The Craving: San Diego Food + Drink News – Week of August 24, 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
Pali Wine’s New Tasting Room is Officially Open in Hillcrest
Ten years in Little Italy, and now Pali Wine Co. has completed its move to a new address: 1440 University Avenue, in the former Cellar Hand space.
The new space comes with a full kitchen and outdoor patio, and Chef Sable-Tanya Wentwoord is running a menu inspired by the ease of a European sidewalk cafe. Drop in for cheese and charcuterie or settle in for Heirloom Tomato Toum, Gnocco Fritto, or a Shaved Roast Beef sandwich.
The beverage program showcases the diversity of the winery through its signature flights, with each pour reflecting Pali’s commitment to thoughtful farming and quality winemaking while showcasing the incredible vineyards of Santa Barbara County.
📆 Wed – Fri, 2 PM – 10 PM | Sat, noon – 10 PM |Sun, noon – 9PM | Happy Hour, Wed – Fri, 2 PM – 5 PM
📍 1440 University Avenue, Hillcrest
🎟️ Visit their website
Insider Move
Experience San Diego’s First-Ever Little Saigon Night Market on El Cajon Blvd
San Diego’s Little Saigon community (did you know that San Diego has a Little Saigon?) is putting on its first-ever night market, and the concept alone is enough to clear your Saturday evening.
Traditional Vietnamese street food, live music, and culture – five solid hours of it, right here in the city, on one of San Diego’s most culturally rich stretches. The event is presented in partnership with Nhu Y Restaurant and the El Cajon Blvd Business Improvement Association.
First-ever events set the tone. This one has the right foundation: neighborhood ownership, strong cultural roots, and a venue built for exactly this kind of night. Be part of the first one.
See you there!
📆 Saturday, August 29 | 5 PM – 10 PM
📍 4951 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego
ℹ️ Get more details here
New This Week
Tastings, Tacos, and Tortilla Making This Thursday at Fox Point Farms
Fox Point Farms in Encinitas is hosting The Agave Lab for an evening of agave spirit tastings, tortilla making, and tacos out in the garden.
The Agave Lab is a San Diego County farm project led by Deanna Moore, built around agave as a regenerative dryland crop and the ancestral knowledge that goes with it. Giver Spirits, a local agave producer spotlighting women farmers, is pouring the flights and cocktails throughout the night.
Sounds like a perfect way to spend a warm summer night at Fox Point Farms to us!
📆 Thursday, August 27 | 4 PM -8 PM
📍 1200 Fox Point Farms Lane, Encinitas
ℹ️ Get tickets
Mr. Moto Lands in UTC With Free Slices
Number seven for Mr. Moto Pizza, this one in the old Boker Kitchen space on Towne Center Drive across from the mall. The dough gets a full 24 hours before it sees an oven, which is how you get that airy border and crispy bottom.
The opening comes with two free slices (cheese or pepperoni) and a drink for anyone who walks in. No sign-up, no app, no catch. They’re capping it around 500 slices a day, so go early.
📆 August 29 – August 30
📍 8935 Towne Center Dr 101
ℹ️ See the full menu
Goop Kitchen is Set to Open in One Paseo 8.31
Goop Kitchen, the brainchild of actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow, is set to open at One Paseo on Monday, August 31. This will be the brand’s first full-service, dine-in location; so far they have grown exclusively with a takeout + delivery model.
The chef-driven menu focuses on fresh, local ingredients and dishes that are as healthy as they are delicious, and the menu looks surpisingly affordable.
“Goop kitchen exists at the intersection of true deliciousness, bold flavors, and wellness. We respect our bodies as vessels that we’re in for a limited period of time. Our food marries longevity and pleasure—two things that usually don’t go together,” says founder Gwyneth Paltrow.
Expecting this to be a big hit at One Paseo!
📆 Monday, August 31
📍 One Paseo, 3725 Paseo Place, San Diego
ℹ️ Visit their website
Sushi Tadokoro is Going Omakase-Only
Starting October, Sushi Tadokoro is wrapping up its lunch and a la carte service and relaunching as an omakase-only restaurant.
