The Craving: San Diego Food + Drink News – Week of August 3, 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
Origen Draws a Crowd in Hillcrest
Stepping into Origen in Hillcrest feels a little like discovering one of those effortlessly stylish restaurants tucked away in Puerto Escondido or Oaxaca City.
That transportive quality is no accident. Origen was designed around the team’s shared love of travel, adventure, and the Mexican coast, bringing those influences together through vibrant seafood dishes, smoked tuna flautitas, ceviches, aguachiles, tacos, and seriously good cocktails.
A couple of years in, it feels like Origen has truly found its audience. We stopped by over the weekend, and the place was packed, with fantastic energy and a stylish, international crowd that fit the setting perfectly. It was lively, attractive, and just a little escapist – the kind of place where dinner easily turns into another round and nobody seems eager to leave.
📆 Tuesday – Thursday, 4 PM – 10 PM | Friday – Saturday, 4 PM -11 PM | Sunday, 4 PM -10 PM
📍 3831 Park Boulevard, Hillcrest
ℹ️ Visit their website
Insider Move
Honor Bar Very Quietly Brings Its Signature Polish to Del Mar
Yes, it has literally been 10 years since Bully’s in Del Mar was closed and construction began on the new parking garage and restaurant space that is now the home to Honor Bar. But we are calling it now… it was worth the wait!
We happened to walk by on Sunday about an hour before they were set to open, and they were nice enough to invite us in for a quick look and chat with the chef. We weren’t allowed to take any pictures, but the space is absolutely beautiful.
Polished and undeniably nice, it still feels relaxed, informal, and ready for a lively crowd. It is the kind of place that works just as well for a casual drink at the bar as it does for a proper night out. Parent company Hillstone Restaurant Group may have kept this one under wraps, but we have a feeling the secret will not last long. Honor Bar is going to be a big hit in Del Mar.
We suggest getting there before the crowd finds out.
📍 1404 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar
ℹ️ Follow them on Instagram and visit their website
New This Week
Stone Fruit Season Gets its Own Five-Course Menu in La Jolla
The Kitchen @ MCASD‘s Ingredient Dinner Series returns with a menu built around California’s stone fruit harvest. Executive Chef Tim Kolanko and Chef Matt Sramek take it through five courses, from a champagne toast with roasted apricot and lardo to a leek-crusted kingfish crudo, stonefruit carpaccio, Lebanese seven-spiced duck breast, and a peach croissant buche – all with views over the Pacific.
📆 Thursday, August 6
📍 700 Prospect St, San Diego
🎟️ Book your table
Urban Kitchen Group is Hosting a Farm Dinner at Coastal Roots
Urban Kitchen Group is taking dinner outside for one night at Coastal Roots Farm – an intimate outdoor meal built around what’s growing on the regenerative farm, paired with local wines, and honoring the farm’s incoming CEO, Kesha Dorsey.
All proceeds benefit Coastal Roots’ community mission. Tickets start at $150 per person.
📆 Sunday, August 9 | 5 PM – 8 PM
📍 441 Saxony Rd, Encinitas
🎟️ Get your tickets
The Nat’s Rooftop Brunch Has Balboa Park Views to Match
Turns out The Nat’s rooftop has been hiding one of the best brunch views in San Diego. Wander the galleries first, then head up to soak in sweeping Balboa Park views while you eat.
The rooftop pop-up series comes from local restaurateur Johnny Rivera, the guy behind Hash House a Go Go, Great Maple, and that viral BLT Bloody Mary, rotating a different restaurant concept through each round this summer.
Next up is Wolfish by Wolf in the Woods. Seating’s first-come, first-served, everything’s ordered à la carte, and the bar’s pouring mocktails, mimosas, and bloody marys all morning.
If the rooftop line looks long, duck down to the Atrium for brunch from The Craft Taco instead, or go all in with VIP for reserved seating, tableside tapas, and a behind-the-scenes museum tour.
