Economic challenges have reduced the number of new restaurant and bar openings set to open locally in 2026. In last year’s roundup we had 50 restaurants to report. This year, that’s down by nearly half. But there are still many exciting new projects on the way. Here’s a look at the new dining and drinking spots coming soon to a neighborhood near you, listed in alphabetical order.
A garden party at the officers quarter at the former Naval Training Center near Point Loma. This and other officers quarters will be transformed in 2026 into The Admiral at NTC, a mix of event, restaurant and bar spaces at Arts District Liberty Station (NTC Foundation)
The Admiral at NTC, Arts District Liberty Station
Restaurateur Ryan Thorson, who owns Mister A’s in Bankers Hill, is transforming five vacant properties built from the 1920s to 1942, when Liberty Station was the Naval Training Center base. Stretching along Rosecrans Drive across seven acres, the former homes of Navy officers, a former guardhouse will be revamped into an event space, extensive gardens and four restaurant and bar projects. Quarters A will become an indoor/outdoor space with extensive gardens for weddings, receptions and other events. Quarters B will become a 140-seat inspired-American restaurant celebrating local seafood and produce. Quarters C will become The Game Room, a turn-of-the-century-style bar and game room. Quarters D will become The Canteen, a full-service bakery with takeaway food items, fresh flowers and a wine shop. And building 198, a former guardhouse, will become a vintage craft cocktail lounge. All of these projects will break ground early next year and be completed by year-end. Arts District Liberty Station, Truxtun Road, San Diego. theadmiralntc.com
A’L’ouest, North Park
Brad Wise’s Trust Restaurant Group will open its latest concept, a 209-seat French brasserie, at the corner of University Avenue and 30th Street in North Park. Trust is known for its new American and Italian restaurants, as well as its six-store Rare Society steakhouse and cocktails chain. Opening this winter. 3010 University Ave., San Diego. alouestsd.com, instagram.com/alouestsd
Baby Grand Crown City hotel restaurants, Coronado
In late February or early March, San Diego hospitality company CH Projects will open its second hotel project, the $17 million Baby Grand Crown City in Coronado. Located across the street from the Hotel del Coronado, the 31-room “maximalist” design hotel will have three new restaurant concepts. Opening with the hotel will be Night Hawk, a 6,000-square-foot modern Greek and seafood-focused restaurant in the hotel’s al-fresco entryway, as well as Fallen Empire, a reservations-only champagne and oyster bar. The third restaurant, an as-yet unnamed omakase restaurant, will open later in the year. 1315 Orange Ave, Coronado. instagram.com/babygrandcrowncity
Bacari, a Los Angeles Mediterranean restaurant chain, will open its first San Diego County location in February in the former Urban Solace space in North Park. (Jakob N. Layman)
Bacari, North Park
In February, Brothers Danny and Robert Kronfli, and chef Lior Hillel, will open their first San Diego County location of this L.A.-based Mediterranean restaurant and wine bar chain. It will open in the long-vacant Urban Solace restaurant space on 30th Street. Bacari is renovating the New Orleans-style, indoor-outdoor space, including activating its previously unused second floor. Chef Hillel’s menu will feature seasonally rotating small plates with dishes like barramundi crudo, green falafel, lamb hummus, wood-fired pizzas and housemade pastas. There will also be a full cocktail, beer and wine program. The North Park location is the company’s first expansion outside the greater L.A. market, where it operates eight locations. 3823 30th St., San Diego. eatwithbacari.com, instagram.com/eatwithbacari
Black Bear Diner, Vista
After a yearlong delay, this privately-owned, Redding-based diner chain is set to open its second San Diego County location in early 2026. The restaurants have a rustic design aesthetic and traditional diner menu of breakfast items, burgers, salads and milkshakes. The chain has 156 locations coast to coast, including a location in El Cajon. The Vista location replaces the long-shuttered Coco’s location at Melrose Drive and West Vista Way. 605 W. Vista Way, Vista. 530-243-2327, blackbeardiner.com
The Brant Kitchen and Bar, Encinitas