Owner Chef Takaaki Tadokoro will personally prepare every piece, with Ayumi Tadokoro running the kitchen alongside him – the focus shifting to Edomae sushi, seasonal ingredients, and a more intimate dining experience rooted in the family’s hospitality.
If you’ve been meaning to catch the a la carte menu at their Old Town spot, September is your last window.
📆 A la carte service ends September | Omakase begins October
🎟️ Secure your spot
New Restaurants Opening in San Diego in 2026
24 new spots landed on our 2026 Openings list: 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 happy hour at Herb & Wood delivers. Twenty dollars gets you a half-pound burger, three roasted oysters, fries, and bubbles – the Happy Meal, running weekday evenings from 5 PM to 6 PM. If you want to keep going, the happy hour menu also has $6 roasted oysters with horseradish butter, an $8 smashed burger, and $4 fries. Reserve your table.
National Chocolate Day deserves dinner at Little Frenchie. Le Dîner au Chocolat is a savory, French-inspired menu built entirely around Valrhona chocolate – bold, unexpected, with wine pairings guided by Jana Lemersal of Roederer Estate. The evening closes with Little Frenchie’s signature Hot Cocoa Spiral. Secure your place.
The Sunday scaries don’t stand a chance here. Every week, Finca North Park does Oyster Sunday – a dozen fresh oysters and a cold bottle of bubbles for $40. It’s the kind of deal that makes a slow afternoon feel like a plan. Walk-ins are welcome at the bar, but it fills up faster than you’d expect. Reserve a good spot.
Better Buzz just declared pumpkin season officially open. It’s never too early for pumpkin, is it?! Well we know what Better Buzz thinks: six pumpkin drinks are already available, including iced espresso, cold brew, matcha, and chai. The Pumpkin Dream Puff leads with marshmallow cream, cream puff, and cookie butter crumbs. The Best Drink Ever gets pumpkin, too. Follow along on Instagram.
Thirty-eight years running and Karl Strauss hasn’t messed with its Oktoberfest. The German-style Märzen just hit shelves in six packs at Costco, Albertsons/Vons/Pavilions, Stater Bros., and Total Wine & More: golden amber, 5.0% ABV, toasted malt with nutty undertones and a crisp finish. Draft pours land at the 4S Ranch, Carlsbad, Downtown, and Sorrento Mesa brewpubs in September. View the full list of brews.
The new menu at Carlo deserves a close read. Lyra pairs grappa and pisco with chamomile and sparkling jasmine tea – delicate and effervescent. Medusa’s Reflection takes Thai Tom Kha into rum, built with lemongrass, makrut lime, and clarified coconut. Minerva’s Solace is olive oil-washed genever with olive brine and amaro – for savory drinkers. Make reservations.
Mustangs & Burros is trading its Baja roots for a California Ranch-style era. Executive Chef Katie Weber leads the shift, pulling from her rural Iowa upbringing and global travels to build a menu around hyper-local purveyors and wood-fired hearth technique. Expect standouts like the 32oz Wagyu Tomahawk, Oxtail Terrine, and Spot Tail Seabass a la Plancha. See the full menu.
Maranello in Little Italy is pouring San Diego’s first taste of Sarti Rosa. The buzzy pink Italian aperitivo, already big in Europe, shows up here in a Sarti Spritz mixed with prosecco, soda, and lime. It’s part of an extensive cocktail program alongside the restaurant’s Northern Italian menu and Ferrari-inspired setting, and it just might be the next Aperol. Take a look at the menu.
Mark Your Calendar & Make Reservations Now
Loaded Mac, 60 Pours, and a Stage at SeaWorld
Executive Chef Zuric Ramirez scattered the food across huts at SeaWorld San Diego, so eating at Bayside Brews & BBQ is a walking project: loaded baked potatoes, loaded mac and cheese, build-your-own hot dogs, and BBQ wings, tots, and onion rings.
Then there’s the beer. AleSmith, Ballast Point, Belching Beaver, Harland, Karl Strauss, Mike Hess, Mother Earth, Pizza Port, and Stone are pouring more than 60 of them. Grab a sampling lanyard and work the park.
