The Craving: San Diego Food + Drink News – Week of November 9, 2026
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The Craving is ThereSanDiego’s weekly guide to what’s worth eating and drinking in San Diego right now. Every Tuesday, we surface new restaurant openings, standout happy hours, limited-time menu specials, and upcoming food events across the city – so you know what’s happening before everyone else does.
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This Week’s Feature
Carruth Cellars Celebrates 20 Years
Twenty years ago, Carruth Cellars set out to bring the grapes to the people, and now its Solana Beach Tasting Room is throwing a two-day Anniversary Party to celebrate.
Your ticket gets you 12 wine tastings, including unreleased wines poured straight from the barrel, plus a chef-prepared buffet from Chef Luke Morganstern.
Live music keeps the mood festive, and you’ll take home a limited-edition CRUSH anniversary glass. With no fixed tasting sessions, arrive and celebrate at your own pace, then toast the years behind you and the 20 still to come.
📆 Saturday, November 14 – Sunday, November 15, 2026 | 1 PM – 8 PM
📍 118 S Cedros Ave #C, Solana Beach
ℹ️ Read the full story
Insider Move
Seriously Good Sushi (And More) at Glass Box
We think Glass Box at Sky Deck is seriously under-mentioned in the ‘where to go for great sushi’ conversation in San Diego. The fish is consistently incredibly fresh, and the sushi alone is enough reason to go, but don’t stop there. Order the omakase, mix in a few of the Japanese charcoal-grilled meat skewers and a cocktail or two, and you’ve got a very good night.
This is one we find ourselves recommending again and again. If Glass Box hasn’t been on your radar, put it there.
📆 11am – 10pm most nights, 11am-Midnight Friday and Saturday
📍 Sky Deck, San Diego 92130
🎟️ Make reservations
Happening This Week
Pies and Pours With Pali and Sun Coast Pizza
Here’s a duo you didn’t know you needed, but do: Pali Wine Co. and Sun Coast Pizza are teaming up for a night of wood-fired pies, good wine, and pairings made for sharing. Think pizza fresh from the oven alongside a glass that was picked to go with it.
It’s the kind of feel-good evening that calls for great friends, great food, and a toast or two. Bring your crew, come hungry, and get ready for a night that’s all about good wine, good pizza, and good times, with plenty of reasons to raise a glass.
📆 Friday, November 13 | 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
📍 1440 University Ave, San Diego
🎟️ Make reservations
A Bake Sale Box Built Like a Tasting Menu
Friendly Feast plotted its bake sale at Cardellino in Mission Hills like a tasting menu, six items per box, all from San Diego pastry chefs and bakers. The whole run is 50 boxes.
It opens on a Comté cheese biscuit with pickle butter from Rocío Siso Gurriarán of MIHO and closes on Tina Gamel’s chocolate hazelnut mousse cake with olive oil cremeux. Boxes are $45 to $65.
VIP buyers move first and get an added biscotti duo from Liz Trevino of Biscotti Box, so order before the general sale opens.
📆 Sunday, November 15 | 9:30 AM – 11 AM
📍 4033 Goldfinch St, San Diego
ℹ️ Read the full story
Chef Mehmet Sarı Rewrites the Menu at Tabac Plus
Mehmet Sarı started cooking in Sultanahmet in 1998. Nearly three decades later he is running the kitchen at Tabac Plus in Little Italy, where the menu now splits between Ottoman palace cooking and Anatolian home cooking.
Start cold with muhammara and gavurdağı, then go straight at hünkar beğendi, braised beef with smoked eggplant and brown butter.
The bar runs alcohol-free and the list is better for it, from Ottoman sherbet over tamarind, rose, and cardamom to Turkish coffee poured from a copper cezve with Turkish delight alongside.
The dining room is smoke-free and built for dinners that run long, with a separate 21 and up hookah lounge out back. Bring four people and order more than looks reasonable.
📆 Now menu available now
📍 2215 Kettner Blvd, San Diego
🎟️ Make reservations
ℹ️ Read the full story
Prime Real Estate – The Heritage Steakhouse Opens in Santee
The Heritage Steakhouse opens on the sixth floor of the Legacy Building at Lantern Crest, pairing New York steakhouse tradition with an Art Deco room and sweeping views.