Owners of The Brant, a coastal California restaurant chain with locations in Long Beach, Seal Beach and Huntington Beach, have announced plans to open a fourth location next summer in a new, two-story building that will replace the former Beachside Bar & Grill in downtown Encinitas. The restaurant’s signature feature will be a 1,500-square-foot rooftop patio. The Brant serves an elevated American menu with entrée specialties of filet mignon, double bone-in pork chop, short ribs, grilled salmon and seared halibut. The menu also includes salads, soups, burgers, sandwiches, appetizers and desserts. The Brant serves a brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and offers happy hour food and drink specials. 806 Coast Highway 101, Encinitas. the-brant.com
Copper Kings Burgers, Oceanside
Five years ago, Copper Kings Burgers started as a food truck in Oceanside before moving into its first brick-and-mortar space in San Marcos a few years ago. Now it’s returning to Oceanside with a second restaurant location that’s projected to open in March. Copper Kings is known for its oversize gourmet burgers. The Classic is a two-patty smash burger with grilled onions, cheese and fresh vegetables. 326 Horne St., Oceanside. copperkingsburgers.com, instagram.com/copperkingsburgers
Cesarina and Elvira restaurant co-founders Niccolò Angius and his wife, chef Cesarina Mezzoni, left, and their business partner Giuseppe Capasso. They’ve announced plans for a third restaurant, Corallino, in spring 2026. (Arlene Ibarra)
Corallino, Point Loma
Cesarina Group, the family-owned hospitality group behind Point Loma’s Cesarina and Elvira in Ocean Beach, will open their third Italian restaurant next spring in the former Pummarò restaurant space near Shelter Island. Led by Chef Cesarina Mezzoni, Corallino (“coral” in Italian) will offer approachable, neighborhood-focused Italian dining in a refreshed, coastal-inspired 3,100-square-foot space designed by Limes Architetti. 1101 Scott St., Point Loma. cesarinarestaurant.com
The exterior of the Fish Shop restaurant in Encinitas. The company’s fourth location will open in January in Oceanside. (Fish Shop)
The Fish Shop, Oceanside
The Fish Shop, a San Diego-based fast-casual restaurant chain with locations in Point Loma, Pacific Beach and Encinitas, will open its fourth location in Oceanside in January. Owned by Billy Ramirez, Doug Sondomowicz and Eric Leitstein, The Fish Shop serves market-fresh seafood in diners choice of tacos, sandwiches, salads or plated meals. The 2,950-square-foot location in Oceanside will be in the former Rye’s & Grind breakfast/brunch restaurant space. 236 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. thefishshops.com
Harland Brewing Company will open its first full-service restaurant in January in the 4S Ranch community of San Diego. (Harland Brewing Company)
Harland Brewing Company, 4S Ranch
Harland Brewing Company, which now operates three tasting rooms in San Diego, will open its first full-service restaurant in January in the former Ponce’s restaurant space in 4S Ranch. Owned by Jeff Hansson and Anthony Levas, it will feature a menu created by culinary director Scott Cannon that includes shareable appetizers, salads and entrées, as well as some of the sandwiches and other finger foods served at the company’s tasting rooms in South Park, Bay Park and Scripps Ranch. The bar will serve Harland beers, ciders, cocktail-inspired seltzers and an expanded wine list. The restaurant will also serve brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. 16480 Paseo Del Sur, Suite 105, San Diego. harlandbeer.com
Honor Bar, Del Mar
Santa Monica-based Hillstone Restaurant Group will open this elegant restaurant-bar in a new building under construction on the former site of Bully’s North restaurant in Del Mar Village. The opening was confirmed by Hillstone’s executive general manager Eric Altfest, who with his wife, Lisa Altfest, grew up in Del Mar and Carmel Valley and they both graduated from Torrey Pines High School. Honor Bar’s menu inclues seafood, steak and pasta entrees, as well as starters, salads, burgers, sandwiches and pizza. The bar menu features seven craft cocktails as well as beer and wine by the glass. 1404 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar. hillstone.com
An artist’s rendering of the front entrance of Ikaria, a 250-seat Eastern Mediterranean restaurant opening near Torrey Pines Golf Course next summer. (Rockwell Group)
Ikaria, La Jolla
