When I walked into Andrés Restaurant for the first time, the smells wafting out of the kitchen were so good, I almost didn't ask for a menu. Just give me whatever's cooking, I wanted to …

Cruising Main Street in El Cajon, I spotted a sign with both English and Arabic script reading Nahrain Fish And Chicken Grill. It's a small, sparsely decorated restaurant, and the first thing you're bound to …

The beer festival has become a fixture in the San Diego events landscape. Not a month goes by without a festival featuring local beers, and most months there are several. However, October 14th, a boozy …

The question of whether San Diego has become oversaturated with beer businesses is usually posed with regard to market demand: as in, how many local breweries can consumer dollars support? But on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis, …

SouthNorte Beer Co. makes its debut this week. The company, founded by Coronado Brewing Company alum Ryan Brooks, has announced two beers being released in bottles and kegs throughout the San Diego area (with cans …

If you read a certain misguided Food & Wine article recently, you know that San Diego's dining scene is good enough to backhanded compliment, but "not the sort of thing you travel for." To that …

At least one San Diego coffee shop features a ping pong table. The Halcyon coffee shop experienced a game reimagining in September. Since opening, the Texas based business has shared real estate with a sister …

Another out of town coffee shop brand has moved farther south in continuing its San Diego expansion. San Francisco based Philz Coffee first moved into the area when it opened a shop in Encinitas in …

In early September, Bagby Beer Company poured beers at the inaugural Beavertown Extravaganza, a sold-out beer festival in London featuring dozens of the planet's most acclaimed breweries. Several other San Diego beer companies were there, …

It's been a fine summer for fans of fried chicken in National City. In June, City Heights favorite Crispy Fried Chicken opened a second location on East Plaza Boulevard, between the 5 and 805 freeways. …

Me, a grown man, enjoying a cake pop

Call it the homebrew shop that launched a thousand brewing careers. Linda Vista's Home Brew Mart, best known as the birthplace of Ballast Point Brewing Company, turns 25 this week. While the story of the …

Is there an expiration date for a soft opening? A soft open is when a restaurant opens to the public for a trial period before declaring itself officially ready for business. Ostensibly, it gives a …

I recently reported that San Diego's breweries have begun favoring cans over glass bottles, but that's only half the aluminum story. The same trend has been taking hold in the way tasting rooms offer growler …

Last year, cans were trending in San Diego craft beer. This year, they appear to be taking over. Beer buyers at several local retailers report that consumer demand for six-packs have contributed to canned beers …

I don't know why football season makes me crave Italian beef sandwiches. I've never lived in Chicago, and only ever visited the Windy City in the spring. I'd blame the onset of fall weather, if …

I like my burgers like I like my beer — made with purpose using quality ingredients so it’s obvious to everyone I possess exquisite taste. So don’t be surprised that all of my picks are …

For months I'd been taunted by the online traces of the Good Stuff Cookie Co. The pop-up cookie shop serves up stuffed cookies from inside East Village's idiosyncratic men's apparel boutique, 5&A Dime. At least …

Usually when I make it this close to the Mexican border, I eat on the other side. But this day I was taking a late breakfast in Otay Mesa. Though I stayed north, I still …

The growing trend among beer companies to open satellite taprooms in commercial districts is bringing a craft-brewery presence to neighborhoods that didn't previously haven't one. There were 20 off-site tasting rooms at the beginning of …

Coava Coffee may not be a household name, but in the world of specialty coffee, it’s always positioned at or near the top of any list ranking the best coffee roasters in Portland, Oregon. And …

The Gaslamp got a new bagel shop in August, and like North Park's new iteration of Nomad Donuts, this one's offering an artisanal take on Poland's chewy and beloved boil-and-bake pastry. However, while Nomad has …

Modern Times Beer announced it has signed a lease to take over an existing 10,000-square-foot brewhouse in Portland, Oregon. In a blog entry posted to the Modern Times website, founder and CEO Jacob McKean explained …

In this world, there are cities steeped in bagel tradition, and then there's San Diego. Yet somehow, August brought not one, but two locally-born bagel shops to the metro area. And I dig them both. …

Ebullition Brew Works soft-opened in Vista at the beginning of July. Nearly two months later, the brewery has yet to announce a grand-opening date but has been keeping regular hours and served nine different beers …

It's a simple rule of thumb that any place calling itself fancy ain't really all that fancy. Such is the case with The Fancy Fish, a casual seafood spot sitting in the elbow slot of …