📍 1788 El Prado, San Diego
ℹ️ Read the full story
Zuma is Opening Its First West Coast Location in Downtown San Diego
One of the most celebrated Japanese izakayas in the world is landing in San Diego, and it’s setting up inside The Guild Hotel. Zuma‘s first California location features a main dining room, bar, and terrace right in the heart of downtown – and the restaurant’s arrival coincides with a renovation of The Guild’s public spaces.
Contemporary Japanese cuisine, a serious bar program, a room worth dressing for. Reservations are open.
📆 Opening Monday, August 10
🎟️ Secure your spot now
Chef Jonathan Alcala Brings New Menu to Temecula Creek Inn
Temecula Creek Inn is opening a new chapter in wine country dining. A newly landscaped Chef’s Garden now sits beside Corkfire, built around a 30-seat communal farm table and a custom bar and grill for slow, chef-led multi-course dinners like small celebrations or private gatherings.
Leading the kitchen is newly appointed Executive Chef Jonathan Alcala, whose Baja upbringing and family fishing trips shape his focus on responsible sourcing and sustainability.
His new Corkfire menu runs on live-fire techniques like ember roasting, wood-fire grilling, and smoke infusion, turning garden-grown produce into dishes like Pork Chop with mesquite tomato marmalade and Braised Short Rib with cherry tomato vinaigrette.
An expanded brunch and happy hour round things out with bold, Mediterranean-leaning flavors.
📍 44501 Rainbow Canyon Rd, Temecula
ℹ️ Read the full story
Maranello Lands on Kettner
A new Italian spot just opened in Little Italy, and it’s already one to know. Maranello takes its name from the northern Italian town Ferrari calls home – not to play up the racing connection, but because Maranello the place runs on hospitality and long meals.
The menu moves through northern Italy’s regions, from gnocco fritto with speck to candy-shaped ravioli stuffed with mortadella and pistachio, to pasta finished tableside in a Parmigiano Reggiano wheel.
The cocktail list is just as considered – the Pepperoni Negroni (pepperoni-infused gin, Campari, sweet vermouth) is already a talking point, and Maranello is one of the first spots in town to pour Sarti Rosa, the European aperitivo that just arrived stateside. Finish on a high note with the Tiramisu Espresso Martini, a rich, indulgent sip that blurs the line between cocktail and dessert.
A Serial Killer Speakeasy is Coming to San Diego
This is something a little different! Serial Killer Speakeasy is a chilling immersive experience where four infamous stories unfold live on stage. It’s like stepping inside your favorite true-crime podcast, but with premium cocktails, an ominous atmosphere, and a killer twist.
Produced by Midnight Creative, creators of the highly reviewed International touring Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy. It’s in town for four nights only in August and is already selling fast. Get your tickets early!
ℹ️ Learn more
Fill Your Basket at the Chula Vista Farmers’ Market
There’s a particular kind of Sunday that only happens on Third Avenue, and the Downtown Chula Vista Farmers’ Market is the reason: cafecito in one hand, flowers under the other arm, a tote getting heavier at every stall.
What started four years ago with a handful of vendors now fills more than 100 tents along Park Way and Third Avenue – Scorpion Farms produce, Hidalgo Flowers blooms, Dancing Crow rosé, and pop-ups like Bomb Bibimbap and Sam’s Bread.
With National Farmers’ Market Week landing this August, there’s no better week to make a morning of it. Bring cash for the flowers.
📆 Sundays | 10 AM – 2 PM
ℹ️ Read the full story
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
Cloak & Petal introduced a Chef’s Table. The Michelin-recognized restaurant is running pop-up dinners with Executive Chef Robert Cassidy. Single seating, a fixed menu built for that night, no à la carte, no upsells. Just Chef Robert cooking what he wants for people who came to pay attention. Join the mailing list for advance notice of the dinners.