New this year is live music. Saliva, Uncle Kracker, and Skillet each get a Saturday night, included with admission.
📆 Friday, August 14 – Monday, September 7
📍 500 Sea World Dr., San Diego
ℹ️ Read the full story
Isaan Thai Meets Sake at Bar Gaga
Sake Bar Gaga is launching a dinner series exploring how sake pairs with cuisines from around the world. Vol. 1 brings in Chef Eo of Sovereign Thai for an Isaan menu – the bold, fermented, herb-forward cooking of Northeastern Thailand.
Sake sommelier Ayaka is matching five sake selections against five courses: perilla rice balls, Thai pickled salmon hand rolls, grilled sticky rice with sun-dried sesame beef, curry-marinated chicken wings, and cassava cake with coconut ice cream.
📆 Friday, August 28 | Seatings at 5:30 PM & 8 PM
📍 634 14th St #110, San Diego
🎟️ Secure your spot
Golden Hour at Corkfire Kitchen
Live acoustic music, seasonal cocktails, and live-fire food on the deck at Temecula Creek Inn – Corkfire Kitchen’s Summer Sessions are one of the better reasons to make the drive up to Temecula on a Friday night.
The setting does a lot of the work – open-air deck, hill views, golden hour – but the live-fire kitchen and rotating cocktail list give you plenty of reason to stay through the last set. Mikael Pederson is on the bill.
📆 Friday, August 28 | 6 PM – 9 PM
📍 44501 Rainbow Canyon Road, Temecula
Pintxos and Pottery at Tao of Clay
A ceramics studio is not the obvious place for dinner, which is exactly the point.
For three hours, Tao of Clay hands its space over for a roaming, Spanish-inspired pintxos spread: fresh oysters, live grilling, botanical cocktails, and Basque cider, all built for wandering rather than sitting still.
Talk to the chefs, talk to the artists, keep moving. Tickets are $160 and cover dinner, drinks, ceramics, and gratuity. Strictly 21+, so bring your ID.
📆 Saturday, August 29 | 6 PM – 9 PM
🎟️ Get your tickets
Chef Fei is Opening Its First U.S. Location at UTC
Chef Fei is opening its first U.S. location at Westfield UTC – a Chinese wok concept with 200-plus locations from Shanghai to Chengdu and five million stir-fries served in a single year. Dine-in only, built around high-heat wok craft with dishes seared fresh to order. The dish to know going in: Stir-Fried Beef With Pepper.
On opening day, post on social tagging Chef Fei San Diego with #ChefFei and #SanDiegoFood and you’re in for gifts – from a gift bag just for posting to a $20 coupon or an exclusive dining set (limited to 250 sets) based on how many likes your post earns. Reservations available now, walk-ins welcome on a waitlist basis.
📆 Grand Opening: Saturday, September 5
📍 4301 La Jolla Village Dr, Suite 2040
🎟️ Make reservation on Yelp
The Smoking Gun Turns Nine With Nine Days of $9 Deals
The Smoking Gun in the Gaslamp is marking its ninth anniversary with nine straight days of deals – starting September 7, there’s something different every day through September 15. Here’s the full breakdown:
- Monday, September 7 – $9 wings or nugs
- Tuesday, September 8 – 9% bonus loyalty points
- Wednesday, September 9 – $9 arcade game cards (also Kids Eat Free)
- Thursday, September 10 – 9% off merchandise, in-house only
- Friday, September 11 – 9¢ sundae with any “Main Event” entrée (Butter Burger, “Filet-O-Fish” Sandwich, Smoked Brisket Sandwich, Smokin’ Hot Chix Sandwich, baby back ribs, or grilled BBQ chicken)
- Saturday, September 12 – $9 Frito Pie, nachos, or pretzel sticks
- Sunday, September 13 – $9 Espresso Martinis, Pickle & Chill, Smiles for Margs, and Mai Tais
- Monday, September 14 – $9 off online orders of $30+
- Tuesday, September 15 – $9.99 Butter Burger + beer
Nine years in the Gaslamp, and they’re making it very easy to show up.
