2023 and Ocean Beach in 2024.

La Corriente.

La Corriente.
La Corriente

Coronado— After the successful launch of the first U.S. restaurant in La Jolla, the second U.S. location for La Corriente opened in the former museum cafe space in the Coronado Historical Association building. The Tijuana-based restaurant chain specializes in red snapper tostada, made with raw snapper fish, red onion, avocado, and aioli. Other menu highlights include Baja maki rolls (only available in Coronado), with options like bluefin or Pacific rim, made with soft shell crab tempura, and clamato-based cocktails.

La Jolla— The first West Coast outpost of PopUp Bagels opened on November 21 on Pearl Street in La Jolla, taking over the former Breakfast Republic corner spot. Founded in Connecticut, PopUp Bagels serves the bagels hot and whole, which are then meant to be ripped and dipped into the branded schmears. The bagels are sold in packs of three, six, and 12 with schmears. While the shmear options always include plain and scallion cream cheese, there will also be rotating cream cheese and butter flavors — the menu will change every week. PopUp Bagels plans to open nine more locations in San Diego, but hasn’t firmed up its next location yet.

Chula Vista— In mid-November, the twelfth and final dining venue at the Gaylord Pacific Resort Hotel opened. Modern Mexican restaurant Marzul Coastal Cuisine sits as a standalone restaurant on the resort property with a view of the boatyard and the bay. Menu highlights include oyster michelada, lamb shank birria, and fideuà studded with Pacific lobster, baby squid, and Spanish chorizo.

Downtown— Anchoring the historic Westgate Hotel, a new French restaurant has debuted in place of the former Westgate Room restaurant. Bonne Vie Brasserie and Bar showcases northern French bistro dishes such as the Burgundy escargot in garlicky parsley butter, French onion soup in beef broth, and Icelandic cod Meunière that swims in brown butter sauce. “Bonne Vie introduces a more refined yet still approachable French bistro–influenced menu, incorporating California ingredients,” says executive chef Fabrice Hardel.

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Oceanside—The fourth San Diego location for hot chicken restaurant Main Chick opens in North County. After the first Main Chick restaurant opened in late 2019 in Santa Monica, the poultry-only restaurant eventually expanded to San Diego in 2020 with spots in Clairemont Mesa, Linda Vista, and Carlsbad. The popular battered bone-in leg and thigh gets sandwiched between Hawaiian sweet buns, then topped with cabbage slaw and a tangy “MC” sauce. Other options are chicken tenders, dark meat chicken sandwich, and ube cheesecake. The newest location includes 2,000 square feet of space with indoor and outdoor seating.

Mission Bay— On November 21, Black Rock Coffee opened a cafe in Mission Bay on Garnet Avenue. With a drive-through and patio seating, the Oregon-based coffee shop offers coffees such as Mexican mocha; a “caramel blondie”; and the Jackhammer, a vanilla mocha with an extra double shot of espresso. Also on the secret menu are Fuel energy drinks with more than 20 fruit flavors.

La Jolla— The first San Diego location for a Brazilian gelato chain opened in the Shops at La Jolla Village. With more than a dozen outposts in Los Angeles and Orange County, Bacio di Latte was originally launched by Milanese brothers in 2011, who immigrated to Brazil and opened more than 200 locations in South America. The California gelato stores use organic milk from a family farm in Sonoma County. Every three weeks, there are new flavors, but popular ones include the signature sweet cream, pistachio, and Giandujotto.





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San Diego, CA

Solans, Luna, Guilavogui help RSL beat slumping San Diego, extend unbeaten streak to 6 games :: WRALSportsFan.com

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Solans, Luna, Guilavogui help RSL beat slumping San Diego, extend unbeaten streak to 6 games :: WRALSportsFan.com


— SANDY, Utah (AP) — Sergi Solans had two goals and an assist, Diego Luna added a goal and two assists, and Real Salt Lake beat San Diego FC 4-2 on Saturday night to extend its unbeaten streak to six games.

Morgan Guilavogui scored his first goal in MLS and had an assist for Real Salt Lake (5-1-1). The 28-year-old designated player has five goal contributions in his first six career games.

RSL hasn’t lost since a 1-0 defeat at Vancouver in the season opener.

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San Diego (3-3-2) has lost three in a row and is winless in five straight.

Luna opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he re-directed a misplayed pass by Duran Ferree, San Diego’s 19-year-old goalkeeper, into the net.

Moments later, Solans headed home a perfectly-placed cross played by Luna from outside the right corner of the 18-yard box to the back post to make it 2-0. Solans, a 23-year-old forward, flicked a header from the center of the area inside the right post and past the outstretched arm of Ferree to make it 3-1 in the 37th minute.

Guilavogui slammed home a first-touch shot to give RSL a three-goal lead in the 45th.

Marcus Ingvartsen scored a goal in the 14th minute and Anders Dreyer converted from the penalty spot in the 66th for San Diego.

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Ingvartsen has five goals and an assist this season and has 10 goal contributions (seven goals, three assists) in 16 career MLS appearances.

Rafael Cabral had three saves for RSL.

Ferree finished with five saves.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

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How San Diego Has Quietly Emerged as One of America’s Great Dining Destinations

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How San Diego Has Quietly Emerged as One of America’s Great Dining Destinations


When John Resnick opened Campfire on a quaint little street in Carlsbad, Calif., in 2016, some locals weren’t sure what to think. The coastal enclave wasn’t exactly awash in innovative, chef-driven establishments, so it was a shock to see the dining room consistently full. Early on, one woman wondered aloud to Resnick, “Where did all these people come from?”

