When Jon Mangini opened Basic Pizza in 2006, East Village was just beginning its Robert Downey, Jr. level of reinvention. Petco Park was a mere two years old, the now-ubiquitous luxury apartment buildings hadn’t yet been built in droves, and there were only a handful of places to eat and drink in the area. Basic helped change all that.
But at the end of the 2024 baseball season, Basic Pizza will vacate its longtime home at 410 Tenth Avenue. The mashed potato pizza-loving masses need not fret too much—Mangini plans to reopen Basic as part of the Park 12 development in time for next baseball season, if not slightly earlier.
“We’re done after this baseball season, and then I just want to be open before next baseball season,” he says. “If I had to guess, it’s probably going to be in the December-ish area… if there’s any way possible to get it built, we will.” (In the in-between time after closing and reopening the new space, he invites pizza lovers to visit one of the locations of his other pizza project, URBN Pizza.)
Even though the space at 100 Park Plaza is just on the other side of Petco, it’s a bittersweet move. Basic had been in the same spot for 18 years, and Mangini had no notions of leaving. When he heard his landlord would not renew his lease, he knew he wanted to stay in the immediate area.
“That was the big thing—we really did lay down roots there, and we don’t want to leave,” he says. But once open, he hopes to replicate the same revitalization on the “sleepier side” of East Village and bring their loyal fans with them.
The new space will have the same menu and team but slightly new look by Avent Design and construction by CLTVT, who also designed the One Paseo location of URBN. At just under 5,000 square feet, the Park 12 space is similar to Basic’s current location, but Mangini says he plans to lean into more concrete and steel rather than try to recreate the same industrial brick aesthetic.
Thanks to a sublease agreement with the new tenants, Basic Pizza will remain at its current location until the end of this year’s Padres season (Mangini hopes for a long one). “As long as the Padres are playing, we’re going to be staying,” he says. “We’re rooting for the Padres to go all the way so we can stay as long as we possibly can.”
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
8 Courses, 2 Chefs, 4-Hands, 1 Night
When two Michelin-starred chefs cook together, culinary magic tends to follow. On Tuesday, April 30, at Ambrogio by Acquerello, chef Silvio Salmoraghi of Acquerello (Milan, Italy) and chef Fabio Ugoletti of Mar’Sel at Terranea Resort (Rancho Palos Verdes, California) will serve eight courses of Italian-inspired seasonal cuisine. Two seatings are available—one at 5 p.m. and one at 8 p.m.—and reservations are available here. Part of the proceeds will benefit Labs and More Dog Rescue.
But the magic doesn’t stop there. The next day, Wednesday, May 1, Kinme Omakase (2505 5th Avenue, Banker’s Hill) will host the Ambrogio by Acquerello team for another 4-hands dinner to spotlight the best of Italian and Japanese Kaiseki. Like the night before, two seatings at 5 pm and 8 pm are available, and you can make reservations at Kinme’s website.
Beth’s Bites
Two Ducks co-founder Dante Romero is now the executive chef at The Lion’s Share and is expanding the Two Ducks pop-up residency within the space. A dozen years of moving up has paid off for the industry, darling!
Happy first birthday to Majorette! Please never take the burger off the menu again.
It’s tea time at La Valencia Hotel’s Mediterranean Room—at least every Friday through May 11. Make your reservation for the award-winning tea service right here, and remember your complimentary glass of bubbles before the fun begins.
Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