📆 September 7 – 15
📍 555 Market St, Gaslamp
Taste of Nobu Lands on the Paseo Lawn
Chef Nobu is bringing his celebrated cuisine to the coast for a rare evening at Hotel del Coronado.
Taste of Nobu takes over the Paseo Lawn with ocean views on one side and unlimited tastings on the other, think black cod miso, yellowtail jalapeño, wagyu dumplings, and hand rolls, plus a whole fish presentation and off-menu specialties you won’t find anywhere else.
There’s a hosted bar pouring cocktails, a live DJ, and real chances to mingle with Chef Nobu himself as the sun sets over Coronado Island. It’s a 21+ event, and with that lineup and that backdrop, unlimited Nobu tastings by the water is about as good as a Friday night gets.
📆 Friday, September 11, 2026 | 6 PM – 8 PM
📍 1500 Orange Ave, Coronado
🎟️ Get your tickets
Six Years of Sails & Ales at Kona Kai
Sails & Ales Beer Fest is back for year six, bringing sunset views and a serious lineup of local pours to Kona Kai San Diego’s marina-front backdrop.
Unlimited tastings come from more than 25 breweries, wineries, and spirits vendors, including Karl Strauss, Mike Hess, Coronado Brewing, Cutwater, Ballast Point, and Eppig, so pace yourself if you want to make it through the whole list.
Beyond the drinks, expect chef-curated bites, on-site food trucks, a live DJ, and beachfront mini golf to fill the gaps between pours.
Tickets run $75 per person, 21 and up, and a portion of proceeds benefits the Surfrider Foundation San Diego, so every sip does a little good for the coast you’re drinking next to. Bay views, cold drinks, and a good cause, this is the kind of Saturday San Diego does best.
📆 Saturday, September 12, 2026 | 1 PM – 5 PM
📍 1551 Shelter Island Dr, San Diego
ℹ️ Read the full story
A Bite-Sized Tour Through 30 Years of Gaslamp
Taste of Gaslamp is turning 30, and this milestone year is going all out. Grab your appetite and wander the historic Gaslamp Quarter on a self-guided tasting tour, hitting more than 20 participating restaurants dishing out standout bites along the way.
This year adds a few extra reasons to celebrate: an official pre-party and check-in to kick things off, the Best Bite competition so you can vote for your favorite dish, and a VIP experience with exclusive tasting stops if you want to go all in.
Whether you’re a Gaslamp regular or exploring it for the first time, thirty years in, there’s still a new favorite spot waiting to be found, plus plenty to eat, drink, and celebrate along the way.
📆 Saturday, September 12 | 1 PM – 4 PM
📍 614 Fifth Ave, San Diego
ℹ️ Read the full story
Play Mahjong & Pull From a Champagne Vending Machine at Pendry
Provisional Kitchen inside Pendry San Diego is doing a Mahjong & Moët afternoon this September, and the setup is hard to argue with. Your $95 ticket covers a guided 90-minute mahjong session from Finest City Mahjong experts – no experience needed – plus one token for Pendry’s Moët & Chandon Champagne vending machine.
À la carte cocktails and snacks are available if you want to linger. Space is limited.
📆 Sunday, September 13 | 3 PM – 4:30 PM
ℹ️ Read the full story
Capital of Craft Beer Fest Takes Over Broadway Pier
Capital of Craft Beer Fest is taking over Broadway Pier for an afternoon that’s about as San Diego as it gets.
Every ticket comes with unlimited 2oz tastings from more than 70 local craft beers and a commemorative cup to take home, presented by 91X and the San Diego Brewers Guild.
The Main Stage keeps the energy going all day with live music from Agent 51 and 80s Resurrection, while local food vendors and artisan booths give you plenty to explore between pours. Want first dibs? VIP tickets get you in an hour early.
A portion of every ticket supports the San Diego Brewers Guild, so you’re backing the local beer scene just by showing up. Seventy-plus beers, live music, and San Diego pride, this is one Saturday worth clearing your calendar for.
