A lengthy list of ingredients greets you on the front wall at Silk Road, a late 2016 addition to Poway's shopping center food scene. Three generations work the family business, led by a mother and …

For well over a century, the mountain orchards in and around Julian boasted a reputation for producing fine, flavorful apples and pears. More recently, the area's become better known for apple pie and hard cider, …

I visited The Smok'd Hog a couple of years ago when it soft-opened as The Whole Hog. Back then I had a mixed experience at the little BBQ spot at the three-way intersection of Park …

Groundswell Brewing Co., formerly of Grantville, has officially made the move to Santee. In mid-February, the beer company hosted an opening event at the 12,000-square-foot, 30-barrel brewhouse and tasting room left behind by Twisted Manzanita …

Over the past few years, I've happily jumped on the pork belly trend, the game meat trend, cured and smoked meats, bone marrow, and pretty much anything confit. Creative chefs embracing unusual cuts and oleogustus …

Carlsbad's brewery scene has been on the rise, with two new breweries opening in 2016, and two more due by the spring. However, the North County city lost one in December, when On the Tracks …

North Park's brewery count is up to ten. Pariah Brewing Company officially debuted its beers to the public at select taproom events the first weekend of February, followed by a ticketed grand opening scheduled for …

When Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits sold to Constellation Brands in fall 2015, a small part of the business wasn't included: the spirits. For the moment, Ballast Point no longer produces liquor. Instead, a new …

Craft spirits are coming soon to North Park. 619 Vodka has started building out a distillery at the former site of a produce shop just off 30th Street (3015 Lincoln Avenue). Slated to open by …

Even when I couldn't find the place, my friend was about to miss the train, and a Rubio’s was staring at me from across the street, I pursued the siren call of the smoked-tuna taco. This family-run Pacific Beach taco stand started in 2011 and recently added East Village and Encinitas to its lineup. The Encinitas shop is so new it didn’t even have a proper sign up yet.

Vince Obarski recalls first hearing about mead as a kid, referenced in fantasy games such as Dungeons & Dragons. He associated it with beer, and medieval times, but didn't grasp how far back it actually …

The 2017 Beer Industry Summit took place at the Hotel del Coronado January 29 and 30, bringing together brewing company executives, distributors, financiers, and media for a series of panel discussions and networking opportunities. Among …

I wouldn’t imagine a little pasta restaurant in Miramar could be the start to a chain of restaurants, but it could happen. Pastalini is offering franchise opportunities. The shop has been around eight years, and …

It wasn’t much more than a year ago that longstanding North Park dessert spot Heaven Sent moved from its 30th and University corner location into a smaller space two doors down. So I was surprised …

Council Brewing Company is set to launch a spin-off sour brand. The Magic Factory was initially the name given to Council's second production suite, which sits across the industrial park from its main Kearny Mesa …

The success of craft beer has inspired new local ventures into cider and even sake in the past year, but it's a third beer alternative that is suddenly exploding in San Diego: mead. Oceanside's award-winning …

Coffee Barons With the opening of its seventh store in North Park last month, regional grocery chain Barons Market introduced a new concept it calls the Local Coffee Corner. A dedicated display at the end …

This spring, local yeast purveyor White Labs will join the ranks of San Diego breweries producing beer on the east coast when it builds a brewhouse in prominent craft beer destination, Asheville, North Carolina. Of …

Speaking to a sales rep from Mikkeller Brewing in 2014, one stat line he was quick to point out was that brewer Mikkel Borg Bjergsø had produced 600 beers in eight years since founding the …

Over the summer a new sports bar and restaurant opened in North Park, across from the Lafayette Hotel at the original corner location of Pomegranate, the Georgian restaurant that has since moved into a larger …

Maureen Ceccarelli has decided to retire. At the end of January, the longtime pillar of South Park's business and arts community will close the doors of her adjacent Beech Street storefronts, Studio Maureen & The …

Since before Little Miss Brewing began churning out beers from its Miramar brewhouse in August, the plan was to open a satellite tasting room in a San Diego urban neighborhood. Now, as the business hits …

The latest brewery to open in North Park represents one of the city's oldest brewing companies. San Diego Brewing Co. has been operating as a brewpub in Grantville since 1993, and its sister restaurant, Mira …

Driving along the main drag through downtown Escondido this week, I spotted a sign I’d never seen before: Vegan Soup Bar. I’d been planning on a burger, but it was raining and my feet were …

Reports emerged this week that roughly two dozen employees were let go by San Diego's fourth largest beer company, Green Flash Brewing. Los Angeles–based craft-beer website TheFullPint.com reported on Wednesday (January 11) that "Green Flash …