Prince St. Pizza just dropped a dessert pizza. The Black Currant Big Apple Pie Pizza is their first-ever dessert slice, made with McCormick – apple pie comfort meets a black currant drizzle and McCormick Black Currant Finishing Sugar, balancing berry notes against classic end-of-summer sweetness. Available at all Prince St. locations.
Wild Hare Bar Garden launched weekend brunch. The Gaslamp spot is now serving Bananas Foster French Toast, a Cali Breakfast Burrito with chorizo, potato hash, and salsa macha, and cocktails like the cucumber-forward French Lop and espresso-infused What’s Up Doc? Happy hour runs weekdays 4 to 6 PM with 50% off. Secure a table now.
Topside Terrace dropped its new summer menu. Hotel Republic’s rooftop serves a Baja-Mediterranean menu with summer additions: Lobster Tacos with mango habanero salsa and avocado silk, Chilean Seabass with citrus beurre blanc, and Chipotle Goat Cheese Cavatelli with grilled chicken, corn, and goat cheese crema. View the full menu.
Wild Tide has a new hard ginger beer. The San Diego brand uses an orange wine base – a canvas for organic ginger juice and fruit juices, with results closer to a well-made cocktail than a sparkling water with ambitions. Three flavors: Original Ginger Lime, Grapefruit Jalapeño, and Pineapple Passionfruit, all 5% ABV and gluten-free. Read the full story.
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue is getting a Saturday SPAM Musubi Day on August 8. Swing by any San Diego location and grab a free SPAM Musubi, no purchase necessary, while supplies last. It’s grilled SPAM over rice wrapped in nori, a Hawaii staple ever since the post-war years. A few spots are also tossing in entertainment, giveaways, and extra menu perks to celebrate. Check out the full menu.
Lana’s new summer menu has arrived, timed perfectly to Del Mar Racetrack season. It’s the work of chef David McIntyre, who designed Lana’s original menu and is now staying on full-time after 22 years cooking under Wolfgang Puck at Spago and Cut. Think sweet corn soup, peach bruschetta, and a burrata-topped prosciutto pizza worth the drive to Solana Beach alone. View the menu.
Karl Strauss is releasing a collab hazy IPA. Field Trip is a collaboration with Fieldwork Brewing, available at Karl Strauss brewpubs. The 6.7% ABV pour is full-bodied with juicy citrus and tropical flavors, discounted to $6 on National IPA Day. $1 from every pint goes to Restaurants Care, supporting food and beverage workers. Find Field Trip Hazy IPA near you.
Mark Your Calendar & Make Reservations Now
Six Courses, Six Tequilas at Kettner Exchange
Kettner Exchange is hosting an intimate six-course dinner with Don Fulano Tequila, each course crafted to highlight a different pour. The menu was built exclusively for the evening – a proper chef’s dinner where the tequila shapes the food, not the other way around.
Don Fulano is one of the more regarded names in craft tequila, making this a good excuse to taste through the portfolio with proper food behind it. Seating is intimate. Grab your spot early.
📆 Thursday, August 13 | 6 PM
📍 2001 Kettner Blvd, San Diego
🎟️ Book your table
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) exist, 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
Fresh Maine Lobster and Steak, Trackside at Del Mar
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club is kicking off its first Turf & Surf Festival, and the setup is hard to argue with: fresh Maine lobster cooked on-site via the world’s largest kettle steamer, Brandt Beef steak, and five drink tasters (cocktails, wine, or craft beer) included with every ticket.
Add the Lobster Feast and you’re getting a full 1.25lb lobster with all the fixings – servers do the cracking. Pre-order online to lock it in; availability at the door isn’t guaranteed.
📆 Saturday, August 8 | 1 PM – 6 PM
ℹ️ Read the full story
Eat Your Way Across the Mediterranean at Garibaldi
Garibaldi at the InterContinental just reworked its Sip & Savor series, and the new format is a good one: a full month devoted to a single Mediterranean country, each with a chef-crafted entrée and a cocktail built to match.