Hand-cut USDA Prime, Certified Angus, and Wagyu steaks are aged a minimum of 28 days, then finished in a high-temperature broiler.
Add a handcrafted cocktail or a pour from a wine list that runs Napa Valley to Valle de Guadalupe, Bordeaux, and Mendoza, and you have the kind of dinner that justifies the drive east.
📆 Opens Friday, November 13
📍 200 Lantern Crst Wy 6th Floor, Santee
🎟️ Make reservations
New Restaurants Opening in San Diego in 2026
35 new spots landed in our 2026 Openings Guide: Parc RSF (Rancho Santa Fe), Javier’s (Downtown), Encore Sushi (Solana Beach), Juliette (Little Italy), IZOLA (Sorrento Valley), Goop Kitchen (Del Mar), Chef Fei (La Jolla), Station8 (La Jolla), Swells Sourdough Bakery (Little Italy), El Punto (Liberty Station), Mi Pan Bakery (Mission Gorge), Maranello (Little Italy), Sun Gold Point (Bird Rock), Rei do Gado (Gaslamp), Tierra y Mar (Funner), By The Sea (Coronado), CHAGEE Modern Teahouse (La Jolla), Candy Land Café (San Diego), MAKE Café (Normal Heights), Drums Beatstro Jawn (East Village), Board & Brew (Midway District), The Polished Pigeon (East Village), Moniker General (Downtown), Coffee Dose (Encinitas), SunLife Organics (Coronado), Silver Hoof Creamery (Old Town), Sugarfish (Little Italy), Anigma (Encinitas), Verise (Carlsbad), Georgette’s (North Park), Queenstown (Del Mar), An’s Gelato Gate D5 (Oceanside), Telefèric Barcelona (UTC), The Heritage Steakhouse (Santee), and Black Mizu Café (Little Italy) all got added to the running tracker.
Bookmark the post. It’s the master list of every notable opening, organized by month, updated at the start of each month so you always know what’s new and what’s coming.
Quick Bites & Special Offers
The Lion’s Share has half-price bottles of wine and duck polpettes at happy hour. They’ve recently handed the line to Xavier Verdugo, now chef de cuisine, and Kass DeLeon, now sous. Both have cooked alongside the Romero brothers for years. Verdugo grew up in Ensenada and speaks the same kitchen language as Calexico-born owners Danny and Dante Romero: Mexican ingredients, French technique. Duck polpettes arrive in vodka sauce with charred rapini, squid ink breadcrumbs, and shaved pecorino. The same polpettes land on a happy hour sandwich with havarti, and half-price bottles of wine. Happy hour daily | 4 PM – 6 PM. Reserve your spot
Better Buzz Coffee’s holiday menu runs on peppermint, snickerdoodle, and tiramisu. The Chocolate Candy Cane Best Drink Ever, a Snickerdoodle Iced Espresso with a Snickerdoodle cookie, and a Tiramisu Best Drink Ever with a ladyfinger are standouts. A Turkey Cranberry Croissant Sandwich covers the breakfast side. Find your nearest location.
Spill the Beans’ Thanksgiving-inspired Pandesal Bagel is back by popular demand. Chef Karina Orozco’s stuffing-flavored Filipino bread comes paired with a Cranberry Habanero Cream Cheese for a spicy-sweet spin on your favorite Thanksgiving sides. Grab one at any of the five San Diego locations. Follow along on Instagram for updates.
Anigma pours Greek mythology into six new “Gods & Goddesses” cocktails. The Encinitas hidden lounge honors owner Paula Vrakas’ Greek heritage with drinks like Poseidon, a tropical blend of aged and coconut rum, and Dionysus, a bourbon cocktail served without ice so your hand slowly warms the glass. Make reservations.
Mark Your Calendar & Make Reservations Now
The Best Places to Enjoy a Thanksgiving Feast in San Diego
Whether you’re craving a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, exploring innovative takes on classic dishes at some of San Diego’s finest restaurants, or opting for a delicious meal to-go, these venues have something for everyone this Thanksgiving.
Order the Pie Now, Take the Credit Later
Skip the baking and let San Diego’s best bakeries handle Thanksgiving dessert! From classic pumpkin and pecan pies to creative seasonal flavors, find the perfect sweet treat for your holiday table.
