More than 2 years in the making, the 5th area location of Dirty Birds sports bar and grill has opened on the University of California San Diego campus in La Jolla in the space that housed Round Table Pizza for almost three decades.
After 28 years on UCSD campus, Round Table Pizza's lease expired on June 30, 2018, and a competitive bid for a replacement vendor opened up in May 2017 with Round Table choosing not to participate. In February 2018, the college advisory board selected San Diego-based Dirty Birds to open a branch within the Price Center unit. This choice keeps with the school's recent trend of sourcing local concepts rather than national chains.
In 2015, UCSD chose a local sushi chef's concept, Jame's Place, to fill the La Jolla Playhouse adjacent space previously occupied by Jai Asian fusion restaurant by Wolfgang Puck. In 2017, Rough Draft Brewing Company, which first opened in San Diego's Miramar area in 2012, installed a brewery tasting room within the Mesa Nueva Graduate Community at UCSD. San Diego hospitality company CH Projects (Born & Raised, Craft & Commerce, Ironside Fish & Oyster) also installed a Soda & Swine location on the UCSD campus in the space long occupied by Porter's Pub. Most recently, 6 more dining concepts were announced for the new 10 acre North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Campus, including San Diego-based Plant Power Fast Food, Shōwa Ramen, Taste of Hunan and Tahini.
Dirty Birds UCSD will serve a scaled back menu compared to its other location. The restaurant's claim to fame is its nearly 40 different chicken wing flavors, but other branches also serve a lengthy menu with sandwiches, salads, burgers, sliders, appetizers and even pizzas. The UCSD location will also serve craft beer and wine by the glass. The location is open to the public.
Dirty Birds founders Jon Ollis and Adam Jacoby opened the restaurant’s original location in Pacific Beach in 2008, followed by a second in 2015 near the college area of San Diego State University. The third branch of Dirty Birds debuted within Liberty Station in Point Loma in December 2016. Last year, Dirty Birds launched its 4th location within Ocean Beach Plaza, an approximately 10,000 square-foot, commercial-only complex developed at 1929-1947 Cable Street in the heart of San Diego's Ocean Beach neighborhood.
Dirty Birds newest location is currently open from 10am to 9pm daily at 9500 Gilman Drive in Price Center unit #1420 on the UCSD campus. For more information, visit dirtybirdsbarandgrill.com and call 858.750.2121.
