There's an abundance of new San Diego restaurant openings on the horizon for 2023, so we've compiled a list of more than 70 spots we're excited for in the new year.
2023 is going to be a big year for America's Finest City! There are so many new restaurants in the works for San Diego County, and we have the scoops on what's coming. From celebrity chef-driven projects to pro boxer-backed taquerias, below is our list of the restaurants we can't wait to try in the near future.
Prince Street Pizza - Known for its around the block lines at its original branch in New York City, Prince Street Pizza took over part of the space previously occupied by Mariscos El Pulpo on Market Street in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. Expected to open in early 2023, the San Diego branch will offer a classic New York City slice shop experience with a menu of "Neapolitan-style" round pies and "Original SOHO Square" pizzas, including their iconic Spicy Spring with fra diavolo sauce, fresh mozzarella, spicy cupping pepperoni and Pecorino Romano cheese. Like the Los Angeles location, there will also be a small selection of salads, 10" pizzettas, Mozza mozzerella balls, sauces to-go. and bundled family meals.
California English - Celebrity chef Richard Blais, known for leading roles on Bravo's Top Chef and Fox's primetime hit Next Level Chef, has signed on to open two new restaurants in San Diego. Chef Blais recently partnered with Longfellow Real Estate Partners, a privately held developer of life science buildings, and will bring a pair of new restaurants to the company's two incoming San Diego sites in Sorrento Valley. The first restaurant will install within a 6,000 square-foot indoor/outdoor space at the Biovista Life Science Campus off Mira Mesa Boulevard. Dubbed California English, expect an approachable, all-day menu of "SoCal meets Great Britain" cuisine that will combine British classic dishes with Southern California flare and local ingredients. The restaurant is expected to open in February 2023 and will have a full bar, expansive outdoor patio and veranda.
The Lafayette Hotel - After purchasing the decades-old boutique hotel in 2021 for $25,815,000, San Diego's Consortium Holdings hospitality company closed The Lafayette this past fall for a $26 million makeover that will add eight new bars & restaurants to the historic property. New concepts coming to the historic hotel include a lobby bar & cafe, a classic diner, a luxurious Parisian-style restaurant, a live music venue, an old-school bowling alley, a swanky new pool bar, an intimate chef's table dining experience, and an Oaxacan-inspired eatery & mezcal bar. Consortium Holdings founder Arsalun Tafazoli has moved into The Lafayette to oversee construction, which is being spearheaded by NYC-based Post Company and is anticipated to be completed by mid-2023.
Le Coq - In a true full circle moment, San Diego celebrity chef Brian "Mr. Cocky" Malarkey has taken back his former Herringbone restaurant in La Jolla and will remodel and rebrand it into a French-inspired fusion restaurant & bar named Le Coq. While the concept is still very much in development, the restaurant will be a French bistro & high-end steakhouse restaurant with a menu of globally-inspired fusion dishes and dry-aged meats. Herringbone will serve its final meals on New Years Eve, December 31, 2022, and at that point Malarkey is expected to perform an interior remodel with Le Coq bar & restaurant anticipated to reopen in summer 2023.
Wildland/Lilo - The team behind San Diego's Michelin-starred Jeune et Jolie have announced the forthcoming opening of two new restaurant concepts set to unveil in 2023 in Carlsbad. Wildland will be a casual, all-day eatery and bar featuring handmade pastas and entrees cooked via rotisserie grill and wood-fired pizza oven. Next door, Lilo will be an upscale, reservations only fine dining restaurant with only 22 seats. Named after a term from author John Koenig's The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, Lilo is a portmanteau of 'lifelong' and 'lie low' that means a "friendship that can lie dormant for years only to pick right back up instantly, as if no time had passed since you last saw each other."
El Pastor Del Rica Taquería - Boxing champion Canelo Alvarez will soon unveil the first U.S. offshoot of his El Pastor Del Rica Taqueria in the 4,200 square-foot standalone building that was previously an auto parts store on Broadway in San Diego's South County city of Chula Vista. El Pastor Del Rica Taquería already has a bustling location owned by Canelo Alvarez and his brother Ricardo in their home city of Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico, which first opened in 2014. For the San Diego outpost, expect an authentic Mexican street taqueria experience with a variety of meat tacos and quesadillas, including al pastor cooked on a rotating spit, as well as beer and wine.
The Remy - Hunter Steakhouse shuttered in San Diego's Mission Valley this past summer after more than 50 years in business. Jonathan Frank, who co-owns Home & Away restaurants in San Diego's Old Town and Encinitas, took over the 4,824 square-foot building and is opening a new restaurant called The Remy. Little is currently known about The Remy concept at this time, but expect a substantial renovation of the dated restaurant space, with the new eatery not expected to open until mid-to-late 2023.
The Bowl - The team behind San Diego sushi & tapas hotspot The Joint is opening a new ramen restaurant in Ocean Beach cleverly dubbed The Bowl. Opening in the space that last housed Taika Sushi, The Bowl will have a menu centered around ramen, sushi and other globally-inspired small plates. From the bar, expect a devotion to local craft beer, kombucha and seltzer, as well as a list of wine and sake. The menu will have lots of emphasis on farmers market and using local mushrooms, best quality meats and veggies to make all the broths and tare's [Japanese sauce].
