Dirty Birds Ownership Brings Shores American Diner To Former Porter's Pub Space On University Of California San Diego Campus

April 7, 2024

The team behind Dirty Birds restaurants has opened Shores American Diner in the longtime Porter's Pub space on the University of California San Diego campus. 

After a series of failed restaurant concepts by Consortium Holdings, the longtime Porter's Pub building on UCSD campus has a new tenant in the form of Dirty Bird's restaurant co-founder Adam Jacoby and current operating partner at Dirty Birds UCSD location Paul Cagnina. The duo have opened a modern take on an American diner restaurant and bar dubbed Shores Diner in the sprawling space.

Now in its soft opening stage, Shores Diner offers an all-day menu featuring breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts. Expect dishes like omelets, classic griddle options featuring stuffed French toast, hot dogs, burgers, Reuben sandwiches, salads, and meals like homemade meatloaf, meatballs, and chicken Parmesan. The menu also includes diner favorites such as milkshakes and banana splits, as well as a beer, wine and Soju cocktails. 

UCSD Alumni & celebrity comedian Jimmy O. Yang was a guest bartender at Shores Diner opening.

In spring 2017, San Diego's ever-expanding Consortium Holdings hospitality group was approved by the University Centers Advisory Board to take over the lease at the space next to the UCSD Student Center that was occupied by Porter's Pub from 1993 until 2015. The restaurant group's founder Arsalun Tafazoli is actually a UCSD alumni and decided to install a location of his Soda & Swine concept on the campus, a $2 million project that didn't open until fall 2019. 

Consortium Holdings rebranded the 14,000 square-foot UCSD space several times during its six years in control. In 2021 after completely abandoning the Soda & Swine brand, CH tested out a new concept called Uncle Italian, serving a menu centered around Detroit-style pizza and East Coast-style Italian comfort food dishes. Then in fall 2022, Consortium Holdings transformed the expansive restaurant into a neon-clad third location of Underbelly Japanese restaurant, another short-lived project that didn't even make it a full school year. 

Shores Diner is now open at 105 Eucalyptus Grove Lane on the University of California San Diego campus in La Jolla. For more information, follow Shores Diner on Instagram and check out the menus below.