The Craving: San Diego Food + Drink News – Week of October 12, 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
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
Insider Moves
Save Room at Mister A’s
Atop Bankers Hill, Executive Pastry Chef Amy Simpson is making a strong case for skipping straight to dessert. Her new fall menu draws on seasonal produce from farm partners JR Organics and Sage Hill Ranch Gardens, with standouts like Sweet Corn Sticky Toffee Pudding with brown butter popcorn ice cream and Honey Brie Cheesecake with fresh figs.
Order the Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream – Simpson sources jam berries from her farm partners and roasts them with balsamic vinegar, and the result is richer than anything you’d expect from a scoop.
📍 2550 Fifth Ave 12th floor, San Diego
🎟️ Make a reservation
ℹ️ Follow along on Instagram for updates
Northeastern Italian Magic at Mingei
Friuli-Venezia Giulia doesn’t get enough credit. The northeastern Italian region sits where the Alps meet the Adriatic, and its food and wine reflect a mix of cultures and landscapes that Tuscany-centric Italian dining rarely captures.
Chefs Tim Kolanko and Tony Coito are putting it at the center of October’s ARTIFACT at Night dinner at Mingei, digging into the flavors of one of Italy’s most interesting corners. This one is not to be missed.
📆 Thursday, October 15 | 5 PM – 8 PM
🎟️ Reserve your spot
New This Week
North Italia’s Fall Menu is Worth a Trip to Fashion Valley
Fall is North Italia’s moment, and the Fashion Valley location is proving it. New this season: the Fusilli Al Telefono, a Roman-inspired pasta with dinapoli tomato, mozzarella, and roasted garlic breadcrumb, and a Burrata di Stagione built for the season with fuji apple, roasted butternut squash, and hazelnut.
A refreshed happy hour menu and limited-time prix fixe deals make it even easier to say yes.
📆 Launching Wednesday, October 14
📍 7055 Friars Rd, San Diego
ℹ️ See the full menu
Food, Drinks, and Up-Close Animal Encounters at Farm to Bay
The Living Coast Discovery Center’s Farm to Bay is back for its 17th year with a fall makeover, set inside the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge with the bay and wetlands as your backdrop.
This bayside tasting event pairs local food and drink with live entertainment and silent and live auctions.
The real stars are the animal ambassadors, from an endangered sea turtle to sharks, hawks, eagles, and owls, and this year you can help feed some of them for the first time.
It’s also the Living Coast’s largest fundraiser, with a goal of $180,000 after last year’s record $165,000. Even better news: 96 percent of last year’s event waste was recycled or composted, well above the Zero-Waste standard.
📆 Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 3 PM – 6:30 PM
📍 1000 Gunpowder Point Dr PARKING, Chula Vista
ℹ️ Read the full story
LandShark Goes Haunted for Halloween
LandShark Bar & Grill at Margaritaville Hotel San Diego is going full haunted jungle this October. Lost Temple Tavern transforms the space into an abandoned tropical outpost overtaken by twisted vines, tropical skeletons, cursed castaways, and ancient relics.
Spooky cocktail and island-inspired food specials set the mood, and immersive details and photo-worthy moments are scattered around every corner. Give yourself time to explore the whole space. It all runs daily, but comes especially alive after dark, when a live DJ kicks off Friday and Saturday nights. Come dressed in costume.
📆 October 10 – 31 | Daily from 7 AM | Live DJ Fri & Sat from 7:30 PM
📍 616 J St, San Diego
Tacos, Two Taps Away
Love The Taco Stand, but don’t always love the lines wrapped down the block to get your tacos? There’s a solution! Taco Stand has a new app for pick-up orders, and it carries the full menu: trompo al pastor, volcanes, carne asada fries, fried-to-order churros, and the rest, plus non-alcoholic drinks and merch.
You get a quoted pick-up time when you order, every item comes with a photo, and your usual reorders in two taps. It’s live at all standalone locations across Southern California, Las Vegas, Dallas, and South Florida, and it stays online through every business hour, peak rushes included.
