The Best New Restaurants in San Diego This Season
Image Credit - instagram.com/akagaslamp/
by Albert Danilov | January 24, 2025

The Best New Restaurants in San Diego This Season

San Diego is a city where people consume more avocados than anywhere else in the U.S., thanks to their proximity to California's avocado farms. It’s the birthplace of the “California burrito” stuffed with French fries and the wildly popular “fish taco,” featuring fried ocean perch wrapped in a soft tortilla. The city also has so many craft breweries, there’s one for every 50,000 residents.

This guide will introduce you to the latest restaurants in San Diego, where you can try something new.

AKA

Photo Credit: instagram.com/akagaslamp/

AKA is an Asian fusion restaurant at 611 Fifth Avenue in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. It opened on November 7, 2024, by owners Alessandro Minutella, Giancarlo Guttilla, and Vincenzo Lo Verso. The restaurant combines Chinese, Japanese, and Thai cuisines under Chef Takuya Kudo. Popular dishes include Jidori chicken rosemary teriyaki, Australian wagyu drunken noodles, and maki rolls like mango yellowtail and kung pao soft-shell crab.

The interior features Asian-inspired decor with a Buddha statue, lanterns, and red lighting. Mixologist Gerardo Bedolla creates unique cocktails, such as the A-5 Pandan with wagyu-fat-washed whiskey and the Ube Matcha Horchata. On weekends, AKA turns into a nightlife spot with live music and DJs. The restaurant focuses on shareable plates, and a variety of drinks.

 

Menu Highlights

    Miso Black Cod: Roasted black cod marinated in sweet miso, served with shishito peppers and cipollini onions.
    Filet Mignon Potstickers: Dumplings filled with filet mignon, served with a dipping sauce.
    Dan Dan Noodles: Thin noodles topped with minced pork, spinach, cucumbers, scallions, and a poached egg.
    Short Ribs: Slow-cooked beef in black bean curry sauce, served over mashed potatoes and vegetables.
    Mango Yellowtail Roll: Sushi roll featuring yellowtail and mango.
    Chicken Satay: Grilled chicken skewers served with peanut sauce.
    Drunken Noodles: Stir-fried noodles with vegetables and your choice of protein.
    Karaage: Japanese fried chicken served with spicy ponzu aioli.
    Pad Thai: Classic Thai stir-fried noodle dish with shrimp or chicken.
    Pot Stickers: Pan-fried dumplings filled with various ingredients.

 

Drink Options

    Craft Cocktails: A selection of innovative cocktails.
    Japanese Beer: Various options available.
    Sake: Traditional Japanese rice wine.
    Wine List: A curated selection of wines.
    Soft Drinks: Assorted non-alcoholic beverages.

Photo Credit: instagram.com/akagaslamp/

Cellar Hand

Cellar Hand, located at 1440 University Avenue in San Diego's Hillcrest neighborhood, is the first full-service restaurant from Pali Wine Co., a family-owned winery known for its Central Coast wines. The restaurant is led by co-owners Nick and Carmen Perr and focuses on a farm-to-table concept. Chef Logan Kendall crafts a menu using hyper-local, seasonal ingredients sourced from nearby farms like Chino Farms and Hukama Produce, as well as seafood from local fishermen and pasture-raised pork from Ramona. Dishes include seafood crudos, wood-fired pita with dips, and pork chops with brown butter, cherries, and smoked almonds.

Cellar Hand also features an extensive list of California's wines. The restaurant’s casual yet inviting atmosphere, combined with its focus on craftsmanship and community, has made it a standout dining destination in San Diego.

 

Menu Highlights

    Bluefin Nduja Toast: Toast topped with raw bluefin tuna and nduja spices, served with dill aioli.
    Basic Breakfast: Two pesto eggs, herbed potatoes, pork belly bacon, pita toast, jam, and a small salad.
    Brioche French Toast: Brioche served with guava, basil, whey caramel, and maple syrup.
    Farmer’s Market Salad: Mixed greens with carrot, pickled guava, sungold tomatoes, and chèvre.
    Crispy Skin Rockfish: Rockfish served with garlic toum, fennel confit, and pole beans.
    House Burger: Flannery ranch beef burger with idiazabal cheese, aioli, pickles, and fries.

 

Drink Options

    Wine List: A selection of California wines.
    Craft Cocktails: Various cocktails available.
    Japanese Beer: Selection of local and imported beers.
    Soft Drinks: Assorted non-alcoholic beverages.

Alchemy - Choose Thy Poison

Alchemy | Choose Thy Poison is a new restaurant at 1932 Kearney Ave Ste 100 in San Diego, CA. It opened on November 26, 2024, and is run by Cortes Juan Sa-Quana and chef Marcus Twilegar. The menu focuses on creative Mexican dishes like crudo and aguachile. The restaurant is mostly outdoors and connected to Hotel Narcissus. It offers affordable "community meals" for locals and plans to add brunch and host food events in the future.