📆 Saturday, September 19, 2026 | 12 PM – 4 PM
📍 1000 N Harbor Dr, San Diego
ℹ️ Read the full story
Bourbon by the Bonfire at Estancia La Jolla
Estancia La Jolla was a working horse ranch long before it was a resort, which is exactly the energy of its annual Whiskey & Wine Party. West Coast BBQ is the frame: Deep South smoke on the plate, Northern California wine country in the glass.
$95 covers unlimited food and beverage tastings for three hours, premium whiskey through personal-reserve bourbon, plus live music, bonfires, and valet. 21+.
Not up for the drive home? The Whiskey & Wine room package bundles two tickets with a room.
📆 Friday, September 25 | 6 PM – 9 PM
🎟️ Get your tickets
ℹ️ Read the full story
National Bunny Day at Wild Hare Bar Garden
Long before the Gaslamp Quarter had restaurants and nightlife, it was nicknamed “Rabbitville” for its bunny population, and Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter’s Wild Hare Bar Garden keeps that history alive with its mascot, Hip Hop, the unofficial mayor of Rabbitville.
This National Bunny Day, Wild Hare is throwing Bunnies & Brunch, an enhanced brunch experience with bunny encounters from Talia’s Tails, live music, and a pop-up charm bar and permanent jewelry station from Headed West Jewelry.
Settle in for brunch favorites from Wild Hare while you pet a bunny, browse local shopping, and pick up a keepsake to remember the day.
Beach bunnies and history buffs alike can hop into one of San Diego’s quirkiest downtown stories, right in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter.
📆 Saturday, September 26 | 11 AM – 1 PM
📍 401 K St, San Diego
🎟️ Secure your spot
Ada Limón, Dinner, and Art in Julian
The Ilan-Lael Foundation’s fourth annual Harvest Moon Dinner heads to the Julian back country, and the lineup is kind of a dream.
Ada Limón – the 24th U.S. Poet Laureate – takes the mic for a reading, then a silent auction opens on original works by the 2026 Visiting Artist Fellows. Dinner is chef-driven long-table-style with regional produce and wine pairings, and the property stays lit for wandering before we sit down.
Best part? Every ticket goes to the foundation’s artist programs. Throw a layer in the car and point east.
📆 Saturday, September 26 | 3 PM – 8 PM
📍 930 Orchard Lane, Julian
ℹ️ Read the full story
60+ Spirits Brands Pour Above the La Jolla Coast
17 years in, the San Diego Spirits Festival still books the best room in the city. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego sits a block from the water, and the view does half the work.
Uncle Nearest, Condesa Gin, Dady’O Mezcal, Tanduay Rum, and Adictivo Tequila anchor the 2026 pour list, with boutique producers and craft distillers filling in around them. Tastings are unlimited, local restaurants handle the food, and live music runs both days.
📆 Saturday, September 26 & Sunday, September 27 | 2 PM – 5 PM
📍 700 Prospect Street, La Jolla
ℹ️ Read the full story
Ten Years and 100 Pours at the San Diego Sake Festival
The San Diego Sake Club is marking a decade by taking over JULEP Venue with more than 100 premium craft sake and shochu varieties from Japan and the U.S. Unlimited tasting is the whole premise, and the original festival cup goes home with you.
Brewers, brewery owners, and sake specialists are working the room, which is the fastest way to figure out what you like. Midway through, everyone gathers for the Kagami Biraki barrel opening and a pour of the year’s featured sake. Live performances run throughout, and food booths are on site.
General admission is $85. Nonbei ($110) opens the doors an hour earlier and adds a $10 food voucher. Only 30 VIP tickets ($350) are available, each with lounge access, premium pours, and nigiri from Soichi Sushi, San Diego’s Michelin one-star.
📆 Sunday, September 27 | 2:30 PM – 6:30 PM
ℹ️ Read the full story
Ponce’s is Turning 57 – With 1969 Prices to Prove it
Ponce‘s in Kensington is celebrating 57 years with a party and something you don’t see often: original menu offerings at 1969 prices. Fifty-seven years on Adams Avenue is no small thing. More details are still on the way, but the 1969 prices alone are reason enough to save the date.
If you’re new or have been going there for years, this is the one to show up for.
