The newly opened Puesto Taco Bar introduces a streamlined, fast-casual version of the group’s familiar gourmet taco experience, pairing counter service with a full cocktail bar in a relaxed, modern setting designed to serve the area’s dense office and biotech workforce. The concept represents a strategic shift for the La Jolla–born hospitality group, which has traditionally focused on full-service dining rooms and destination-driven experiences.
Located within a newly developed commercial campus near Alexandria Real Estate’s tech properties, the roughly 3,000-square-foot restaurant seats about 100 guests and operates as a daytime-forward concept, currently open daily from late morning through early evening. The format emphasizes efficiency and accessibility while maintaining Puesto’s core culinary identity.
The menu centers on Puesto’s signature blue-corn tortillas and gourmet taco fillings, alongside burritos, bowls, and shareable sides, all served with casual tableware. While the food ordering experience is counter-based, the beverage program is anything but pared down. The bar features an agave-forward cocktail lineup overseen by Beau du Bois, the company’s James Beard-recognized vice president of bar and spirits, with margaritas and tequila-driven cocktails remaining central to the brand.
According to Puesto leadership, Taco Bar was designed to meet guests where they already are—both geographically and in how they dine—particularly in employment hubs where speed, consistency, and quality matter more than ceremony. The concept aims to capture lunch crowds, after-work drinks, and casual meetups without the longer dwell times of a traditional sit-down restaurant.
The opening further cements Puesto’s growing presence in North County and coastal San Diego, where the company continues to pursue high-visibility, design-forward locations tied to business districts and mixed-use developments. Puesto currently operates multiple full-service restaurants across California, stadium locations, and is preparing to expand out of state for the first time with a Nashville opening slated for 2026.
Locally, Puesto Taco Bar arrives as the group balances innovation with expansion. In addition to the new Barnes Canyon Road concept, the team behind Puesto and Marisi Italiano is also preparing to debut Ikaria, a large-scale Eastern Mediterranean restaurant opening in La Jolla later this year, signaling a diversified growth strategy that spans fast-casual, full-service, and experiential dining formats.
For Sorrento Valley, the arrival of Puesto Taco Bar adds another recognizable brand to an area increasingly shaped by tech campuses, fitness concepts, and daytime-oriented food and beverage offerings. For Puesto, it’s a calculated step toward adapting a well-established brand to changing dining habits without abandoning the quality and identity that made it a San Diego staple.
Puesto Taco Bar is now open at 9955 Barnes Canyon Rd #110 inside the San Diego Tech Center. For more information, visit eatpuesto.com.
Originally published on January 20, 2026.
Puesto Taco Bar is now open at 9955 Barnes Canyon Rd #110 inside the San Diego Tech Center. For more information, visit eatpuesto.com.
Originally published on January 20, 2026.