ℹ️ Download it on the App Store or Google Play.
New Restaurants Opening in San Diego in 2026
31 new spots landed in our 2026 Openings Guide: Goop Kitchen (Del Mar), Chef Fei (La Jolla), Station8 (La Jolla), Swells Sourdough Bakery (Little Italy), El Punto (Liberty Station), The Garten (La Mesa), 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
City Tacos brings back the Pescadilla Taco. Back on the menu for the first time since December 2024, the Pescadilla features smoked tuna machaca, capers, olives, chipotle aioli, and cotija on a crunchy corn tortilla. It’s $5.50 at six San Diego County locations. Follow along on Instagram for updates.
Solare Ristorante drops its fall cooking schedule. Executive Chef Denice Grande and 81-year-old Nonna Chef Maria Crivello are leading four Saturday classes – pasta, pizza, seafood, and gnocchi – from October 31 through November 28. Prices run $95 to $118 per person and include coffee, lunch, and wine. Reserve on OpenTable.
Bring a photo and get a gift card. Cloak & Petal in Little Italy is giving $10 gift cards to anyone who brings a photo of a loved one or pet for its Dia de los Muertos ofrenda – yes, pets count. Valid October 12 through November 2. Book your spot.
goop kitchen updates the menu for fall. Goop is off to a fast start in San Diego – there seems to be a line at their One Paseo restaurant at all times of the day. But they aren’t resting on their laurels. New this season: a Fall Classic Pizza topped with thinly shaved Delicata squash, fontina, rosemary, and wildflower honey; a tikka masala-spiced curry cauliflower soup with lime crema; and a Blackened Salmon Bowl for when you want something hearty. View the full menu.
Pali Wine Co introduces a happy hour. The San Diego tasting room is pouring $5 wines and beers on tap Wednesday through Friday from 2 to 6 PM, with deals on bites including their signature charcuterie. Trivia’s back on Thursdays and live music runs every weekend. Book a table.
Mastro’s Ocean Club has a new Social Hour. The restaurant is running a bar and lounge special Monday through Friday from 4:30 PM to 6 PM, and the menu hits the right notes: oysters ($9), Wagyu smash sliders ($12), Parmesan truffle fries ($8), and cocktails starting at $10. They also have a new Cinnamon & Pecan Butter Cake ($21) October 1 through December 31 – warm layers of brown sugar and cinnamon swirl with toasted pecans, crème anglaise, vanilla bean ice cream, and sea salt toffee caramel sauce 😮. Book on OpenTable.
North Italia introduces a weekday happy hour. Bar deals, Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 PM, include Italian bites like White Truffle Garlic Bread and Double Pepperoni Flatbread for $10-12, plus $10 spritzes and $12 craft cocktails. View the happy hour menu.
Spill the Beans is running a Coffee Happy Hour in the Gaslamp… the afternoon slump has a $5 solution. Every weekday at the Gaslamp location on Market Street, Spill the Beans drops the price on 16-oz. iced drinks, with a lineup that runs from a Cinna-Bee (honey, cinnamon, espresso, milk) to a Blondie Mocha built on white chocolate, brown sugar, and macadamia, to cold brew, matcha, and chai. Monday – Friday, October 1 – October 30, 2 PM – 4:20 PM.
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.
Bivouac Ciderworks beats pumpkin spice season to the punch. Cat’s Paw, the brewery’s best-selling seasonal cider, is back with notes of fall spices, pumpkin, and pear at 6% ABV. Grab it on draft or in to-go 4-packs at both North Park locations, or find it around the region. Follow along on Instagram for updates.
Mark Your Calendar & Make Reservations Now
Black Radish is Back! With a Refreshed Room and Three New Menus
Six weeks is a long time to wait, but Black Radish used it well. The University Avenue spot returns with a refreshed dining room and three new ways to eat: a Prix Fixe Menu, a Chef’s Tasting Menu, and an updated Bar Menu loaded with new small bites and seasonal cocktails.
