South County Mexican mariscos institution TJ Oyster Bar is opening a new restaurant in San Diego's Little Italy neighborhood.
TJ Oyster was founded in 2002 as a small taco shop sited in a quaint shopping plaza in San Diego's South County community of Bonita. The eatery quickly gained a local following due to its menu of seafood tacos and Baja-style mariscos. In 2012, a second, more upscale full-service TJ Oyster Bar opened less than a quarter-mile from the original within the Bonita Centre Shopping Mall that also houses Romesco Mexiterranean Bistro. In 2014, the third branch of TJ Oyster Bar unveiled in East Palomar Chula Vista.
TJ Oyster Bar owners are in the escrow stages of taking over the 1,463 square-foot space that last housed Supernatural Sandwiches on the base floor of the AV8 apartment building in Little Italy for the company's 4th restaurant. Like other outposts, expect a menu of Mexican seafood options like tacos, burritos, oysters, tostadas, ceviches, seafood cocktails, salads and soups, as well as signature dishes like the smoked tuna fries, machaca-style stingray tacos, and whole fried fish. The eatery will have a fast-casual format most similar to the Palomar Road branch and will also serve a menu of local craft beer and wine from Baja's famed Valle de Guadalupe region.
The new TJ Oyster Bar is expected to open by late summer/early fall at 2155 Kettner Boulevard in San Diego's Little Italy. For more information, visit tjoyster.com and check out the menu below.