Cork & Batter - Los Angeles-based Cork & Batter sports bar concept is opening a location in San Diego's Seaport Village. The company recently signed a ten-year lease with the Port of San Diego to take over the former Buster's Beach House space, which was previously slated to be a full-scale restaurant concept from San Diego Internet celebrity Sam "The Cooking Guy" Zien. The Cork and Batter team will soon transform the two-story, 8,000 square-foot longtime Buster's Beach House into a warm bungalow-themed bar & restaurant. The elevated sports bar will show live sporting events on multiple flat screens throughout the space and serve a menu of American tavern fare, craft beer, wine, and hand-crafted cocktails.
La Caille - The owner of one of Utah's most revered French fine dining restaurants has taken over the space that long housed Primavera Ristorante on San Diego's Coronado Island. La Caille is an upscale French restaurant founded in 1975 on a 20-acrea estate in Little Cottonwood Canyon on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, UT. Over its four decades tenure, the restaurant has won numerous awards and developed a reputation as the height of fine dining in Utah. Earlier this year, La Caille's owner purchased the 3,283 square-foot, bi-level building that previously housed Primavera at in downtown Coronado, and it is believed he will open a new, French restaurant in the space. Expect an elevated dining experience with a seasonal menu featuring local produce and high-end meats and seafood.
Angelo - One of San Diego's more popular Italian restaurants, Cesarina has taken over the 3,000 square-foot space across the street in Point Loma and will open Angelo, a bakery and pizza shop with a full bar set to debut in 2023. Named after Angius's father, Angelo will have a small dining area with a chefs' table for intimate meals. The eatery will be used for much of the preparation at both restaurants, including for making fresh pasta, homemade mozzarella, pizza, sauces, and bakery items like Italian desserts and cakes. Angelo will also have a full bar thanks to the eatery obtaining the liquor license from the now-defunct Jolt N Joes La Mesa branch.
LOLA 55 Carlsbad - East Village's Michelin-recognized LOLA 55 Tacos + Cocktails is gearing up for a local expansion that includes a new outpost in San Diego's North County within The Beacon La Costa shopping center in Carlsbad. Like the original branch, expect a menu of Oaxacan-style cuisine with most of its meats and vegetables grilled on a custom, Santa Maria grill. The menu offers "inspired food at affordable prices", with the majority of the items priced between $3-7. Tacos are made with housemade tortillas and ingredients sourced from area farms and purveyors. The menu also includes a large list of vegan options, including numerous plant-based tacos. The restaurant also serves a full list of craft cocktails, local & Mexican craft beer, an array of side dishes like elote and aguachile, market-driven entrees and soft beverages like agua frescas and horchatas.
Alcatraz Bar & Grill - The experienced San Diego restaurateur behind such concepts as Farmer's Table and Farmer's Bottega is gearing up to launch a new bar & restaurant inspired by Mexico's famed Valle De Guadalupe wine region. Located in the 3,741 square-foot unit on the corner of La Mesa Boulevard and Palm Avenue, Alcatraz will be an upscale Mexican restaurant and wine bar with an extensive bar selection of drinks and bourbon and a menu of modern Mexican cuisine.
Starlite Reboot - As of this past October, Starlite is owned by ever-expanding San Diego restaurant collective Consortium Holdings, which operates many area bars & restaurants including Born & Raised, Ironside Fish & Oyster, and Craft & Commerce, all sited in Little Italy. Consortium Holdings will continue Starlite as-is until next March, and at that time will close the establishment for an interior refresh and a complete kitchen renovation spearheaded by Starlite's original designers, Los Angeles-based firm Bells & Whistles (Animae, Campfire, Jeune et Jolie). In addition to a renovation, the menu will be overhauled by Chef Ted Smith, who previously worked at CH's Craft & Commerce and Born & Raised. Expect an old-school steakhouse menu centered around dry-aged meat and a continued focus on craft cocktails.
Da Primo - One of Mexico City's most prolific restaurant groups, Grupo Hunan has taken over the 7,500 square-foot, ground level space that last housed Larsen's Steakhouse in San Diego's Westfield UTC mall for the opening of a new, upscale Italian restaurant and bar. After an interior renovation, Grupo Hunan will open a new concept dubbed Da Primo. The new Italian restaurant will be different than the company's three other Italian concepts - Prosecco Tavola Rustica, Negroni Trattoria Italiana, and Trastevere Ristorante Italiano. Expect a luxurious and trendy design with a menu of Italian and fusion dishes, as well as a full bar.