A developer’s plan to build on a canyon property in Hillcrest sparked an ever-escalating two-year dispute with the project’s immediate neighbors. As the differences have become more contentious, one or the other side has appealed …

When news broke in June that Lightning Brewery had sold its assets to Orange County–based Cismontane Brewing Co., rumor spread that the 11-year-old brewery had joined the ranks of San Diego ex-breweries. But reports of …

The thought of a food court evokes strong sensory memories burned into my consciousness by the presence of trashy mall franchises: the baked cinnamon aromas of Cinnabon, the pulpy viscosity of Orange Julius, the slab …

Back in June, the Reader reported a new nanobrewery, Circle 9 Brewing, had debuted its first beer at a fighting float festival in Japan. As of August 19th, the Kearny Mesa craft brewer is officially …

Mira Mesa–based Green Flash Brewing announced this week it has purchased a 10,000-square-foot production brewery and restaurant in Lincoln, Nebraska, where it plans to expand its bicoastal beer brand by the end of the year. …

I can't pretend to have much experience eating at a Cuban bakery. To be specific, I was dealing with exactly zero experience before I stumbled across Los Pollos Rotisserie & Cuban Bakery. Which was all …

One of San Diego's smallest breweries appears to be closed following an eviction notice and a $12,000 judgment from a recent lawsuit related to the brewery's attempt last year to sell 1 percent stakes of …

I'm fortunate to have my favorite fish tacos within easy reach. A Mariscos Nine Seas food truck sets up daily in what is now the Target Express parking lot, by the corner of Hawthorn and …

This Labor Day weekend, Second Chance Beer Co. will celebrate a busy first two years in business with a three-day party at its Carmel Mountain brewery. Second Chance already distributes six varieties of beer in …

My ramen consumption has been down. Not because I'm over it, and definitely not for lack of availability — Yelp tells me I have roughly 300 ramen choices within a 15-minute drive. I've just been …

New breweries in San Diego join a crowded field. With over 150 brewhouses at work in the county, there's a growing sense that the time has passed for startup breweries to achieve the scope of …

Thr3e Punk Ales Brewing Co. has officially returned, adding to Chula Vista's rising status as a craft beer destination. Following an 18-month build-out, Punk cofounders John Marshall, Steve Garcia, and Kevin Lewis opened their new …

You won’t find a better sandwich for $3.75 than you will among the bánh mì of this low-key Vietnamese deli counter. Bánh mì literally translates as “bread,” and Paris Bakery does well to live up …

Between Emeril’s “Bam!” and the House of Blues chain Disneyfying the concept of a bayou restaurant, I’ve subconsciously come to expect all Cajun eateries in California to be in some way larger than life. Bud …

Following a recent story I wrote about the growler concept taking hold at an urban winery, a commenter asked whether filled growlers can be considered open containers during a traffic stop. Good question. I posed …

If you’re interested in trying the sweetest, coldest treat you can get your hands on this summer, turn your attention to Escondido and a small shack called Baltimore Snowball. As its name suggests, the snowball …

We were nearing the end of a late-afternoon soccer practice, trying to squeeze in a few more minutes of scrimmage time before the sun set when coach blew his whistle. The long, shrill tweet stopped …

A 14-year homebrewer, Ketchen Smith has long dreamed of leaving his job in the medical device industry to start a brewery. "I wanted to go 15-barrel," he says, "and retire to brewing." Doing so would …

With alternative craft beverages such as cider, mead, and sake gathering momentum in San Diego, local beer producers have taken note, and in recent months brewers of all kinds have gotten together to experiment with …

I’ve got to hand it to Coronado Spice & Tea. When I spotted the sign saying, “Try our ice cream puffs,” I took notice. I didn’t know what they were, but I guessed that they …

Several San Diego neighborhoods have gained locally roasted coffee this spring. First up, James Coffee Co. has opened a 413 square foot coffee counter in Bankers Hill, at newly constructed building The Louie (2870 Fourth …

In June, Rancho Bernardo's Abnormal Beer Co. opened its first offsite location: in Busan, South Korea. Abnormal Taphouse + Cantina opened in the popular beach community Haeundae, where it serves street tacos in addition to …

Little Miss Brewing opened a satellite tasting room in Normal Heights in June. While the brewery makes beer in Miramar, its business model has always been to open tasting rooms in more populous urban neighborhoods. …

A sign tells you to order at the register first and then find your seat. That’s where the trouble began when I visited North Park’s colorful new tapas-style joint, Tamarindo Latin American Kitchen and Bar. …