Morocco, from Executive Chef Franck Tasic, means a braised duck tagine in Ras el Hanout jus with confit fennel, green olives, preserved tangerines, and an almond-harissa crisp over couscous, paired with a fig-spirit julep.
Lebanon, from Sous Chef Darwin Leobrera, brings a fried rockfish sayadieh over seven-spice basmati with caramelized onions, pine nuts, and tahini-lemon, next to a rye-and-arak pour called the Manhattan to Beirut. Italy, Greece, and Spain round out the trip through fall.
📆 Morocco (July) | Lebanon (August) | Italy (September) | Greece (October) | Spain (November)
ℹ️ Make reservations
ARTIFACT at Night Takes a Culinary Journey to Hokkaido
ARTIFACT at Mingei‘s monthly dinner series heads to Hokkaido for its next installment, led by chefs Tim Kolanko and Tony Coito. The four-course menu explores the region’s culinary traditions (full details still to come) with optional beverage pairings. A good one to move on early. $89 per person.
📆 Thursday, August 20 | 5 PM – 8 PM
📍 1439 El Prado, San Diego
🎟️ Make reservations
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
Three North County Chefs Come Together for a Rare PATRIMONY Wine Dinner
Nick & G’s in Rancho Santa Fe is hosting a one-night-only wine dinner built around PATRIMONY Estate – the celebrated Paso Robles winery from brothers Georges and Daniel Daou.
Chef Alex Carballo is joined by Chef Patrick Ponsaty of the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe and Chef Johnny Freyberg of The Crosby for a collaborative tasting menu paired with rare vintage pours. Seats are extremely limited.
📆 Thursday, August 27 | 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
📍 6106 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Santa Fe
🎟️ Lock in 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
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
Cloak & Petal is Getting its Own Coffee Shop
We’ve got another reason to swing by Cloak & Petal. The Little Italy favorite is opening Black Mizu Café this summer, bringing a dedicated coffee concept right to the front of the restaurant.
The new spot will serve beans from Torque Coffee along with a simple menu that’s perfect for an easy morning stop or midday pick-me-up. Later this fall, Executive Chef Robert Cassidy will roll out a Japanese and Pacific Rim–inspired brunch, giving us yet another reason to linger.
Black Mizu will have its own entrance and large retractable doors that create an airy, patio-like feel. When the café isn’t open, the space will double as a private dining room – a smart move that keeps this Little Italy staple evolving.
📆 Opening summer 2026
ℹ️ Read the full story
Moniker General is Opening Downtown
Moniker General – the coffee and cocktail concept that helped shape Liberty Station and North Park into the neighborhoods they are today – is opening its third location on the ground floor of WEST, a new 37-story mixed-use tower in downtown San Diego.
The 1,830-square-foot space pairs Moniker Coffee Co.’s specialty coffee and café offerings with craft cocktails, wine, and beer from The Bar at Moniker General, built to flex from morning coffee through after-work drinks. True to form, every inch is being handled in-house – design, construction, and operations all by the Moniker team that’s been at this since 2010.
📆 Opening late 2026
ℹ️ Read the full story
Coronado’s Newest Coastal Restaurant is on its Way
Coronado is getting a new coastal escape. By The Sea, the newest project from husband-and-wife duo Doug and Lara Hamm of Black Swan Hospitality, brings Mediterranean flavor to the island, drawing from the couple’s travels through the Amalfi Coast, French Riviera, and Greek Isles.
Tecture Inc. designed the space with reclaimed wood beams, imported cobblestones, lush greenery, and a sun-soaked patio with glimpses of the Pacific just steps away.
Expect a menu of coastal cuisine and seasonal Mediterranean cocktails, with ingredients sourced through local farmers and fishermen and a dynamic lineup of starters, salads, pastas, and mains.
The wine list showcases small, family-run producers embracing organic, sustainable, and natural practices.
📆 Opening soon
📍 1300 Orange Ave, Coronado
ℹ️ Follow along on Instagram for updates
See you there, San Diego!