Death By Tequila North Park - Encinitas-based Death by Tequila Mexican bar & restaurant will soon bring its third and most ambitious San Diego location to the heart of North Park. Taking over a 5,400 square-foot, long-vacant space that previously housed a discount store and Hawaiian restaurant, expect a total renovation of the unit to add lots of glass, high ceilings, a mezzanine dining area and an outdoor patio taking up the entire corner. The 175-seat restaurant will serve a menu of modern Mexican dishes inspired by Baja, including Picadillo empanadas with soyrizo picadillo, corn, Oaxaca cheese, crema salada, citrus slaw and cilantro; tuna aguachile with passionfruit, avocado, radish, hoja santa, lime, and tostadas; short rib asada taco with salsa verde, guacamole, red onion, radish and cilantro; and grilled Spanish octopus with racada negro, fideo seco, avocado crema, mizuna and shishito peppers. There will also be a full liquor license with an ability for the lounge and 75-seat bar to stay open until 2am as a DJ-fueled late night destination.
Sushi Gaga - The team behind San Diego's BeShock Ramen & Sake Bar has taken over the neighboring space that last housed Melvin Brewing in the East Village for a new Japanese restaurant concept currently called Sushi Gaga. Located less than 400 feet from BeShock Ramen, the new concept will offer a full bar with cocktails and spirits, an expansive cocktail list, and an upscale Japanese izakaya menu with a strong focus on sushi.
Choi's Korean - Opening within a 4,321 square-foot space with a 1,000 square-foot al fresco patio within the Petco Park-adjacent Park 12 complex, Choi's will offer a menu featuring authentic Korean dishes like fried chicken, bibimbap rice bowls, and jeon fried fritters. From the bar, the restaurant will have a dedication to Korean beer and rice wines cocktails featuring soju and makgeolli, a milky, off-white Korean wine that has a sweet and bitter taste.
Limoncello Cucina - The experienced San Diego restaurateur behind such concepts as Farmer's Table and Farmer's Bottega is gearing up to launch a new Italian bar & restaurant dubbed Limoncello Cucina in the La Mesa space that housed Tiramisu Trattoria for nearly two decades. The space will receive an interior renovation and offer a menu of classic Italian dishes and a bar serving local and Italian beers and a curated wine list.
Steak & Bones Tacos - Taking over the space that last housed Cocina Calavera on 4th Avenue in Hillcrest, Steak & Bones will offer a modern-industrial feel with touches of Mexican art, rustic brick walls, wood accents, warm lighting, newly added garage door windows to open up the space, and outdoor seating. The menu will include ribeye steak tacos, beef back ribs bone-in tacos, brisket tacos, birria tacos, lime marinated shrimp tacos, and bowls with an optional base of citrus rice, cauliflower rice, salad and all of the veggies and proteins available on the menu. Tortillas will be made to order and there will also be a selection of beer and wine with paring suggestions.
Ramen King Keisuke - Fresh off its U.S. debut in Los Angeles earlier this year, Singapore-based Ramen King Keisuke has announced three locations set to open around San Diego, specifically in Del Mar's One Paseo (replacing Le Macaron), Carlsbad and Mission Valley. Expect a menu centered around Japanese ramen noodle soups, including a traditional 10-hour simmered Tonkotsu broth, the popular lobster broth ramen, and a new vegan ramen made with potato and mushroom broth. Some locations will also have a machine-operated maki-maker that pumps out California rolls or spicy tuna maki in less than a minute.
Jimmy John's Sandwiches - The franchisee behind the expansion of Dunkin' Donuts into San Diego has signed an agreement to bring more than 20 branches of Jimmy John's sandwich shop to America's Finest City. Founded by Jimmy John Liautaud in Charleston, IL, in 1983, Jimmy John's Sandwiches now has over 2,700 locations in 43 states around the U.S., with 98% of them being franchises. Jimmy John's menu of signature and customizable sandwiches are made with homemade bread that is freshly baked every four hours and locally purchased veggies and all-natural meats that are hand-sliced daily.
Mamá Por Dios - The Los Angeles-based restaurant group behind the Culichitown chain of Mexican-Japanese restaurants has taken over the enormous space in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter that last housed BiCE for the opening of Mamá Por Dios, an upscale Mexican restaurant and bar. Earlier this year, the company opened La Conde, an elegant, Latin-American fusion eatery in the former Donovan's space in downtown San Diego. At Mamá Por Dios, expect an extensive menu of modernized Mexican dishes, including seafood appetizers, salads, prime steaks and wagyu beef, side dishes, and house specialties like camarones Costa Azul shrimp stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon. There will also be a full bar with cocktails, beer and wine, as well as liquor lockers stocked with high-end bottles which come at a cost of over $1,500 to rent.
Little Italy Fish Shop - The team behind The Fish Shop restaurants, which has three locations around San Diego County, has plans to open a branch in the Little Italy neighborhood. Little Italy Fish Shop is being constructed on State Street in the lot behind Pappalecco where a small standalone home previously sat. Like other Fish Shops, the incoming Little Italy location will be a counter-service restaurant centered around fresh seafood available for onsite dining or take-away from a glass seafood case, offered to be customized with a bunch of seasonings and sauces and served as a taco, sandwich, salad or plate. Behind the bar, expect a dedication to local craft beer, as well as a value-oriented $5 corkage fee so that customers can bring in their own wine. The restaurant will also offer a small dog-friendly patio.