When Setting Sun Sake launched in August, founders Josh Hembree and Keldon Warwick Premuda started with five fermentation vessels — enough to brew 100 gallons of sake per month — and a business model predicting …

If there's a city that rivals San Diego in fondness for craft beer, it's Portland, Oregon. More than 100 breweries active in the greater metro area contribute to a $4.5 billion economic impact in the …

A new brewery in Escondido is newly licensed and ready to brew. Guided by the motto "Brew drink relax repeat," Jacked Up Brewery (800 W Grand Ave.) has a conditional use permit to operate in …

A new sandwich shop opened in La Jolla last month. Despite the Northern California reference in the name, Mendocino Farms is a small chain of fast-casual farm-to-table restaurants based in Los Angeles. They have been …

Green, leafy vegetables will be plentiful in January, and leading the way is California’s ubiquitous winter mainstay: kale. Many organic farmers’ market stands offer great-looking bunches, including both the familiar curly variety and the dark …

Obviously omelettes are front and center at The Omelette Factory, but when I rolled into the large restaurant late on a bustling Saturday morning I toyed with the idea of ordering one of the Southern …

A new food truck has been setting up in the Target parking lot off Grape Street in South Park. The pink Dharma Dogs truck parks a few feet away from the fish taco Mariscos Nine …

The northward expansion of Modern Times Beer continues, but this time it's staying within San Diego County. Following announcements earlier this year that the Point Loma beer and coffee producer will be launching satellite properties …

A new restaurant concept opened in East Village a couple months back called Dog Haus Biergarten. The Biergarten distinction is dubious — aside from a small amount of sidewalk seating, most of the place is …

A chorus of “konichiwas” greeted me as I walked into the Gyu-Kaku dining room for lunch. I’ve been a fan of the Japanese tabletop-BBQ chain since visiting one in Honolulu more than a decade back, …

San Diego breweries expand out of stateLocal beer companies have been colonizing Orange and Los Angeles counties for years, but 2016 was the year San Diego breweries officially expanded production into other states. Stone Brewing …

Last year, fivethirtyeight.com called hard cider the fastest-growing segment of the craft beverage market. As we enter 2017, the movement is catching on in San Diego, with several new cideries in the works for the …

A large, retro sign saying “Bakery” recently went up in North Park, the work of Blackmarket Bakery. The new restaurant represents the third installment and first San Diego entry of a small Orange County bakery …

When Machete Beer House opened two years ago, there weren't many places to get craft beer in National City. There weren't many opportunities to buy organic produce either. On Monday nights, Machete offers both. The …

Since this year's annual Reader Beer Issue took a look at the dramatic growth of San Diego beers being released in cans, even more breweries have announced they are joining the aluminum fold. Mikkeller Brewing …

"Our focus right now is to make great spirits," says Scott Nixon, general manager of Copper Collar Distillery, the craft spirit company he cofounded with head distiller Jason Pelle earlier this year. Pelle and Nixon …

A Kenya Guama Peaberry coffee roasted by Bird Rock Coffee Roasters has been named the number-one coffee of the year by CoffeeReview.com, earning a 97-point rating. Judges described it as “luscious, deeply sweet, and sumptuous.” …

On December 1st, Barrio Logan brewery Border X was named the $5000 winner of the Startup Brewery Challenge. The biannual competition is staged by national craft beer website Brewbound.com and Craft Brew Alliance, the "fifth …

I already liked Green Acre Campus Pointe on the approach. I went looking for the Brian Malarkey restaurant after enjoying the sandwiches at his new Little Italy spot, Herb & Eatery. Green Acre is a …

At the top of a steep, winding drive to the northeast of Escondido, you’ll find tiny Lake Wohlford. The dammed lake is routinely stocked with trout for recreational fisher folk, and a mobile home park …

Three-year-old Vista brewery Barrel Harbor has been getting active of late. It began releasing cans of Fenris IPA earlier this year and aims to begin canning South Island pilsner by the end of the month. …

The Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians has added a brewery component to its gambling interests. The sovereign tribe owns the Harrah's casino on its reservation near Valley Center, and on November 5th it opened a …

In a press release timed to coincide with the 83rd anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition (December 5), national trade group the Brewers Association announced that the number of active breweries in the U.S. has …

The battle between big beer and craft continues, and this time it's a Long Beach brewer taking shots at San Diego beer. Earlier this year, big-beer subsidiary 10 Barrel Brewing's plans to open a brewpub …

When I sat down at Zarlitos Family Restaurant and looked over the menu, I found lots of wonderful-sounding dishes. By that I mean the words themselves sounded wonderful: sinigang na baboy, tortang alimango, daing na …