 

Menu Highlights

    Zarandeado: Grilled shrimp with pepper, tomato, potato, crispy leek, pineapple salsa, and citrus crema.
    Aguachile Negro: Charcoal-seared ribeye with lemony sauce.
    Local Lobster: Fresh local lobster with crispy accompaniments.
    Oxtail Tetelas: Oxtail meat in triangular corn tortilla.
    Baja Caesar: Local variation of Caesar salad.
    Crudo: Raw fish dish with local ingredients.

 

Drink Options

    Local Wines: Regional wine selection
    Low ABV Cocktails: Creative lighter alcohol drinks
    Alcohol-Free Cocktails: Non-alcoholic beverage options
    Mimosas: Weekend brunch cocktails

Paradis

Paradis is a café and pintxo bar at 901 W Washington St in San Diego, CA. It opened on November 2, 2024, and is owned by Jacquee Renna. During the day, it serves housemade pastries, breakfast items, and creative lattes. In the afternoon and evening, it offers pintxos, small Basque-style snacks, with vegetarian and vegan options. The café plans to host DJs for evening entertainment, making it a casual spot for food and socializing in Mission Hills.

 

Menu Highlights

    Stracciatella Toast: Served on walnut raisin sourdough with persimmon spread and mixed nut chutney.
    Egg Bites: Prepared with Calabrian chili, Gruyere cheese, and chorizo.
    Cubano Sandwich: A standout sandwich offering.
    Avocado Toast: Popular menu item with multiple photo reviews.
    Spanish-Style French Toast: Made with peanut crème anglaise and banana.
    Breakfast Sandwich: Featuring proteins like bacon, chorizo, and baked eggs.

 

Drink Options

    Coffee Bar: Featuring unique seasonal lattes like persimmon and cornmilk blueberry matcha
    Ritual Coffee: Specialty coffee offerings
    Seasonal Mocktails: Creative non-alcoholic beverages

Barra Oliba

Barra Oliba is a Spanish tapas bar at 1980 Kettner Blvd Ste 30 in San Diego's Little Italy. It opened on November 8, 2024, and was founded by Eduardo Bustamante and Ernesto Casillas. The menu includes traditional Spanish dishes like patatas bravas, Galician octopus, and arroz meloso. The restaurant focuses on healthy cooking by using only extra-virgin olive oil and avoiding processed ingredients. It also offers a selection of sustainable wines from Spain and France. The space has indoor and outdoor seating. Barra Oliba plans to add lunch service in the future and has quickly become a popular spot for authentic Spanish tapas in San Diego.

 

Menu Highlights

    Crudo de Kampachi: Dry-aged kampachi with gazpacho.
    Wagyu Beef Cheek: Served with creamy potato puree.
    Chorizo Croquettes: Deep-fried breaded balls with cheese, potato, and Spanish pork sausage.
    Patatas Bravas: Classic Spanish tapas dish.
    Tortilla Española: Spanish-style potato omelette with house-made aioli.
    Pulpo a Feira: Galician-style octopus with steamed potatoes and olive oil.

 

Drink Options

    Spanish Wines: Curated selection from Spain and France
    Sangria: Traditional Spanish wine punch
    Spanish Spritz: Refreshing cocktail
    Caña Beers: Small Spanish beer servings

Pha Khao Lao Cuisine 

Pha Khao Lao Cuisine is a Laotian restaurant at 5801 University Ave in San Diego. It focuses on authentic Lao dishes, offering traditional flavors. Popular menu items include Nam Khao (crispy rice salad), Mok Pa (fish steamed in banana leaf), Lao sausages, Duck Larb, and Lao BBQ beef. The restaurant has gained a reputation for serving the most authentic Lao food in San Diego.

 

Menu Highlights

    Crudo de Kampachi: Dry-aged kampachi with gazpacho.
    Wagyu Beef Cheek: Served with creamy potato puree.
    Chorizo Croquettes: Deep-fried breaded balls with cheese, potato, and Spanish pork sausage.
    Patatas Bravas: Classic Spanish tapas dish.
    Tortilla Española: Spanish-style potato omelette with house-made aioli.
    Pulpo a Feira: Galician-style octopus with steamed potatoes and olive oil.

