Las Vegas Hotspot LAVO Italian Restaurant To Replace Searsucker In San Diego's Gaslamp

January 25, 2022

One of America's most prominent restaurant and nightlife collectives, New York City-based Tao Group Hospitality will bring its LAVO Italian ristorante concept to San Diego, launching later this year in the Gaslamp Quarter space that long housed Searsucker. 

In April 2021, news broke that Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation subsidiary Tao Group Hospitality acquired Hakkasan Group, creating a hospitality powerhouse that includes a global portfolio of 61 entertainment dining and nightlife venues in 22 markets across five continents. In San Diego at the time, Hakkasan Group owned three concepts - Searsucker restaurant and Omnia night club, both in the Gaslamp Quarter, and Herringbone in La Jolla. Founded by San Diego celebrity chef Brian Malarkey in 2010, Searsucker had been a dining destination in the Gaslamp Quarter for a decade before shuttering in July 2020. The former Omnia space is also in the process of being converted into Nova San Diego nightclub by a team of nightlife & EDM gurus that includes the founder of the Electric Daisy Carnival.

Tao Group founded the flagship LAVO Italian Restaurant at The Palazzo at The Venetian Las Vegas in 2008. Since then, a second location opened in New York City with a third expected to unveil soon on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. LAVO San Diego is currently being constructed in the former Searsucker space on the corner of 5th Avenue and Market Street in the heart of San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. Expect a Southern Italy meets California all-day menu featuring an array of appetizers like the famous one pound wagyu meatball, as well as salads, wood-fired pizzas, house-made pastas, raw bar items, and seafood & meat entrees. From the bar, there will be a list of specialty cocktails, craft beer, and an expansive wine list. LAVO will also offer a weekend brunch, frequent special events, and a nightlife lounge vibe during late evening hours. 

LAVO San Diego is anticipated to open by this summer at 611 Fifth Avenue in downtown San Diego. For more information, visit lavolv.com and check out the draft menu below.