It’s a moment he remembers vividly. “I was struck by her statement, because I think she was surprised that so many other people in Carlsbad were there,” Resnick says. 

The rest of the culinary world would take some time to catch up to what was happening. In 2019, when Michelin expanded to rate restaurants throughout all of California—not just the San Francisco area—Addison was the only one in San Diego to earn a star. But since emerging from the pandemic, the region’s food scene has grown dramatically. Driven by outstanding farms, ingredients, a bumper crop of talented chefs, and a G.D.P. approximately the size of New Zealand or Greece, San Diego County has become one of America’s most underrated dining destinations.

Campfire’s octopus, chorizo, and celery-root entrée.

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Gage Forster

Perhaps no single restaurant is a better emblem for this shift than chef William Bradley’s Addison, which opened in 2006. After landing his first star, Bradley knew he wanted more. To get them, he transformed his French-leaning fare to serve what he calls California Gastronomy, which combines the cultures of SoCal with impeccable ingredients and wildly impressive techniques, prizing flavor over flair. Michelin responded, awarding Addison a second star in 2022, and making it the first Southern California three-star restaurant just a year later. The accolade has created a halo effect, attracting culinary tourists from around the world.

Berry beet tartlets at San Diego’s three-star stalwart Addison.

Berry beet tartlets at San Diego’s three-star stalwart Addison.

Eric Wolfinger

“Earning three stars forces the global dining community to pay attention to a place that may not have been on their radar before,” says chef Eric Bost, a partner in Resnick’s four Carlsbad establishments. 

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Resnick recruited Bost, who spent time at award-winning outposts of Restaurant Guy Savoy, to run Jeune et Jolie, which he led to a star in 2021. They’ve since taken over an old boogie-board factory down the street and converted it to an all-day restaurant and bakery, Wildland. The space also hosts an exquisite tasting-counter experience called Lilo, which was given a Michelin star mere months after opening in April 2025. And as Resnick and Bost grew their successful Carlsbad operation, chef Roberto Alcocer earned a Michelin star for his Mexican fine-dining spot Valle in nearby Oceanside.

The stylish tasting counter at Michelin one-star Lilo in Carlsbad.

The stylish tasting counter at Michelin one-star Lilo in Carlsbad.

Kimberly Motos

About 25 miles to the south, another affluent coastal community is going through its own culinary glow up. In La Jolla, chef Tara Monsod and the hospitality group Puffer Malarkey Collective opened the stylish French steakhouse Le Coq. Chef Erik Anderson, formerly of Michelin two-star Coi, is preparing to launch Roseacre. And last year, Per Se alums Elijah Arizmendi and Brian Hung left New York to open the elegant tasting-menu restaurant Lucien, lured by the ingredients they’d get to serve. “A major reason we chose San Diego is the quality and diversity of the produce,” Arizmendi explains. “San Diego County has more small farms than anywhere else in the U.S., and its many microclimates allow farmers to grow an incredible range of ingredients year-round.”

Wildland’s spicy Italian sandwich.

Wildland’s spicy Italian sandwich.

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Gage Forster

Chef Travis Swikard has also been a tireless advocate for the region’s ingredients since he returned to San Diego, his hometown, and opened Mediterranean-influenced Callie in 2021. There’s no sophomore slump with his latest effort, the French Riviera–inspired Fleurette in La Jolla, where he’s serving his take on classics like leeks vinaigrette and his San Diego “Bouillabaisse” with local red sheepshead fish and spiny lobster. Its food is bright, produce-driven, and attentive in execution, while the dining room maintains a relaxed and unpretentious style of service. And Swikard sees that approach cohering into a regional style with a strong network of professionals behind it.

“It’s really nice that we are developing our own identity, not trying to be like L.A. or any other market, just highlighting what’s great about the San Diego lifestyle and ingredients,” he says. “Similar to New York, a chef community is starting to develop where chefs are supporting each other. There is a true sense of pride to be cooking here.”

Top: In La Jolla, Lucien serves ocean whitefish with tomatoes turned into concasse, sabayon, and other expressions.





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Little Debbie is launching a new flavor of one of its most popular treats

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Little Debbie is launching a new flavor of one of its most popular treats


Little Debbie is officially expanding its doughnut range.

On April 14, the brand announced a new sweet snack: Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts. The company says there was “massive consumer demand” for the original Big Pack Old Fashioned Donuts, which quickly became a top seller. Now, they’re just giving the people what they want.

The new snack is a chocolate old-fashioned cake doughnut finished with a sweet glaze and is launching in two formats:

  • The Big Pack Carton: This box contains six doughnuts in a retro-inspired package that reflects the brand’s heritage.
  • Single-serve doughnuts: There are also 3-ounce, individually wrapped Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts, which the brand suggests pairing with a morning coffee or eating on a midday break.

The original, which includes six individually wrapped cake-style doughnuts with a vanilla glaze, first hit stores in June 2025 and, according to the brand, has been “consistently selling out.”

“We saw an incredible response to the Old Fashioned Donut we introduced last year,” said Scott Brownlow, Little Debbie’s brand manager, in a press release. We’re doubling down on what works and giving both loyalists and new fans an irresistible reason to head back to the store.”

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Little Debbie’s Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts are rolling out now to major retailers, grocery stores and convenience stores nationwide. As with the original Old Fashioned Donut, they become a permanent addition to the brand’s snack lineup.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:



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