Le List: San Diego 2026

I am kicking off 2026 with the edition of Le List I have been most excited to write. Not because of where we are, but because of what is coming.

San Diego's restaurant scene is having a moment and the most interesting part of that moment is where the energy is coming from. Los Angeles. The openings below are all LA exports, concepts that have built devoted followings in a city known for being brutally selective about where it eats. Their arrival here says something real about how seriously the rest of California is starting to take San Diego as a culinary destination.

Think of this as your advance guide. The places to know before they open, the reservations to chase, and the openings worth getting genuinely excited about. Now if only Erewhon would make it’s way down here. Curated, as always, with intention.

Now Open

Katsuya Ko – Westfield UTC, La Jolla
Officially Open! Chef Katsuya Uechi's acclaimed Japanese cuisine returns to San Diego with a younger, more approachable format at Westfield UTC. The 3,000-square-foot space brings sushi and sashimi favorites alongside shareable comfort dishes: chicken yakitori, pork-and-kimchi gyoza, miso cod, and a Ko burger that has already developed a following in LA. Sleek, modern, accessible. A decade after the downtown outpost closed, the brand is back and better positioned than ever for the UTC dining audience.

A'L'ouest – 3002 University Avenue, North Park

Trust Restaurant Group, the team behind some of San Diego's most respected restaurants including Trust, Fort Oak, Rare Society, and Cardellino, is bringing a Parisian-style brasserie to the prominent corner of 30th and University in North Park. Chef Brad Wise's 5,400-square-foot space seats 200 guests with a wraparound patio overlooking the neighborhood's iconic sign. The menu focuses on wood-smoked French classics with a California sensibility. Trust Restaurant Group does not miss and a Parisian brasserie from Brad Wise is exactly the kind of addition that elevates an entire dining corridor. One of the most anticipated openings of the year from one of the city's most trusted culinary teams.

Sugarfish – 2100 Kettner, Little Italy
Officially Open! Los Angeles sushi institution Sugarfish is bringing its legendary Trust Me omakase to San Diego in spring 2026. Chef Kazunori Nozawa's menus of pristine fish, warm rice, and crisp nori have built one of the most devoted followings in California dining. The 40-seat space at 2100 Kettner is designed around the harbor views and the serene, unhurried experience the brand is known for. This will be the first Sugarfish location outside Los Angeles, Orange County, and New York, which makes it one of the most significant restaurant openings San Diego has seen in years. If you know Sugarfish you already know what this means. If you do not, 2026 is a very good year to find out.

Coming Soon

Gladstone’s (861 W Harbor Drive, Seaport Village)- After years of uncertainty around its original Malibu location, the iconic California seafood institution is dropping anchor at Seaport Village in 2026. Owner John Sangmeister has called this San Diego outpost a top priority, and the setting could not be more fitting. Expect the wraparound patio, the nautical design, and the classics that made Gladstone's a half-century California institution: king crab, Maine lobster, clam chowder, and the kind of waterfront energy that earns its reputation. A genuine legacy brand arriving at one of San Diego's most iconic waterfronts.

Goop Kitchen (3725 Paseo Place, One Paseo, Carmel Valley) - I literally CAN NOT WAIT FOR THIS ONE! Gwyneth Paltrow's wellness-forward Goop Kitchen is taking over the former Tender Greens space at One Paseo in Carmel Valley, and it fits this neighborhood so perfectly it almost feels inevitable. Chef Kim Floresca, Michelin-trained, brings a menu that actually delivers on the wellness promise without sacrificing flavor. The Goop Teriyaki Bowl, the vegan G.P. Bahn Mi, clean plant-forward dishes built with real culinary intention. One Paseo already has one of the strongest dining lineups in North County and this addition makes it even more compelling. One of the most exciting openings of the year.

Honor Bar (1404 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar) - Hillstone Restaurant Group, the team behind Houston's and Gulfstream, is bringing Honor Bar to the former Bully's North space in Del Mar after nearly a decade of anticipation. Chic but not pretentious, elevated but accessible. The menu is exactly what you want after a day at the beach or the races: exceptional burgers, kale salad (my personal favorite) deviled eggs, house-smoked salmon, sushi, handcrafted cocktails, and a wine list that rewards attention. Del Mar has been waiting for something like this and Hillstone never misses. This place is going to be packed from day one so pay attention to the opening date.

Jon & Vinny’s (303 Spruce Street, Bankers Hill) - LA's cult-favorite Italian-American restaurant is headed to San Diego and the city should be paying attention. Jon and Vinny's has built one of the most loyal followings in Los Angeles on the strength of wood-fired pizzas, house-made pastas, a breakfast program that rivals any brunch spot in the city, and a wine list that punches well above its price point. The Bankers Hill location at the base of the Quince Apartments sits in a walkable corridor between Hillcrest and Little Italy that is ready for exactly this kind of anchor tenant. This will be their sixth location and their first outside Los Angeles. That is not a small thing.

The Admiral at NTC – Liberty Station, Point Loma

One of the most ambitious restaurant projects San Diego has seen in years. Ryan Thorsen, the owner of the legendary Mister A's, is developing a $15 million hospitality compound across five acres of Liberty Station's historic officers' quarters. The vision is genuinely impressive: a 140-seat restaurant centered on Point Loma seafood, a bakery and grab-and-go market called Canteen, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar, a vintage game room, communal gardens, and a restored two-story event estate capable of hosting 250-person weddings. Targeted for a summer 2026 debut. If Thorsen brings the same standard he set at Mister A's, this will be one of the best dining destinations in the city.

Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘N Waffles – Barrio Logan
At this point Roscoe's opening in San Diego has become something of a local legend, first announced in 2016, delayed, revived, paused, and teased more times than anyone can count. The Barrio Logan location promises 6,000 square feet of fried chicken, waffles, gravy, grits, and a rooftop deck that sounds genuinely worth the wait. Whether it finally opens in 2026 or becomes the world's longest chicken-and-waffle experiment, San Diegans will only believe it when they smell it. Cautiously optimistic. Very hungry.

About Le List

Le List is my ongoing guide to the best places, new openings, and neighborhood favorites across North County San Diego and beyond. I am Mara Mehdy, a luxury real estate advisor with Compass serving Encinitas, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, and Solana Beach. I write Le List because knowing a place deeply, its restaurants, its energy, its character, is inseparable from helping people find the right home within it.

For neighborhood guides to Encinitas, Carlsbad, Del Mar, and Rancho Santa Fe, explore Le List.

Thinking about a move to North County San Diego? Read the complete Moving to Encinitas 2026 guide or schedule a private consultation to talk through your options.