The Carnitas' Snack Shack location in Del Mar Highlands Town Center will close up shop by the end of the year. The second location of the popular pork paradise, CSS Del Mar was opened in August 2014 by husband-and-wife-partners Chef Hanis Cavin & Sara Stroud, who also have outposts of their fast-casual restaurant in North Park and at the North Embarcadero in Downtown San Diego. The space will be taken over by popular Los Angeles based Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market, which anticipates to open by Spring 2017.
Del Mar was probably not the best fit for an incarnation of the porky fast-casual Carnitas' Snack Shack, as the neighborhood is known to be health-conscious. Carnitas' Snack Shack first opened in North Park in 2011 and was an immediate hit. The waterfront Embarcadero location premiered in May of this year, drawing crowds from the onset. Although not struggling by any means, the location at 12873 El Camino Real in Carmel Valley was not as successful as the other branches, so Hanis & Sara have decided to close the business on December 31, possibly before.
Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market, which was founded by Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen in 2003 and opened its first brick and mortar location in downtown Los Angeles in 2005, will take over the space in Del Mar Highlands. Currently operating 13 locations, the popular sandwich shop, which is heavily backed by Whole Foods, also plans to open an outpost at The Shops at La Jolla Village, located at 8975 Villa La Jolla Drive.
For more information on Carnitas' Snack Shack, visit carnitassnackshack.com.