Not sure where to get yours? Our guide on where to get the best Thanksgiving pies in San Diego has you covered.
Four Courses and a Wine Magician at The Rose
The Rose Wine Bar is passing plates for the holidays. Four courses come out family-style, holiday-themed from the kitchen team and paired by Alicia, their Wine Magician.
Treat it as a trial run for your own Thanksgiving table, with none of the cleanup. $90 before tax and gratuity.
📆 Tuesday, November 17 | 6 PM
📍 2219 30th St, San Diego
🎟️ Grab your tickets
Tiki Bingo at The Grass Skirt Has a Host Named Sassy Stiletto
Sassy Stiletto – Miss Tiki Oasis 2016 – is calling the numbers at The Grass Skirt in Pacific Beach, and if you’ve never played Tiki Bingo in a speakeasy with drink specials and crowd prizes, this is the Wednesday to fix that.
The Grass Skirt’s tropical-dark atmosphere is already half the fun before anyone pulls a B-7. Reserve a table ahead of time – this fills, and showing up without one is a gamble.
📆 Wednesday, November 18, 6 – 8 PM
🎟️ Reserve on OpenTable
ℹ️ Read the full story
Kazumi Wine Dinner at 24 Suns
24 Suns in Oceanside is hosting Michelle Sakazaki of Kazumi Wines for a wine dinner you won’t want to miss.
Kazumi is the first and only winery in the U.S. to grow, produce, and bottle the ancient, rare Koshu grape, which first arrived in Japan over a thousand years ago via the Silk Road.
Each of the five courses is crafted to highlight the wine pairings, and you’ll learn and sip alongside Michelle herself. Discounted bottles will be available for holiday stocking up, and seats are limited.
📆 Monday, November 23, 2026 | 6 PM
📍 3375 Mission Ave J, Oceanside
🎟️ Book your table
Looking Ahead
25 Days of Gelato at the Top Gun House
Oceanside’s Top Gun House is getting wrapped in lights, garlands, bows, for the holidays. There will even be palm trees done up like candy canes.
The landmark sits in Mission Pacific Beach Resort’s beachfront courtyard facing the pier, and it’s home to An’s Gate D5, the gelato shop whose small-batch flavors take their cues from destinations around the world.
For the holiday countdown, a new one lands each day and stays until it sells out. Go early if you want first pick.
📆 December 1 – December 24
📍 216 N. Pacific St, Oceanside
ℹ️ Explore the menu
Chalet Chic Comes to The Rooftop Bar
The Rooftop Bar in Oceanside is spending 31 Days of Chalet Chic doing après-ski its own way, with glowing fire pits, themed nights, and cozy cocktails pointed straight at the Pacific.
Make a weekend of it: spa treatments at Sunny’s Spa & Beauty Lounge, dinner at Piper or MICHELIN-recommended Valle, and seasonal stay offers at both sister resorts if you’d rather not drive home.
📆 December 1 – December 31
🎟️ Reserve your table
ℹ️ See the full holiday lineup
Javier’s is Coming to Downtown
Known for its see-and-be-seen scene as much as its premium Mexican food and cocktail program, Javier’s let it be known via a quiet Instagram post that it’s opening inside RaDD, the innovative office, lab, and retail campus along the waterfront in Downtown San Diego.
No opening date yet, but the brand is already teasing a few surprises. Follow along on Instagram while you wait.
📆 Opening soon
ℹ️ Follow on Instagram for updates
First Look at Juliette, the New Restaurant and Nightlife Destination Coming to Little Italy
Dinner, drinks, then dancing, all under the same roof in Little Italy. Meet Juliette, coming to Little Italy late fall.
Juliette is a French-inspired restaurant, cocktail lounge and late-night spot coming to India Street. The whole idea is one continuous evening: dinner and cocktails first, then the room picks up with late-night music and dancing Thursday through Sunday.
Executive Chef Lucas Moreira is keeping the menu French at its core with a lighter coastal feel and fresh local seafood. There are three bars: the main dining room bar, a lounge bar, and a zero-proof and seltzer bar. Resident and guest DJs handle the house and electronic music.
