{"id":480349,"date":"2026-09-30T09:56:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T09:56:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/480349\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T09:56:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T09:56:29","slug":"san-diegos-food-and-drink-blotter-fresh-concepts-in-old-spaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/480349\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego&#8217;s Food and Drink Blotter: Fresh concepts in old spaces"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>New breakfast options arise<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The long-awaited Cherries and Batter in Hillcrest recently soft-opened with a toothsome draw.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As indicated in the name, the casual eatery specializes in pancakes and waffles topped with house-made cherry compote. They are among options on an ambitious menu that also includes egg scrambles and breakfast plates, and lunch items such as hot dogs, veggie sandwiches and BLTs.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/timesofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0.Cherries-and-Batter-open-door-exterior-Sept-2026.jpg?ssl=1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-perfmatters-preload=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"1003\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0.Cherries-and-Batter-open-door-exterior-Sept-2026.jpg\" alt=\"The painted sign for an eatery, on the glass entry door, set in a brick facade. It reads &quot;Cherries &amp; Batter. Breakfast Cafe&quot; \" class=\"wp-image-402991\"   fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/a>Cherries and Batter replaces the former Au Revoir French Bistro. (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The restaurant is backed by Roberto\u2019s Taco Shop Food Services and operated by business partner Miguel Chavez, who can often be seen working the griddle. 420 Robinson Ave., Suite A, 619-230-5555, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cherriesandbatter.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.cherriesandbatter.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re a fan of soft, creamy eggs, look no further than the new Egg Tuck in downtown\u2019s Core-Columbia District. The growing chain originated as a pop-up in Los Angeles\u2019 Koreatown several years ago and recently made its San Diego debut. Egg Tuck\u2019s cult classic is a brioche sandwich capturing soft-scrambled eggs, chives and two different house sauces. The eggs are cooked low and slow with splashes of cream. Enhanced versions of the sandwich are also available, along with potato tots, breakfast burritos and coffee drinks. 1331 Columbia St., 619-228-9097, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eggtuck.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.eggtuck.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still navigating the city\u2019s permitting process is EggBred, an Orange County-based franchise<br \/>slated to open in the next few months in North Park. Its slogan, \u201cDifferent Yolks for Different Folks,\u201d points to egg dishes paired with never-frozen meats, such as chorizo and breakfast sausage, plus house-made condiments and Japanese milk buns for sandwiches. Adding to the lineup are poutine, loaded potatoes and fresh juices. 2810B El Cajon Blvd., <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eggbred.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.eggbred.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Modern Mediterranean cuisine comes to Bankers Hill<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gone are the bold interior colors and deep-red exterior that defined the former Barrio Star<br \/>restaurant. The structure has now been painted over in soft earth tones by Filo, a Bankers Hill<br \/>newcomer that opened to the tune of Mediterranean-inspired tapas as well as dry-aged burgers, pasta, seafood and meats. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The food is complemented by signature cocktails as well as craft beer and an accommodating collection of spirits. Filo is the brainchild of Juan Carlos Gomez, who owns the long-established upscale El Agave Restauant and Tequileria in Old Town. Gomez gave the interior an airy, soothing design that brings elegance to his mostly shareable plates. It opens at 4 p.m. daily. 2706 Fifth Ave., 619-202-9218, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.filosd.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.filosd.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Downtown San Diego welcomes Whole Foods<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wide aisles, an expanded selection of beer, wine and liquor, and 176 free parking spaces for<br \/>shoppers are among the perks at the new Whole Foods, which opened at the base of the mixed-use high rise called The Torrey. Located in downtown\u2019s west end, a stone\u2019s throw from Little Italy, the store spans 45,400 square feet, which rivals the Whole Foods stores in Hillcrest and La Jolla. The company claims that much of the produce is sourced from local and regional farmers. Although until the hype cools down, expect long checkout lines and fast sell-outs of prepared foods during lunch hour. 201 W. A St., 619- 825-0705, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wholefoodsmarket.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.wholefoodsmarket.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/timesofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0.Beshock-vegan-ramen.jpg?ssl=1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"764\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0.Beshock-vegan-ramen.jpg\" alt=\"chopsticks are  held over a bowl of ramen, with noodles in the tines. Chairs lined up along a dining bar can be seen in the background.\" class=\"wp-image-402990\"  \/><\/a>Beshock Ramen is taking part in Taste of East Village. (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr.)<\/p>\n<p>Taste of East Village will be held over two days<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 30 restaurants will put forth samples of their latest and greatest menu items for the fifth-ever Taste of East Village, to be held from 4 to 8 p.m., Oct. 14 and 15. Organizers have mapped out two different routes over the course of the two days to give participants a chance to fully explore the expansive downtown neighborhood. Restaurants taking part on the first day include Le Charcuterie Bar, Nick the Greek, Milk &amp; Cookies and The Lost Abbey Brewing Company, which will dole out beer samples. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Second-day participants include East Village Tavern + Bowl, Beshock Ramen, The Kebab Shop, Knotty Barrel Gastropub and Lola 55. Tickets are $48.75 per day. They can be purchased at check-in at 808 J St., per availability, or in advance on the website, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eastvillagesandiego.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.eastvillagesandiego.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/timesofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0.Whole-Foods-downtown-produce-September-2026.jpg?ssl=1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0.Whole-Foods-downtown-produce-September-2026.jpg\" alt=\"Bins filled with produce, including several varieties of onions sit in front of more produce, including oranges and lemons, in a supermarket.\" class=\"wp-image-402989\"  \/><\/a>Produce at downtown\u2019s new Whole Foods market. (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New breakfast options arise The long-awaited Cherries and Batter in Hillcrest recently soft-opened with a toothsome draw. As&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":480350,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[26451,1461,188182,14768,983,1457,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-480349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-bankers-hill","tag-breakfast","tag-core-columbia-neighborhood","tag-hillcrest","tag-north-park","tag-restaurant","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/480350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}