Jewel Hospitality Group, the family-owned business behind Marisi and Puesto restaurants, will open this Eastern Mediterranean restaurant near the Torrey Pines Golf Course and Alexandria Tech Center next summer. Designed by the Rockwell Group architecture and design firm, the project will be a 250-seat restaurant as well as an culinary education hub for wine and cooking classes, fermentation workshops and more. Ikaria’s beverage program will be led by Beau du Bois. 10960 Alexandria Way, San Diego. ikarialajolla.com
The interior of Katsuya Ko, a new Pan-Asian restaurant that will open in January 2026 at Westfield UTC shopping center. (Katsuya)
Katsuya Ko, Westfield UTC
Katsuya, a 25-year-old Los Angeles-based modern Japanese restaurant brand with locations around the world, will open a new concept, Katsuya Ko, at the Westfield UTC mall in San Diego in January. Created by Sam Nazarian and Chef Katsuya Uechi, the new Ko (which means “child” in Japanese) outlet is designed to be more casual, youth-oriented and approachable, with shareable plates, a central robata grill and design-forward ethos. The Pan-Asian menu will include sushi, sashimi, maki rolls and a seasonal bar program. The 3,000-square-foot location, which will be near true Food Kitchen at the mall’s northeast corner, will be open daily for lunch and dinner. Westfield UTC, 4303 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 2105, San Diego. sbe.com/restaurants/katsuyako/lajolla
Little Italy Food Hall
The now-shuttred food hall on Little Italy’s Piazza della Famiglia is being reimagined by Tiger Hospitality, with an anticipated reopening in May. The 4,685-square-foot venue will feature five culinary concepts, an expansive indoor-outdoor bar and a European piazza-inspired atmosphere. Three of the five restaurant booths inside the hall will be Tiger Hospitality’s own Cosmos Burger, Lobster Lab and La Vida, all of which are now operating at the Windmill Food Hall in Carlsbad. Basile Studio is will oversee the redesign. Amenities will include indoor and outdoor seating, music performances, live cooking demos and other activations to draw people to the square. 550 Date St., San Diego. tigerhospitalitygroup.com
Grand Restaurant Group Chef Partner Alex Carballo will open Nómada restaurant in January 2026 in the company’s former Alejandra’s restaurant space in Carlsbad. (Maria Russo)
Nómada, Carlsbad
Grand Restaurant Group closed its Alejandra’s restaurant in October for a revamp. The company’s new Chef Partner Alex Carballo will relaunch the 250-seat hacienda-style restaurant in early January with a refreshed look and a more approachable, family-friendly menu featuring dishes that Carballo has discovered and reimagined in his extended travels as a “nomad” in his native Mexico. Dishes will include duck tacos, cochinita pibil, ceviches, mariscos and more. The restaurant will have a tortilla-making station in-house, an oyster bar, wood-fired grill and a bar program specializing in agave spirits with Mexican and Latin American flavors. Dinner will be served on weeknights with brunch on the weekends. 6996 El Camino Real, Carlsbad. grandrestaurantgroup.com
A selection of handmade pastas and sauces from Pastaria Vivi, which will open in Encinitas in late winter/early spring 2026. (Brynn Smith)
Pastaria Vivi, Encinitas
This chef-driven pasta counter and takeway market will open in late winter or early spring. Owned by Michelin-trained chefs Brandon Jennings and William Treff, Pastaria Vivi will serve handmade Northern Italian-style pastas made with grain from an onsite mill, as well as sauces that can be consumed at the shop’s pasta bar or outdoor tables or packaged to take home. The business will also sell housemade burrata and focaccia, charcuterie, desserts, imported Italian and local wines and artisan ceramics from Tuscany. There will be a five-seat pasta counter where diners can eat while they watch the chefs work, as well as a 12-seat communal table. The chefs, who have been honing their concept at the weekly Cardiff Farmers Market, will also offer a monthly pasta subscription box service. 119 North El Camino Real, Suite G, Encinitas. pastariavivi.com , instagram.com/pastariavivi
Penny’s, Hillcrest
The team behind Madison on Park, Madi and Sonny’s restaurants will open this modern all-day diner in the spring in the Hub shopping center in Hillcrest. Drawing inspiration from partner Matt Sieve’s Midwestern roots, the 5,000-square-foot restaurant takes its name from a notoriously grouchy cook who ran his family’s 100-year-old restaurant in Alexandria, Minnesota. The menu at Penny’s will feature elevated versions of classic diner dishes with an ambitious coffee and beverage program. The interior will be designed by Anna and David Sindelar of Archisects. 1270 Cleveland Ave, San Diego.
