According to a recent California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control transfer filing, the Type 47 liquor license currently assigned to The Seventh House is being transferred to a new entity named Sono, with restaurateur Antonio Cusimano listed as owner of record. While no formal details have been announced, an ABC transfer at this stage is typically a strong indicator that a full rebrand is coming to the corner space at 2835 University Avenue in North Park.
For longtime North Park diners, the address has become a kind of hospitality hall of mirrors. The building most recently housed Roman-style Italian restaurant Cacio E Pepe out front, with the tarot-themed Seventh House continuing as a speakeasy-style bar tucked behind the dining room. Before that, the entire space operated as The Seventh House, an all-day brunch and cocktail spot launched in late 2022 by Farmers Table co-founder Alberto Morreale and bar veteran Preston Cobb, taking over from MétlBar Creamery & Café, the boozy ice-cream and coffee concept that originally activated the property.
Cusimano’s name will be familiar to anyone who closely follows San Diego’s restaurant chessboard. He has frequently appeared as a partner or principal in projects tied to San Diego Dining Group, the loose constellation of concepts built around Sicilian-born restaurateur Vincenzo Loverso and collaborators like Alessandro Minutella, Marco Provino, Alberto Mestre, and the names go on and on. That group and its offshoots have, over the last decade, come to define a particular slice of the city’s hospitality landscape: high-energy Italian and Latin-leaning restaurants with big menus, bigger décor, and a tendency to rebrand or multiply quickly.
The Cacio E Pepe / Seventh House building is a microcosm of that wider pattern. As Morreale spun off to launch his own Alba Restaurant Group projects like Smokey & The Brisket, Limoncello and, more recently, Piedra Santa in Little Italy, Loverso and his partners doubled down on rapid expansion and repurposing.
Farmers Table in Little Italy became Vincenzo Cucina & Lounge. The Heights in Little Italy was retooled into Roman Wolves Cucina Romana. Saltwater in the Gaslamp was transformed into Romanissimo. In Bay Park, La Pastaia gave way to Romanella Cucina Romana. RustiCucina on Park Boulevard in Hillcrest is also about to do a switch up. At the same time, projects like Brisa in Little Italy and AKA in the former Searsucker/Lavo box have layered on new concepts, new brands, and new LLCs without ever really leaving the sphere of the same tight-knit network of operators.
Health-inspection records add another layer of complexity. In Little Italy, San Diego Dining Group’s Allegro endured a string of closures in 2025 after county inspectors documented major vermin activity and multiple out-of-compliance violations, including a re-closure following a failed reinspection in early September. The restaurant eventually reopened, but the public reports underscored the tension between the group’s polished branding and the realities playing out behind the scenes.
Health-inspection records add another layer of complexity. In Little Italy, San Diego Dining Group’s Allegro endured a string of closures in 2025 after county inspectors documented major vermin activity and multiple out-of-compliance violations, including a re-closure following a failed reinspection in early September. The restaurant eventually reopened, but the public reports underscored the tension between the group’s polished branding and the realities playing out behind the scenes.
To casual guests, the constant churn of names and concepts can be disorienting. Is Cacio E Pepe an Alba project, a San Diego Dining Group offshoot, or something in between? Is Sono a clean slate, or just the latest mask for a familiar cast? Even industry watchers struggle to chart where one company ends and another begins, given the overlapping partnerships and frequent reshuffling of spaces, brands, and roles.
At the same time, the relentless rebranding is exactly what keeps this ecosystem in motion. When a San Diego Dining Group concept underperforms or loses buzz, it’s quickly reimagined, often with a new cuisine label, redesigned interior, and slightly tweaked ownership structure. There are more businesses and switch up than even the most knowledgable San Diego restaurant industry maven can keep track of. All of it feeds a narrative of constant novelty, even if some of the key names on the paperwork remain the same.
At the same time, the relentless rebranding is exactly what keeps this ecosystem in motion. When a San Diego Dining Group concept underperforms or loses buzz, it’s quickly reimagined, often with a new cuisine label, redesigned interior, and slightly tweaked ownership structure. There are more businesses and switch up than even the most knowledgable San Diego restaurant industry maven can keep track of. All of it feeds a narrative of constant novelty, even if some of the key names on the paperwork remain the same.
Over the last year, SanDiegoVille has also received a steady stream of messages from former employees of San Diego Dining Group, industry workers, and curious diners alleging a variety of questionable labor, billing, and operational practices tied to restaurants within the San Diego Dining Group orbit. These accounts range from complaints about workplace culture and wage issues to concerns about food quality, management conduct, and aggressive review-solicitation tactics. Some sources have shared dramatic stories that cannot be independently verified, and no regulatory agency has publicly substantiated the more extreme claims. However, the sheer volume and consistency of the anecdotes - paired with the group’s unusual frequency of rebrands, closures, and new corporate entities - have fueled public and industry curiosity about how these restaurants operate behind the scenes.
Into that context walks Sono, a project that, for now, exists only on an ABC filing and in industry rumor. The name suggests Italian roots, and Cusimano’s track record hints at another polished, alcohol-forward concept with an emphasis on atmosphere. But until plans are formally announced, all that’s clear is that Cacio E Pepe’s days, at least in its current form, appear numbered, and North Park’s most mercurial restaurant address is about to spin again.
What happens in this compact corner of University Avenue matters beyond just one block. The building has become a kind of neighborhood barometer for how San Diego’s most aggressive restaurant groups operate: move quickly, rebrand often, leverage overlapping partnerships, and trust that diners will keep chasing the latest iteration even if they’re not entirely sure who is really behind it. With Sono now on deck, 2835 University remains one of the clearest, and most confusing, windows into that world.
Sono is expected to replace Cacio E Pepe and The Seventh House at 2835 University Avenue in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood. An opening timeline and concept details have not yet been publicly announced.
Into that context walks Sono, a project that, for now, exists only on an ABC filing and in industry rumor. The name suggests Italian roots, and Cusimano’s track record hints at another polished, alcohol-forward concept with an emphasis on atmosphere. But until plans are formally announced, all that’s clear is that Cacio E Pepe’s days, at least in its current form, appear numbered, and North Park’s most mercurial restaurant address is about to spin again.
What happens in this compact corner of University Avenue matters beyond just one block. The building has become a kind of neighborhood barometer for how San Diego’s most aggressive restaurant groups operate: move quickly, rebrand often, leverage overlapping partnerships, and trust that diners will keep chasing the latest iteration even if they’re not entirely sure who is really behind it. With Sono now on deck, 2835 University remains one of the clearest, and most confusing, windows into that world.
Sono is expected to replace Cacio E Pepe and The Seventh House at 2835 University Avenue in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood. An opening timeline and concept details have not yet been publicly announced.
Originally published on November 17, 2025.
