Owners of The Valley, the new name for the Mission Valley shopping center now in the midst of a major transformation, have announced several new food concepts that will open there in the coming months.
The first new spot, EM Coffee House, opened April 14 near the Hot Topic Store. Owned by local restaurateur Nick Truong, EM serves Vietnamese phi-drip coffee and matcha.
The Stand, opening in September, will be a 200-seat indoor-outdoor restaurant/bar near from the AMC Theatres. In October, the owners of the Venezuelan restaurant Encuentro Café in Old Town San Diego will open a second location at The Valley that will sell picnic baskets for the lawn space in the mall’s center square.
Also opening in mid-October will be a new location of Bacio di Latte, an artisinal small-batch Milanese gelato chain with locations in Del Mar and La Jolla. In November, a location of the Tokyo-born cook-your-own hot-plate teppanyaki chain Pepper Lunch will open. And sometime this fall, the chains Philz Coffee and Oakberry Acai will open outlets at the center.
Built in 1981, the 1.1-million-square-foot Mission Valley center was sold by Westfield in 2023 to Lowe Real Estate and Real Capital Solutions. The renovations will continue in 2027. The mall is at 1640 Camino Del Rio North, San Diego. mission-valley.com/
Pali Wine Co. serves wine flight at its new Hillcrest location. (Kimberly Motos)
Pali Wine Co. opens its doors in Hillcrest: After 10 years in Little Italy, Pali Wine Co. has relocated to the former 120-seat Cellar Hand restaurant space in Hillcrest. The new Pali Wine location opened Aug. 22. The Hillcrest location has a full kitchen, outdoor patio and refreshed interior, which will allow Pali to expand its hospitality program and culinary offerings. Chef Sable-Tanya Wentwoord is planning a menu of elevated wine bar fare, from gourmet charcuterie with handcrafted jams to larger shareable plates. Pali Wine is owned by Nick and Carmen Perr, along with the Perr family, in Santa Barbara County. The new location’s beverage menu includes the winery’s sparkling white, pink, orange and red wines, as well as local beers, low-ABV spirits and more. Hours are 2 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays; 12 to 10 p.m. Saturdays; and 12 to 9 p.m. Sundays. 1440 University Ave., San Diego. paliwineco.com/pages/san-diego-tasting-room
Chefs and co-owners Jacob Jordan, left, and Nic Webber of Michelin Guide-recommended 24 Suns restaurant in Oceanside, prep food samples at the 2025 San Diego Wine + Food Festival’s Grand Tasting Event. (SDFW)
San Diego Food + Wine Festival: The 22nd annual festival will return Nov. 1 through 8, with more than 11,000 attendees arriving to celebrate the food and wines of Southern California and Northern Baja California. This year’s festival will reimagine its Grand Weekend events, with a new Icons + Legends event on Nov. 6 that features award-winning chefs, wines and spirits. Also this year the Grand Tasting on Nov. 7 and Grand Fiesta on Nov. 8 will both be held at the Embarcadero, rather than in two locations. Another new feature of the Grand Weekend will be a new layout of “culinary districts,” with an area set aside for chefs doing live-fire cooking, a Sweet Street with pastries, desserts and coffee, South of the Border area, Asian Market, Mercado and more. Tickets are now on sale at sandiegowineclassic.com.
A multicourse meal at Cloak & Petal restaurant in Little Italy. (Klifton Semo)
Cloak & Petal launches chef dinner series: Michelin Guide-recommended Cloak & Petal restaurant in Little Italy has launched The Chef’s Table, series of impromptu pop-up dinners created by executive chef Robert Cassidy. Cassidy will be preparing intimate, one-night-only, single-seating fixed-price menus for a limited number of guests. Rather than advertise the dinners in advance, Cassidy is inviting interested diners to sign up for the restaurant’s mailing list for advance notice on the meals. The goal, Cassidy said, is “to cook for people who came to pay attention.” 1953 India St., San Diego. To register, visit cloakandpetal.com/chefs-table/.
San Diego Restaurant Week: The California Restaurant Association will bring back its fall edition of San Diego Restaurant Week from Sept. 13-20. More than 120 restaurants across more than 30 neighborhoos will be offering prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus starting at $30. Participants, menus and other details will be added to the website in the months to come. sandiegorestaurantweek.com