Puesto Taco Bar, Sorrento Mesa
Puesto, the family-owned Mexican-American restaurant group known for its elevated tacos, will open its first taco bar in January in the San Diego Market at the SD Tech by Alexandria Megacampus in Sorrento Mesa. Opening in partnership with Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., the 3,000-square-foot fast casual restaurant will offer seating for 100, including counter seating at a full bar. 9885 Scranton Road, Suite 110, San Diego. eatpuesto.com
Queenstown Del Mar, Del Mar
Queenstown, the New Zealand-inspired restaurant group in San Diego, will open its fourth location in Del Mar Village in the spring. The 2,400-square-foot restaurant will offer indoor and outdoor dog-friendly seating and will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Replacing the former WestBrew Del Mar, the new restaurant is being designed by longtime collaborator Michael Soriano of Onairos Design. 1435 Camino Del Mar, Suite D, Del Mar. queenstownpublichouse.com
Erik Anderson is the culinary director for Rosacre, a new 5,000-square-foot restaurant opening in February or March in La Jolla. (Christian Blake)
Rosacre, La Jolla
Opening in February or March, this 5,000-square-foot neighborhood restaurant will serve a hearth-driven, coastal menu featuring California ingredients prepared with Michelin-level technique. Culinary director Erik Anderson, who has worked at the Michelin-starred restaurants The French Laundry, Noma and Coi, will be joined by chef de cuisine Spencer Hays, who has cooked at the Michelin-starred Le Bernardin, Saison and Angler LA. The restaurant will also have a hidden alley bar with a music program curated by Ben Thompson of Two Door Cinema Club. Beverage director Sam Cosgrove will create a globally-inspired cocktail program and certified Master of Wine Lindsay Pomeroy will oversee the wine program. Rosacre will be the anchor tenant of a new two-story building that has replaced the original Adelaide’s flower shop on Girard Avenue. Rosacre is the first personal restaurant project for Basile + Wilson, launched by Paul Basile and Jules Wilson. Basile Studio is one of San Diego’s busiest restaurant design groups. 7766 Girard Ave., La Jolla. instagram.com/roseacrelj
Social Syndicate restaurant project, Coronado
Earlier this month, Ferry Landing Associates broke ground on an as-yet unnamed restaurant project on an empty lot near Il Fornaio restaurant at the Coronado Ferry Landing. Approved by the Coronado City Council last year, it will be a 300-seat retaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. The operator will be Social Syndicate hospitality group, whose other local projects include the Monarch restaurants in Ocean Beach and Del Mar and the OB Surf Lodge. Owners are aiming for a December opening. 1300 block of First Street, Coronado.
An artist’s rendering of the STATION8 Public Market, set to open next August in UC San Diego’s Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood. (BASILE Studio)
STATION8 Public Market, UC San Diego, La Jolla
Next August, Tiger Hospitality Group will open this multiconcept, 20,000-square-foot food hall near Dora Ristorante and La Jolla Playhouse on UCSD’s Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood. Designed by Basile Studio, STATION8 will house 10 globally inspired, locally rooted dining vendors with a shared seating area. It will also have two bars and another concept opening on the hall’s 5,122-square-foot mezzanine level at a later date. The hall will serve the public, La Jolla Playhouse patrons and UCSD students, faculty and staff. 9145 Scholars Drive South, La Jolla. instagram.com/station8publicmarket
An artist’s rendering of the dining room of Tierra y Mar, an elevated Mexican restaurant and bar opening in summer 2026 at Harrah’s Rincon Southern California in Valley Center. HARRAH’S
Tierra y Mar, Valley Center
Harrah’s Resort Southern California will open this elevated Mexican-inspired, social-dining restaurant next summer in the space now occupied by its Salt & Fin seafood restaurant. In keeping with the resort’s “Funner” theme, the food and atmosphere will be livey and fun. The menu will be designed to suit parties of two to large family gatherings. Specialty dishes will celebrate food from different regions of Mexico, like beef birria, diablo shrimp and pescado a la talla. There will be a tequila-focused bar and a private dining room. With the opening of Tierra y Mar, Harrah’s will close its ‘ritas Cantina restaurant to consolidate its Mexican food and drink operations.
Possible 2027 openings
Lazy Dog Restaurant, Mira Mesa
This Costa Mesa-based casual American-style restaurant/bar chain’s second San Diego County location was supposed to open around now, but a spokeswoman for the company told the U-T last week that construction has been delayed with no new opening date announced. As a result it may push into 2027. Lazy Dog’s menu includes sandwiches, burgers, pastas, entrée salads, pot roast, meatloaf, steaks and more. 10788 Westview Parkway, San Diego. lazydogrestaurants.com
The Rustic, downtown
Due to financing, permitting and construction issues, this harborfront restaurant set to replace the recently shuttered Joe’s Crab Shack is unlikely to open before 2027. The Rustic is a Texas-based restaurant chain with four locations in that state and three more in the works in Arizona, Utah and Florida. The San Diego location, located just behind the San Diego Convention Center and near the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, will be its first California location. The Rustic is a full-service restaurant-bar serving American and Tex-Mex food. Its locations also offer live music. 525 E. Harbor Drive, San Diego. therustic.com
Do you know of any other big restaurant projects opening in 2026? Email me at pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com.