Drink Options

    Spanish Wines: Curated selection from Spain and France
    Sangria: Traditional Spanish wine punch
    Spanish Spritz: Refreshing cocktail
    Caña Beers: Small Spanish beer servings

Jue Wei

Photo Credit: eater.com

Juewei Food is a Chinese snack shop at 4690 Convoy St #103 in San Diego's Kearny Mesa. It opened in November 2024 and is owned by Serena Wang, who was inspired by snack shops from her hometown of Dalian, China. The Juewei Food specializes in braised and marinated Chinese snacks. Delivery is available through the Hungry Panda app, and prices range from 11.99 to 79.99 per pound.

 

Menu Highlights

    Duck Neck: Signature braised duck neck with various seasoning options.
    Duck Wings: Original flavor and sweet & spicy varieties.
    Crispy Squid: Marinated and fried seafood skewer.
    Stinky Tofu: Crispy tofu made to order with spicy ma-la sauce.
    Skewer Combo: Includes beef skewers, chicken tenderloins, and Chinese ham sausage.
    Pig Ears: Traditional Chinese snack item.

Photo Credit: eater.com

Tour de Tapas

Tour de Tapas is a new European-inspired small plates restaurant located at 8323 La Mesa Blvd in La Mesa, California. Opened on December 12, 2024, by City Tacos founder Gerry Torres, the restaurant offers a unique dining experience focused on Spanish, French, and Italian cuisine.

 

Menu Highlights

    Pulpo con Chistorra: Spanish-style octopus with chistorra sausage in wine sauce.
    Patatas Bravas: Traditional Spanish potato dish.
    Costillas de Cordero: Panko-crusted lamb lollipops with rosemary demi-glace.
    Gamberetti e Pinoli: Sautéed shrimp with pine nuts.
    Pesce Alla Livornese: Sautéed rockfish.
    Poulet Cordon Bleu: Classic French chicken dish.

 

Drink Options

    Wine Selection: Over 30 wines from Spain, France, and Italy
    Sangria: Traditional Spanish wine punch
    Draft Beers: Local and imported selections
    Coffee: Hot beverage options

One More Bite Dumpling House

Photo Credit: google.com

One More Bite Dumpling House is a Chinese restaurant located at 803 S Twin Oaks Valley Rd in San Marcos, California, specializing in authentic Shanghai cuisine and handmade dumplings. The restaurant offers a variety of freshly made dumplings, savory noodles, and traditional appetizers.

 

Menu Highlights

    Pork Xiao Long Bao: Signature soup dumplings with rich pork flavor, highly recommended by multiple reviews.
    House Special Fried Chicken Wings: Crispy and flavorful wings with fried basil on top.
    Popcorn Chicken: Freshly cooked, crispy, with a slight spice and very flavorful.
    Steamed Shrimp Dumplings: Traditional dim sum style dumplings.
    Shrimp & Pork Pan-fried Dumplings: Crispy pan-fried dumplings with mixed filling.
    House Special Onion Pancake: A popular appetizer item.

 

Prices range from $8-$18 per dish, with generous portion sizes.

Photo Credit: onemorebitedumplingsanmarcos.com

Cocina 35

Cocina 35 Brunch is a Mexican restaurant chain in San Diego, specializing in breakfast and brunch. The newest location opened on November 18, 2024, at 1201 First Street, Suite 115, Coronado. This is the fifth location in the chain, founded by siblings Paulina and Cesar Chaidez in 2012. The restaurant is located at Ferry Landing with views of the bay and downtown. It focuses on chilaquiles, a traditional Mexican breakfast dish, offering 7 unique sauces, Mexican scramble, and avocado toast. The restaurant also has a full bar with cocktails like mimosas and mezcalitas. Starting summer 2025, they plan to introduce evening hours.

 

Menu Highlights

    Rancheros: Best-selling dish with ranchero salsa, topped with beef chorizo and sunny side up eggs, priced at $21.50.
    Chilaquiles: Served with a side of beans, available in multiple salsa varieties including rojos, verdes, and chipotle, priced at $18.50.
    Mexican Scramble: Choice of protein, 3 scrambled eggs, side of beans, avocado, and tomato, served with corn or flour tortillas, priced at $18.00.
    Quesadillitas de Chilorio: 4 crispy mini corn quesadillas filled with pork chilorio, salsa trio, onions, cilantro, and avocado, priced at $15.50.
    Tacos Dorados: 5 hard shell tacos with lettuce, sour cream, cotija cheese, pickled onions, and avocado, served with beans and tomato broth, priced at $19.00.
    Torta Ahogada: Mexican sandwich with choice of cochinita pibil or carne asada, filled with lettuce, tomato, pickled onions, avocado, and house mayo, priced at $20.00.

 

Drink Options

    Agua Fresca: 20oz beverage, priced at $5.95
    Mimosa Flights: Newly introduced drink option
    Paloma Twist: Specialty cocktail
    Non-Alcoholic Beverages: Various options available

by Albert Danilov | January 24, 2025 | SHARE

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