Recently filed documents with the San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality signal the company's intent to expand beyond its LA stronghold, marking what could be its sixth location and a bold leap into a market long ripe for its wood-fired pizzas and house-made pastas. While an opening date remains under wraps, this move could finally answer the prayers of local foodies who've envied LA's casual-cool staple since its 2015 debut.
The Spruce Street spot - a stone’s throw from Balboa Park's museums and greenery - promises to bring Jon & Vinny's signature vibe: think sun-soaked interiors with skylights, blonde wood accents, and an open kitchen buzzing with pizzaiolos slinging pies. The restaurant would open on the base floor of the Quince Apartments, an under-construction apartment building set to be from six to 17 stories high. Plans call for it to have 262 units, 266 parking stalls, 5,631 square feet of commercial space, and include a spa, gym, community kitchen, dining area, pool, deck, and more.
The Spruce Street spot - a stone’s throw from Balboa Park's museums and greenery - promises to bring Jon & Vinny's signature vibe: think sun-soaked interiors with skylights, blonde wood accents, and an open kitchen buzzing with pizzaiolos slinging pies. The restaurant would open on the base floor of the Quince Apartments, an under-construction apartment building set to be from six to 17 stories high. Plans call for it to have 262 units, 266 parking stalls, 5,631 square feet of commercial space, and include a spa, gym, community kitchen, dining area, pool, deck, and more.
Expect a menu packed with Italian-American comfort classics - pepperoni pizza with charred edges, spaghetti tangled with marinara-braised meatballs, and the breakfast pizza that's fueled LA mornings for a decade. Pastries, sandwiches, and specialty coffee will round out the offerings, alongside a curated wine list from their Helen's wine shop arm. It's a formula that’s made Jon & Vinny’s a go-to for everyone from Hollywood A-listers to neighborhood regulars, now eyeing San Diego’s Uptown crowd.
Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, the culinary duo behind this empire, are no strangers to shaking up the restaurant game. The pair met as teens at the Culinary Institute of America in 1999, bonding over a shared love for bold flavors and irreverent vibes. After cutting their teeth in Florida kitchens - Shook at Mark’s in South Beach, Dotolo at Mad 61- they landed in LA in 2003, crashing on a friend’s couch while dreaming big. Their first venture, Animal, opened in 2008 on Fairfax Avenue, a meat-heavy shrine that snagged them James Beard nods and a cult following (it shuttered in 2023). Son of a Gun followed in 2011, a seafood riff that closed in 2024, cementing their rep as LA’s punk-rock chefs with Michelin-worthy chops.
Jon & Vinny’s, launched in 2015 on that same Fairfax stretch, flipped the script - trading Animal’s nose-to-tail ethos for accessible, all-day Italian comfort. "We wanted food we grew up with, stuff that felt like home," Shook said in a 2019 interview.
The Fairfax original exploded, its wood-fired oven pumping out pies like the LA Woman (mozzarella, burrata, basil) and pastas like spicy fusilli that spawned waitlists and copycats. Expansion followed: Brentwood in 2019, Slauson in View Park in 2020, Beverly Hills and Studio City in 2022, plus a Miami residency at the Rubell Museum. A Las Vegas stint at The Venetian in 2021 fizzled by 2023, but the brand's momentum hasn't slowed - each spot a Bib Gourmand darling in the Michelin Guide, lauded for value and quality.
The founders' journey is as much a hustle as their food is a hit. Together, they've built Joint Venture, a restaurant group employing 250, catering to Delta Airlines’ business class at one point, and raking in millions from a $2 million Inglewood kitchen. Their Trois Familia collab with Ludo Lefebvre closed in 2019, but Jon & Vinny’s endures as their cash cow - GQ dubbed it "the country’s most efficient restaurant" in 2017 for its streamlined service and family-style flow.
San Diego’s allure isn’t hard to see, the site sits in Banker’s Hill, a foodie nexus near Little Italy and Hillcrest, where walkability and patio culture could amplify Jon & Vinny’s appeal. The address, a former office space per county records, offers 1,800 square feet ripe for transformation, potentially with a patio nodding to the region;s alfresco obsession. It’s a hop from Balboa Park’s 1.5 million annual visitors, a built-in draw for a chain that thrives on foot traffic and buzz.
San Diego’s allure isn’t hard to see, the site sits in Banker’s Hill, a foodie nexus near Little Italy and Hillcrest, where walkability and patio culture could amplify Jon & Vinny’s appeal. The address, a former office space per county records, offers 1,800 square feet ripe for transformation, potentially with a patio nodding to the region;s alfresco obsession. It’s a hop from Balboa Park’s 1.5 million annual visitors, a built-in draw for a chain that thrives on foot traffic and buzz.
For Jon & Vinny’s San Diego branch, no permits are yet finalized, and the Department of Environmental Health's review could stretch months - construction timelines for past Jon & Vinny’s outposts hovered around six to eight months post-approval. If approved, it's going to be a while coming. The address is in the development and is currently an enormous hole in the ground. Developers still have to finish digging, pour the foundation, and put the whole approximately 17 story building up, so it will likely be two years before the prospect of Shook and Dotolo’s red-sauce rebellion hits San Diego.
Jon & Vinny's San Diego location is in the works for 303 Spruce Street in Bankers Hill. For more information, visit jonandvinnys.com.
Originally published on April 8, 2025.