Juliette comes from Diego Girault of Chez Loma with lifelong friends Luis Carlos Ahuage, Bruno Perez and Galo Gonzalez, plus hospitality veteran Matt Spencer. House of Kirschner, the firm behind Bagatelle Miami, is designing the space.
We can’t wait. See you there.
📍 2400 India St, Little Italy
🗓️ Opening late fall 2026
ℹ️ Read the full story
Mariah Carey’s Holiday Bar Takes Over the Hard Rock Hotel
The Mariah countdown finally has an address. Mariah Carey’s Holiday Bar moves into the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego for its first San Diego season, one of eight cities on this year’s map and the city’s first time on the list.
The drinks run on Black Irish, her Irish cream liqueur, bottled in Ireland at 17% ABV. Three cocktails carry the season: Make My Wish Come True, the MC Toasted Tini, and the Imperfect Angel. Lineups vary by city, so the San Diego list may read a little differently.
Mariah-inspired decor covers every surface, with interactive setups built for your camera roll. Tickets go exclusively through Bucket Listers and are not on sale yet, so get your name down early.
📆 Opens Thursday, November 19
🎟️ Join the waitlist
ℹ️ Read the full story
IZOLA Bakeshop is Bringing Its 96-Layer Croissants to Sorrento Valley
Jeffrey Brown and Jenny Chen started IZOLA in 2020 with no professional ovens and no storefront, lowering their first croissants down to customers in a basket from a third-floor East Village studio.
Six years later, their croissants – 96 laminated layers, four days in the making – are heading to a new home at Biovista in Sorrento Valley. The flavors are the other story: Bibimbap, SoCal Date Shake, a Ramen Croissant in development.
📆 Opening later this year
ℹ️ Read the full story
A Mission Hills Wine Bar Worth the Wait
Serafino, the all-day café and wine bar from husband-and-wife founders David and Rebeca Cross, is opening late this year. The team just named San Diego wine veteran Rob Blair – formerly of Kensington’s Village Vino – as Wine Director and released a first look inside its 3,100-square-foot space.
Designed with craftsman millwork, mosaic tile, and terrazzo, the restaurant is also built from the ground up as an inclusive workplace for neurodivergent individuals and others historically excluded from hospitality.
While you wait, Word of Mouth Wine Club is open now: two bottles a month with tasting notes, food pairings, and music suggestions for $70.
📆 Opening late 2026
📍 301 W. Washington Street, Mission Hills
ℹ️ Follow along on Instagram for updates
Communal Coffee Takes Root in Solana Beach
Communal Coffee is opening inside Sandbox in Solana Beach, with fresh flowers and goods to browse alongside the coffee, plus a full kitchen running breakfast and lunch. It’s the kind of place you walk into for a cup and walk out with a bouquet.
They’re already running five of these across Southern California, from North Park, South Park, and Bankers Hill to 30th Street and Oceanside, so Solana Beach makes six. Expect what the others are built on: craft coffee, a seasonal food menu, and a room designed to keep you there past your second cup.
📆 Opening in December
ℹ️ Follow along on Instagram for updates
Coffee to Cocktails Under One La Mesa Roof
Billy and Suzanna Beltz, the couple behind Oddish Wine and Lost Cause Meadery, are turning a 5,000-square-foot building between La Mesa Village and MacArthur Park into a wine and beer bar, coffee shop, all-day cafe, wine shop, and restaurant, with Bica running the restaurant and coffee program.
Coffee and light breakfast roll into lunch and dinner off a wood-fired oven and rotisserie. The bar pours Oddish and Lost Cause next to other local wines, beers, and ciders, plus aperitivo, low-ABV cocktails, and spritzes.
The 1940s building keeps its barrel-shaped wooden roof and big front windows, with outdoor seating and a kid-friendly area. No name yet. Community is the whole point.
📆 Projected to open by the end of 2027
📍 8495 La Mesa Blvd
Wayfarer Bread is Heading Up the Coast
The Bird Rock bakery with lines around the block is finally growing. Wayfarer Bread & Pastry plans its first North County location by the end of 2027, with Encinitas and Oceanside on the shortlist.
No central kitchen: every new shop will bake its own bread and pastries from scratch each day. Founder Crystal White stays on as creative director.
📆 First North County location planned for the end of 2027
ℹ️ Read the full story
See you there, San Diego!