📆 Sunday, September 27 | 12 PM – 4 PM
📍 4050 Adams Ave, Kensington
20 Stops Down El Cajon Boulevard
One $40 ticket buys you the length of El Cajon Boulevard. The third annual Taste of College Area turns the stretch from 55th to 73rd into a self-guided route through 20-plus restaurants, pubs, coffee shops, and cafes, with Thai, sushi, Mexican, and poke sitting a few blocks apart.
Pokedon, BarLando, and Love Letters Pizza are in for the first time this year, so build your route to hit one of them early. Old Town Trolley runs the stretch for free, which makes the pubs fair game.
📆 Sunday, September 27 | 11 AM – 3 PM
ℹ️ Read the full story
Three Themed Tea Parties are Coming to Estancia La Jolla This Summer
Estancia La Jolla Hotel and Spa is transforming its garden into an immersive high-tea destination across three themed Sunday afternoons this summer and fall – and each one has its own distinct personality.
A Gilded Garden Tea on August 23 sets the tone with golden-hour elegance and a polished garden party atmosphere. Harvest and Herb Tea on September 27 eases into early autumn with fresh herbs, late-summer fruits, and a cozy yet elevated feel.
A Curious Mad Hatter Tea Party on October 18 leans into the whimsical side of things – the most playful of the three and arguably the most fun to dress for. Tickets are $75 per person per event. Pick one Sunday or come to all three.
📍 9700 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla
🎟️ Secure your spot
ℹ️ Read the full story
Five Days of Food, Wine, and Sports Icons in Del Mar
The Del Mar Wine + Food Festival is back for year four, coming in hot after Thrillist named it one of America’s best food festivals.
Co-founded by Alex Morgan, Drew Brees, Rob Machado, and Troy Johnson, this five-day celebration blurs the line between food festival, sporting event, and beachside block party, pulling in more than 10,000 people a year.
Expect Food Network and Top Chef favorites like Aarti Sequeira, Maneet Chauhan, and Buddha Lo, plus over 100 Cali-Baja chefs bringing serious heat.
The week builds through dinners, a celebrity pickleball tournament, and Rioja Uncorked before landing at the Grand Tasting at Surf Sports Park. And every bite gives back: proceeds benefit Feeding San Diego, which has already topped $100,000 raised since launch.
📆 Wednesday, September 30 – Sunday, October 4, 2026
ℹ️ Read the full story
Breaking Bread by the Sea at Coral Del Mar
Gather, Del Mar’s seaside dining series, is settling in at Coral Del Mar for one night of breaking bread by the water.
The evening opens with a welcome cocktail, then moves into a multi-course, family-style dinner crafted by Chef Jesus Baños, with each course paired with wine as golden-hour light sets the scene.
It’s built around a communal table, so expect real conversation alongside the food, the kind of night meant to linger past the last toast. Seats are intentionally limited to keep things intimate, so this isn’t one to sleep on.
Proceeds support the Del Mar Village Association, funding year-round programming, sustainability initiatives, and efforts that keep downtown Del Mar thriving. Reserve your seat and be part of a brand-new Del Mar tradition.
📆 Thursday, October 1 | 6 PM – 8:30 PM
📍 1247 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar
🎟️ Secure your spot
A Taste of Coronado is Back and Bigger Than Ever
Coronado Junior Woman’s Club is back with the 17th Annual A Taste of Coronado, and this year, every bite comes with a bigger purpose.
Grab your friends and wander the island on foot, bike, or trolley, joining 900-plus food lovers for a night of inventive dishes, drinks, live music, and local shops.
This year’s proceeds go toward Promises2Kids’ Guardian Scholars program, helping foster youth pursue college and vocational training, and the impact is real: 63% of Guardian Scholars have graduated college over the last five years, compared to just 8 to 12% nationally for former foster youth.
VIP Experience tickets are already up for grabs, with general admission dropping soon, so don’t wait too long to snag a spot.
📆 Wednesday, October 7 | 5 PM – 9 PM
📍 1201 1st St, Coronado
ℹ️ Read the full story
Busalacchi Turns 40 With a Brand-New Street Feast
Busalacchi Restaurants is turning 40, and they’re marking it with a brand-new tradition: The Feast, a massive street dinner debuting this October.
