Nómada, a new restaurant from Grand Restaurant Group and its new Chef Partner Alex Carballo, has soft opened in the former Alejandra’s space in Carlsbad.
The 240-seat hacienda-style restaurant’s menu draws on Carballo’s nomadic culinary travels in his native Mexico. Nómada’s menu was designed to be more approachable and family-friendly than Alejandra’s. Some of Carballo’s signature menu items are birria chimichanga bites, wood-fired oysters, duck mole tacos, cochinita pibil (Yucatán-style pork slow roasted in banana leaf), and a wide range of tacos a la carte. The restaurant also has a wood-fired grill, in-house tortilla-making station, a raw and chilled seafood bar and agave spirits-centered bar program curated by beverage director Sean Ward.
Hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 3 p.m. to midnight Fridays, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays. 6996 El Camino Real, Carlsbad. nomadadining.com
A Nutella and ice cream-filled pastry cone at Crispy Cones, which opened its first California franchise location on Jan. 9 in Carlsbad Village. (Crispy Cone)
Crispý Cones makes California debut in Carlsbad: Crispý Cones, a Hungarian-style chimney cake concept launched by Jeremy and Kaitlyn Carlson on the TV show “Shark Tank” in 2023, opened its first California location Jan. 9 in Carlsbad Village. The company’s product are crispy, hand-rolled and rotisserie-grilled pastry cones that are sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, lined with Nutella, cookie butter or other spreads and filled with soft-serve ice cream or fresh fruit with optional toppings. Hours are noon to 11 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, noon to midnight Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays. 2967 Carlsbad Blvd., Carlsbad. 760-978-7175, crispycones.com/carlsbad-ca.
A selection of dishes at Harland Brewing’s new restaurant in 4S Ranch. (Harland Brewing)
Harland Brewing set to open restuarant: San Diego’s Harland Brewing Company will open its first full-service restaurant within the next week in the former Ponce’s restaurant space in 4S Ranch. Owned by Jeff Hansson and Anthony Levas, the restaurant features a menu created by culinary director Scott Cannon that includes kung pao Brussels sprouts, grilled flatbread, chicken satay salad, salmon poke bowl, braised short rib and half-roasted chicken. The bar serves Harland beer, ciders, cocktail-inspired seltzers and an expanded wine list. Joining Harland’s three San Diego tasting rooms, the 3,400-square-foot restaurant will serve brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. 16480 Paseo Del Sur, Suite 105, San Diego. harlandbeer.com
Cafe Madeleine opens downtown: Cafe Madeleine, Christine Perez’s French café chain with locations in North Park and South Park, opened its third location Monday at 202 C St. in downtown San Diego. The new location will serve the restaurant’s signature Illy coffee drinks, house-made pastries and breakfast items like croissant sandwiches, egg dishes and crepes. For hours and details, visit instagram.com/cafemadeleine.
Bird Rock Café opens in East Village: La Jolla’s Bird Rock Coffee Roasters opened its 12th café this month in San Diego’s East Village. Like its sister spots, the new shop serves coffee drinks made with Bird Rock beans, pastries and beans by the bag. The new location is inside UC San Diego’s Park & Market building at 1100 Market St., Suite 120. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Details at birdrockcoffee.com/cafes/park-and-market/
Tahini and Finjan open in Mission Valley: Tahini and Finjan, Middle Eastern food and coffee restaurant concepts owned by San Diego friends Osama Shabaik and Mahmoud “Moody” Barkawi, have expanded into Mission Valley. The business partners’ Tahini is a quick-service shawarma and falafel street food restaurant based in Kearny Mesa. They opened Finjan, a specialty coffee and dessert shop, next door in 2022. Since then, a Tahini location has opened on the UCSD campus. And now Tahini and Finjan have opened in the same location in Mission Valley. Finjan hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily and Tahini hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. 7710 Hazard Center Drive, Suite D, San Diego. https://tahinistreetfood.com; finjanco.com
Epic Wings in Carmel Valley: San Diego-based Epic Wings opened a new location Monday in San Diego’s Carmel Valley. Known for its 11 varieties of chicken wings, breadsticks and housemade dips, the chain opened its 33rd location in the Village at Pacific Highland Ranch. To introduce the new location to diners, a buy-one-get-one-free Epic Fries special is being offered today. 6025 Village Way, #101, San Diego. epicwings.com