Each month brings a slate of exciting new restaurants to San Diego, whether a hot newcomer helmed by an iconic chef, a low-key neighborhood spot, or a pop-up settling into its permanent location. Consider this monthly rundown a go-to guide for the newest and boldest restaurants across San Diego.
Sorrento Valley— From Changjin Oh, the former sushi chef who has worked in Nobu kitchens in Malibu, Chicago, and, most recently, the new Nobu outpost at the Hotel Del Coronado, comes a new sushi and sando counter in the Plaza Sorrento Food Court. Momo Sando and Omakase sources from the same seafood vendors as Nobu. The grab-and-go service includes sashimi trays, salmon truffle maki rolls, tuna donburi, chirashi, and omakase boxes, featuring a rotating selection of fish. Sandos comprise the rest of the menu — think lush shokupan stuffed with momo, fruit, tonkatsu, or egg.
North Park— Marigold Bagels opened its first storefront in North Park, offering New York City–style bagels with cream cheese spreads and other fillings flown in from Brooklyn. The bagels undergo a four-day process, including two stages of cold fermentation. Whitefish salad comes from owner Michael Rabinowitz’s favorite deli in Flatbush and lox from Crown Heights in Brooklyn. A Long Island–raised organic chemist, Rabinowitz started selling bagels at local farmers’ markets and online after retiring from the biopharma industry. “We never sell day-old bagels, and our bagels go straight from the oven into our baskets,” Rabinowitz says. After the North Park location is fully running, Rabinowitz tells Eater that he hopes to open a second location, possibly in Mission Hills.
North Park— Inspired by their travels to cafes around the world, Gan Suebsarakham and Steven Torres opened Little While Café, a casual drinks and pastry shop. (The grand opening will be February 8.) The duo’s other ventures include Pop Pie Co. and Stella Jean’s Ice Cream; they plan to open new outposts for both restaurants in La Mesa before the summer. Pastry chef Justin Gasper (Hommage Bakehouse) provides snacks such as mocha conchas, kouign-amann, and ube leche flan. General manager Nayton Rosales, who has sold his drinks at local pop-ups, brings specialty drinks like Clear POG Skies, a clarified milk punch made with cold brew, coconut milk, and three tropical juices made over a three-hour process, to the menu.
Three stacked breakfast sandwiches from Marigold Bagels. Marigold Bagels
Kearney Mesa— The first outpost of Mikaya Wagyu Shabu House opened in the Convoy District, taking over the former Shancheng Lameizi spot. Serving Australian and Japanese Wagyu, jidori chicken, Kurobuta pork, shellfish, and vegetables for cooking in hot pot soups at the table, the menu is served in three tiers in a 90-minute, all-you-can-eat format. The top tier includes unlimited orders of Wagyu beef, Wagyu beef tartare, sashimi, hand rolls, and seafood appetizers, such as abalone and snow crab. The buffet station includes wagyu beef curry and minced beef, as well as pasteurized eggs, gobo or burdock root, and the usual array of sauces and garnishes.
College Area– The team behind Scrimshaw Coffee and Majorette debuted a new Italian American pizzeria next door to Scrimshaw. Love Letters Pizza offers Brooklyn-style pizzas such as Garden State (red sauce, artichokes, green bell peppers) and Pig Paradise (white sauce, ham, bacon, pineapple), as well as Italian pasta dishes like cavatelli topped with 8-hour-braised short ribs. Be sure to try the meatballs, made with ricotta and bomba relish, as a starter or on the Mozzball pizza. Currently open for dinner only, plans to expand to lunch service, featuring hoagies, have been in the works with a target date of mid-February.
Carlsbad— Former professional football player Tyrell Williams opens a European-style dessert shop in Carlsbad. Originally from Prague, Czech Republic, Crispy Cones hand rolls its pastry cones, then presses them in a waffle iron–like press. The cones get served warm with spreads like Nutella or strawberries inside, topped with gourmet soft serve and more toppings like sauces and candy. For a healthy alternative, the Hot Fruit rendition uses sliced fruit in a pastry cone with no soft serve. “This product is so unique and unlike anything I’ve ever had. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind experience,” Williams says.
Carlsbad— The team behind Bellamy’s in Escondido and Nick & G’s in Rancho Santa Fe partnered with longtime Sinaloa-born chef Alex Carballa (Fox Point Farms, The Fishery, Valentina) to debut Nómada in the La Costa neighborhood. The menu showcases dishes and cocktails from various regions in Latin America. Duck mole tacos trio, shrimp aguachile, tacos de pulpo, and flan made the menu, along with drinks like ranchero paloma and the non-alcoholic Peruvian chicha morada, made with purple corn tea.
Clairemont Mesa— A second location for Mom Kitchen opened in the Clairemont Mesa neighborhood after debuting its Mira Mesa shop in September 2024. The restaurant serves casual Hong Kong–style diner fare such as dim sum dishes, beef chow fun, roast duck, Hainanese chicken, and sauteed vegetables like Malay-style water spinach with a punchy sauce made in house.
Mission Valley— Middle Eastern restaurant Tahini and its sister coffee shop Finjian opened on Hazard Center Drive in Mission Valley. Owned by two best friends who grew up eating Middle Eastern street foods, the businesses got their start as a dual pop-up on the side of a Pacific Beach gas station. Serving shawarma and falafel in rice bowls, pita baked on premises, and salads in a fast-casual setting, Tahini’s Mission Valley location is its third outpost in San Diego. Adjacent to Tahini is Finjan, which serves Turkish coffee, salted pistachio latte, baklawa, and two versions of knafeh, a shredded phyllo dessert stuffed with sweet cheese and topped with crushed pistachios and orange blossom simple syrup.
Carmel Valley— Coconut dessert shop Melo Melo opened in the Del Mar Highlands Towne Center after debuting its first San Diego location in the Westfield UTC Mall in December 2024. Toppings for the coconut treats include durian, dragon fruit, mango, and other tropical ingredients; regulars often go for triple matcha, pistachio saffron, and peach gum coconut, made from the sap of a peach tree. All of its desserts get served in reusable glass jars.
The spread at Melo Melo. Helen I. Hwang