If this place was on your regular rotation, now’s the time to pick it back up. If you’ve never been, treat yourself now. It’s one of our favorites, and will be yours too!
Reservations are open for Friday and Saturday evenings.
📍 2591 University Ave, San Diego
ℹ️ See the full menu
A First Look at The Heritage Steakhouse’s Debut Menu
The Heritage Steakhouse is bringing East County its first true five-star steakhouse, and the debut menu is here!
Executive Chef Meredith Manée, a veteran of the Four Seasons, Hotel del Coronado, and The Ritz-Carlton Maui, leads a lineup of USDA Prime, Angus, and Wagyu steaks aged 28 days or more, including a 36-ounce Tomahawk made for sharing.
Start with tableside searing on a volcanic stone, a Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Cake, or a seafood tower for two. Pan-roasted diver scallops and a double-cut Iberico pork chop keep the menu going beyond steak.
Finish with a “Death by Chocolate” dessert, all on the sixth floor of The Legacy Building at Lantern Crest Resort Community in Santee.
Reservations open soon, so stay tuned.
📆 Opening this November
📍 200 Lantern Crest Way 6th Floor, Santee
ℹ️ Read the full story
Five Courses, One Seating, Napa in the Glass
ARLO San Diego is turning over one night on Hotel Circle to Napa Valley. Five courses, one seating, a Hess Persson Estates pour with every plate.
Seafood opens, duck and beef tenderloin do the heavy lifting, and a Toasted Mocha cake closes it out. $120 per person before tax and gratuity, parking free with validation. Spots are limited.
📆 Thursday, October 15 | 6 PM
🎟️ Reserve your spot
ℹ️ See the full menu
Putts, Pints, and Mission Bay Views
A mini golf course is going up on the pool deck at Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa & Marina, and Harland Brewing Co. is pouring.
Poolside Putts & Pints pairs the course with craft beer tastings from Harland’s new Clubhouse at Mission Bay Golf Course, music, and open views across the water. Play is open to all ages and skill levels. Tastings are 21 and up. Tickets start at $81.88.
📆 Saturday, October 24 | 12 PM – 4 PM
📍 1441 Quivira Road, San Diego
🎟️ Get your tickets
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
Little Italy’s Pink Holiday Takeover Returns
Lala transforms into Lala-Land for the holidays – its annual takeover that swaps the usual restaurant look for bold pink Christmas décor, twinkling lights, and a photo-op around every corner.
The Italian-inspired menu and holiday cocktails are still there, making it an easy call for date nights, festive dinners, or just a very good drink with friends.
📆 Starting late November
🎟️ Book your table
ℹ️ See the menu
Del Mar’s Holiday Food-and-Drink Crawl is Back
Del Mar Village Winter Taste & Sip is exactly what it sounds like: a festive afternoon stroll through downtown Del Mar’s beautifully decorated streets, with bites from local restaurants, drinks at Sip Stops tucked inside neighborhood businesses, and live music around every corner.
Every ticket comes with a commemorative GoVino tasting glass to keep as a souvenir. It’s all part of the bigger North Pole by the Sea holiday festivities, and presale tickets are live right now – which is great news, because this one has a habit of selling out early.
📆 Sunday, December 6 | 1 PM – 4 PM
📍 Downtown Del Mar Village
🎟️ Get tickets
Looking Ahead
A 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
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
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 udpates
Javier’s is Coming to RaDD
RaDD – the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame San Diego – is landing a new restaurant, and it’s one with real California credentials. Javier’s, known for sharp Mexican food and a cocktail program to match, is opening inside the entertainment destination.
No opening date yet, but the brand is already teasing a few surprises. Follow along on Instagram while you wait.
📆 Coming soon
ℹ️ Follow on Instagram for updates
Coffee to Cocktails Under One La Mesa Roof at The Garten
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
See you there, San Diego!
