Global Feast
It’s easy to armchair travel in San Diego if you go by way of our food. You could experience a bit of France, Italy, Japan, and Ethiopia just by dining out in Little Italy, Convoy, and City Heights (and all in one day, if you really pushed it).
This spring and summer, we’re getting an influx of new restaurants serving cuisines that are scarce in San Diego, expanding our ever-wandering palates. As of press time, Grumpy’s Meat Pies (1146 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach) is planning to bring a taste of the Southern Hemisphere with its menu of authentic Kiwi meat pies—a savory hand-sized meal to go that’s ubiquitous in New Zealand. It’s the second restaurant for the owner of Coastal Eatery in Encinitas, so expect to find pies made of flaky dough stuffed with steak and cheese or chicken curry, along with vegan options.
There’s only a handful of restaurants here that serve Russian food, so Ksenia Nesterova is opening Smoked.Cured.Tasty (138 West Grand Avenue, Escondido) to showcase delicacies from her home. The eatery and catering service specializes in Russian smoked meats and fish ranging from duck to salmon, along with sandwiches and charcuterie to go.
A new food truck, The Sticky Rice Spot, brought Lao and Khmer street food to East Village and Point Loma, such as cha krueng (lemongrass chicken), Lao sausage, and coconut sticky rice.
Last, FurnSaj (3888 Fourth Avenue, Hillcrest; furnsaj.com), an acclaimed Lebanese bakery from LA known for its shawarma and mana’ish (oven-baked flatbread), is making its San Diego debut when it opens in Hillcrest this summer. Add these new restaurants to your culinary itinerary!
What We’re Loving – Steaks
Olivia Hayo
Meat Cute
Are you a meat lover? Save a trip to the grocery store and pick up some quality steaks at Blue Box Butcher, a new butcher shop in Little Italy with a digital edge. Order prime cuts of rib eye, filet mignon, or wagyu beef on their app, then pick them up curbside or at a takeout window as soon as 15 minutes later. Founder Rick Wright is a master butcher who sources from distributors that supply high-end restaurants, so you can be sure your steak is a cut above what’s in the meat aisle.
2102 India Street, Little Italy
What We’re Loving – Shawarma
