The closure of El Rincón de los Dolidos brings an end to a dizzying series of concept changes in one of the Gaslamp’s most high-profile restaurant spaces, formerly home to Donovan’s Steak & Chophouse for more than two decades. Since Donovan’s closed at the start of the pandemic in 2020, the address has become a revolving door of expensive buildouts, rapid rebrands, and unrealized ambitions, none of which have managed to gain meaningful traction with San Diego diners.
El Rincón de los Dolidos opened in 2024 as a dramatic pivot from La Conde, an upscale Latin-Japanese fusion restaurant that itself lasted barely two years. Where La Conde leaned into luxury theatrics like gold-foil burgers, Wagyu steaks, and high-end sushi, El Rincón repositioned the space as a despecho-themed karaoke bar and casual Mexican restaurant, marketing itself as a place to “heal heartbreak” through music, drinks, and late-night energy.
Despite the rebrand, the fundamentals remained problematic. The restaurant operated with extremely limited hours being closed four days a week and opening only late at night Thursday through Saturday. El Rincón rarely appeared busy, even on peak nights, and never established itself as a destination beyond curiosity visits.
The failure is not an isolated one. It represents the collapse of an entire San Diego expansion strategy by the Culichitown ownership group, led by Chef Misael Guerrero's Emme Group. Over the past several years, the group has attempted to establish multiple large-scale concepts across the county. Culichitown locations in Vista and Chula Vista have both closed. La Conde shuttered in 2024. El Rincón has now followed. And Mamá Por Dios, announced in 2021 with significant fanfare for the former BiCE Ristorante space at 425 Island Avenue, never opened at all despite visible renovation work and promotional buildup. As of early 2026, Mamá Por Dios’ website still lists San Diego as “Opening 2026,” though no active construction or permitting progress is evident.
Chef Guerrero founded Culichi Town in the early 2010s, drawing inspiration from the mariscos and sushi hybrids popular in Culiacán, Sinaloa. The brand expanded rapidly through a franchise-driven model and found success in suburban markets where large footprints, nightlife-oriented dining, and high-volume service were more sustainable.
Compounding the group’s challenges, Culichitown Management Group entered into a consent order with the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation in 2023 after the state found the company had sold franchises without proper registration and failed to provide legally required franchise disclosure documents. While the order did not directly involve San Diego operations, it underscored broader concerns about corporate oversight, rapid expansion, and operational discipline.
Taken together, the closures paint a picture of overreach. The Gaslamp experiments involved massive capital investment, repeated remodels, and sweeping concept changes, all without addressing the core question of whether these ideas made sense for San Diego’s current market. The Donovan’s space alone underwent a full luxury renovation for La Conde, only to be partially undone and reworked again for El Rincón, resulting in a lot of money spent with little to show for it.
El Rincón de los Dolidos is now dark with a lease sign showing it's available for rent, joining a growing list of high-profile downtown restaurant failures that reflect a broader recalibration underway in San Diego’s hospitality industry. Big, flashy, nightlife-driven concepts are no longer guaranteed wins, especially when paired with limited hours, inconsistent identity, and a lack of local resonance.
As for the Culichi Town group, San Diego has proven to be an expensive lesson. Every branded concept the company has attempted here has closed, stalled, or failed to launch. Whether the group ultimately follows through on its still-promoted Mamá Por Dios opening remains to be seen. But for now, the record is clear: bold vision alone has not been enough to overcome the realities of this city’s dining economy.
Originally published on January 17, 2026.
