The entrance of the pop-up. | Candice Woo The FX show is giving away chef’s special merch today through Sunday Among the activations set to take place around town during San Diego Comic-Con is a pop-up of The Bear, the Emmy-winning, FX-produced hit television show that gives a no-holds-barred insider’s look at the culinary industry. Season 3, which dropped on Hulu in June, follows Carmy, Sydney, and crew in and out of The Bear’s namesake fine-dining restaurant, whose interior has been recreated for the pop-up, located on the lawn across from the Hilton Bayfront downtown alongside a cluster of ..read more

Chilaquiles at Carnitas Quiroga. | Candice Woo This month brings chilaquiles, sweetbreads, standout vegetables, and more Welcome to a new monthly column where your Eater San Diego editor and occasional contributors will share standout dishes and drinks we’ve come across on our frequent dining expeditions. Have you come across a can’t-miss bite or sip? Send a rec to sandiego@eater.com. Chilaquiles at Carnitas Quiroga A craving for chilaquiles on a recent weekend morning led me to National City, where this exceedingly friendly shop specializes in carnitas, the Mexican state of Michoacán’s marque ..read more

The Kearny Mesa storefront. | Bopomofo Bopomofo Cafe grand opens this weekend Just in time for Comic-Con, Bopomofo Cafe has landed in San Diego. The highly-awaited Kearny Mesa outpost from the Los Angeles transplant, which hosted a sneak preview in June, is quietly up and running while gearing up for its grand opening event on Saturday, July 27 from noon to 7 p.m. The wildly popular cafe still draws crowds to its existing locations in San Gabriel and Artesia, so the team is anticipating a large turnout this weekend. Though its priority reservations list is currently full, Bopomofo will also be ..read more

Chef Esteban Lluis, | Kaluú Damiana’s Esteban Lluis is behind the menu at Kaluú, opening next month in the Gaslamp A new restaurant and nightlife venue nearing completion in the Gaslamp will also be a conduit for cuisine from the chef behind a Michelin-star restaurant in Baja. Mexicali-born Esteban Lluis of restaurant Damiana, one of Eater’s essential Valle de Guadalupe dining destinations that also recently earned a Michelin star in the first edition of the Michelin Guide Mexico, is creating the dishes at Kaluú, which is scheduled to land on Fifth Avenue by mid-August. With full creative cont ..read more

In the field at Fox Point Farms. | Maria Russo Fox Point Farms is home to Haven Farm + Table, Fox Point Brewing Co. and a host of other farm-powered projects A farm-to-table restaurant emerging next month in Encinitas may boast the shortest distance from the farm to its tables. Located just a few miles east of coastal Leucadia, Fox Point Farms is a new two-acre organic regenerative farm that is also the centerpiece of a planned community revolving around agriculture, aka an “agrihood”, that is the first to come online in San Diego. Other such neighborhoods are in the works for Oceanside and Po ..read more

Restaurant exterior of Sot BBQ. | Helen I. Hwang Sot BBQ will use imported cast-iron cauldrons for tabletop grilling A new-to-San Diego style of preparing and presenting Korean barbecue is coming to Kearny Mesa, showcasing an ancient cooking method from the Korean peninsula. Sot BBQ, which is aiming to open in late July or early August, will have cast-iron cauldrons set into each table that will be used as the cooking surface for grilled meats and vegetables. Located in Kearny Plaza on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, the restaurant replaces Olleh Sushi’s corner spot, joining Menya Ultra Ramen and Y ..read more

A rendering of its new Pacific Beach location. | The Crack Shack Expansions for Qin West Noodle, Mad For Cheesecake, and the Henry are also in the works With several high-profile debuts already in the books, 2024 is shaping up to be a banner year for restaurant and bar openings. Here’s what to look forward to in the coming months and into 2025, including new locations for several established brands. Did we miss an incoming spot? Drop a note at the tipline and we’ll consider it for the next update. Qin West Noodle Opening: July Coming to the food court at the Fashion Valley Mall is the second Q ..read more

A dish from Ambrogio by Acquerello | Bhadri Kubendran The tasting menu restaurant is honored as a new discovery in advance of the full California guide reveal in August A fine dining restaurant in La Jolla is part of the latest crop of California restaurants to join the Michelin Guide. Ambrogio by Acquerello is the only San Diego establishment among the new additions announced today, joining 12 other restaurants from around the state. These culinary gems have been given “recommended” status and could be eligible for Bib Gourmand or Star awards when the full 2024 Michelin Guide California selec ..read more

Assorted dishes from the menu. | Todo Pa’ La Cruda The Imperial Avenue restaurant is expanding to Barrio Logan A family-run Mexican restaurant in Grant Hill is opening a second outpost on Logan Avenue in the space that housed Salud Tacos until the popular taqueria’s abrupt shutter in June. Todo Pa’ La Cruda is owned by Elizabeth Ruiz, whose family moved from Acapulco to San Diego in the early 1990s. Ruiz opened her original restaurant on Imperial Avenue in 2020, keeping it open through the pandemic to the delight of her neighbors — many hailing from the state of Guerrero — who were happy to fi ..read more

A Pride flight of cider. | Bivouac Ciderworks Find food and drink specials, drag shows, parties, and more Though June is generally recognized as Pride Month, San Diego keeps the celebration going all the way through July, with San Diego Pride Week running from July 13 to July 21, culminating in the San Diego Pride Parade on Saturday, July 20, and the two-day San Diego Pride Festival in Balboa Park. Beyond those marquee events, there are lots of local bars and restaurants offering food and drink specials or hosting events of their own, often with proceeds going to LGBTQ+ nonprofits. Scope out a ..read more