India Street closes from Fir to Grape, filling with long banquet tables and string lights for a night inspired by the Italian ritual of gathering around the table.
It celebrates 40 years of Busalacchi Restaurants shaping Little Italy. A reception hour brings grazing stations and live music, then a four-course family-style dinner by Barbusa takes over, wine included.
Want to go all in? VIP and Founder’s Table tickets add perks like an Aperol Spritz welcome, wine tastings, and reserved seating for eight. Proceeds benefit The Positive Movement Foundation, supporting San Diego youth through local schools.
📆 Sunday, October 11 | 5 PM – 10 PM
📍 1917 India St, San Diego
ℹ️ Read the full story
A New Chapter for Celebrate the Craft
Celebrate the Craft is back for year 23, and it’s not slowing down.
Set on The Lodge at Torrey Pines’ grounds overlooking the golf course and the Pacific, this outdoor festival brings together chefs, farmers, ranchers, vintners, and artisans for an afternoon built around California’s food and drink scene.
Fresh leadership from Executive Chef Eric Sakai and A.R. Valentien’s Owen Beatty headlines a lineup pulling from top Southern California and Baja restaurants, alongside pours from Chateau Montelena, DAOU, Ridge Vineyards, and more.
Storyhouse Spirits is even debuting a Torrey pines-infused gin for the occasion. New this year: a VIP add-on with wine blending, private tastings, and a floral station, plus a first-time partnership with the San Diego Food Bank, so every bite gives back too.
📆 Sunday, October 18 | 11:30 AM – 3 PM
📍 11480 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla
ℹ️ Read the full story
San Diego Food + Wine Festival’s Biggest Year Yet
San Diego Food + Wine Festival is turning 22, celebrating with the biggest shake-up in two decades. Grab your appetite, because this year’s Grand Weekend is going bigger than ever.
Over eight days, more than 11,000 food and wine lovers descend on a reimagined Grand Weekend presented by Southwest Airlines, complete with a new Icons + Legends opening night, fresh culinary districts like Smoke + Fire and Sweet Street, and Grand Tasting and Grand Fiesta joining forces for the first time on one waterfront weekend.
The lineup is stacked with Michelin and James Beard talent, from Suzette Gresham to Javier Plascencia, pouring alongside more than 800 wines and spirits, plus crowd favorites like “Chef of the Fest” and “Taco TKO.”
Beyond the tastings, standalone dinners honor everyone from Chef José Andrés to San Diego’s small farms, and the festival’s food recovery program keeps giving back through it all.
📆 Sunday, November 1 – Sunday, November 8 | 11 AM – 3 PM
📍 Multiple venues across San Diego
ℹ️ Read the full story
Unlimited Tacos in SDMA’s Sculpture Garden for Día de los Muertos
SDMA is turning its sculpture garden into a taco party for Día de los Muertos, and it’s a good one.
Local vendors – Blanco Cocina + Cantina, El Indio, Panama 66, La Puerta, The Craft Taco, and more – set up stations throughout the May S. Marcy Sculpture Court, with every ticket covering unlimited tastings plus a Panama 66 margarita, Mujeres Brew House beer, or agua fresca.
Both museums are free and open all day. Tickets go fast.
📆 Sunday, November 1 | 12 PM – 4 PM
ℹ️ Read the full story
Looking Ahead
The Team Behind City Tacos is Opening El Punto at Liberty Station
Gerry Torres, the owner of City Tacos, is bringing a new restaurant to Liberty Station this October. El Punto takes over an 8,800-square-foot space at 2885 Perry Road – indoor dining, covered outdoor seating, an enclosed off-leash dog park, and life-size lawn games, the kind of setup made for a long afternoon.
Executive Chef Eduardo Baeza, who has been cooking alongside Torres for 25 years, is leading the kitchen with a coastal Mexican menu: ceviche, oysters, tiraditos, full entrées, and the five standout tacos from the City Tacos lineup. Bar Director Rudy Corona is running a michelada bar. Brunch and a kids menu are in the mix, too.
📆 Opening October 2026
ℹ️ Read the full story
See you there, San Diego!
