New York City-Based Tao Group Hospitality Unveils Lavo Italian Restaurant In San Diego's Gaslamp

June 15, 2022


One of America's most prominent restaurant and nightlife collectives, New York City-based Tao Group Hospitality has unveiled its LAVO Italian ristorante concept in San Diego's Gaslamp.

In April 2021, news broke that Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation subsidiary Tao Group Hospitality acquired Hakkasan Group, creating a hospitality powerhouse that included a global portfolio of 61 entertainment dining and nightlife venues in 22 markets across five continents. In San Diego at the time, Hakkasan Group owned three concepts - Searsucker restaurant and Omnia night club, both in the Gaslamp Quarter, and Herringbone in La Jolla. Founded by San Diego celebrity chef Brian Malarkey in 2010, Searsucker had been a dining destination in the Gaslamp Quarter for a decade before shuttering in July 2020. Earlier this year, the former Omnia space was converted into Nova San Diego nightclub by a team of nightlife & EDM gurus that includes the founder of the Electric Daisy Carnival.

Tao Group founded the flagship LAVO Italian Restaurant at The Palazzo at The Venetian Las Vegas in 2008. Since then, a second location opened in New York City with a third unveiled earlier this year on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. 

LAVO San Diego quietly opened this week in the former Searsucker space on the corner of 5th Avenue and Market Street in the heart of San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. The 235-seat restaurant offers a Southern Italy meets California all-day menu featuring an array of appetizers like the famous one pound wagyu meatball, as well as salads, wood-fired pizza, house-made pastas, raw bar items, and seafood & meat entrees. From the bar, there is a list of specialty cocktails, craft beer, and an expansive wine list. LAVO will eventually offer a weekend brunch, frequent special events, and a nightlife lounge vibe during late evening hours. 

LAVO San Diego is now open and accepting reservations at 611 Fifth Avenue in downtown San Diego. For more information, visit taogroup.com/venues/lavo-italian-restaurant-san-diego.