From Jason Janececk, who also co-owns nearby Corner Pizza, Leu Leu will not be just another restaurant, but an intimate lounge where the atmosphere is as much about the experience as the food. The space will accommodate up to 65 guests, where patrons will experience a culinary spin on Chef Claudette Zepeda's Mexican-American heritage, combined with Mediterranean, Moroccan, and other global flavors.
The menu at Leu Leu will feature unique dishes such as a duck confit tamale, a faberge egg of sushi rice and beef tartare, masa koji roasted beets with Lebanese garlic sauce, and a fusion of Mexican and Jewish cuisines with masa ball soup. There will also be sections dedicated to "rip and dip" with various breads and sauces, alongside crudos and salads. Desserts will include sundaes from the Oceanside indie shop, Little Fox Cups & Cones, which is in the process of opening a new location in Cardiff. There will also be a selection of beer and wine.
Leu Leu marks a new chapter for Zepeda. Raised on both sides of the border in San Diego and Tijuana, Zepeda started her career as a pastry chef with stints at Sea180 in Imperial Beach and since-closed Jsix in East Village. She went on to be hired by acclaimed chef Javier Plascencia as the opening chef de cuisine of the highly-publicized yet shockingly short-lived Bracero Cocina de Raiz in Little Italy in 2015.
In 2017, Claudette competed in the second season of Top Chef Mexico, followed directly by appearing as a contestant on Season 15 of Bravo’s Top Chef, where she was portrayed as the season's villain. In June 2018, Chef Claudette opened Rise & Shine Breakfast Group's El Jardin modern Mexican restaurant in Liberty Station but she was abruptly ousted when the restaurant rebranded to a more casual concept the following year before closing soon after. During her time at El Jardin, Claudette was a semifinalist in the 2019 James Beard Foundation Awards Best Chef: West category.
In February 2020, Zepeda was tasked with leading the culinary operations at the Dinner With A View roving, domed pop-up in Liberty Station. Most recently, Zepeda was the Executive Chef at Hyatt's new Alila Marea Beach Resort in Encinitas. She also came out victorious on both Iron Chef reboots in the United States and Mexico.
Leu Leu Lounge is set to open in February at 466 North Highway 101, Suite 1, in the Leucadia neighborhood of San Diego's North County city of Encinitas. For more information, follow Leu Leu on Instagram.
Originally published on January 14, 2025.
