California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control filings show a pending Type 47 on-sale general “eating place” license for “SHIO” on Avenida de la Playa, under the ownership entity ENP 2259 Inc. The corporate listing names Eugene Hwan Kim as chief executive officer and president, with Peter Hajong Kim listed as secretary/assistant secretary and chief financial officer. Additional stakeholders listed include Steven David Ebersole, Monique Desiree Filardi, and Neil Capin Jr., alongside the Kims. Owners of Shio also operate nearby Takaramano Sushi in La Jolla. The deal was brokered by Todd Law, Senior Vice President Commercial Leasing & Brokerage of Capital Growth Properties, Inc.
As of publication, there has been no public announcement detailing Shio’s cuisine, operating team, design plans, or opening timeline. But the name itself is suggestive. “Shio” is the Japanese word for salt, commonly associated with shio ramen, a lighter, clearer broth seasoned primarily with salt rather than heavier bases like miso or tonkotsu. Salt also carries symbolic associations in Japan with cleansing and renewal, which would be a pointed theme for a high-profile address that has struggled to sustain momentum over multiple concepts.
The location comes with baggage. The Avenida de la Playa space has cycled through ambitious operators and resets, including Galaxy Taco’s much-hyped masa-forward run, followed by Sandpiper’s wood-fired, oyster-anchored pivot. Sandpiper ultimately closed after a four-year run, with the George’s at the Cove team declining to renew the lease and the address returning to the market yet again.
If Shio is, in fact, a Japanese or Japanese-adjacent concept as it is believed to be, it would be a strategic departure from the site’s recent identity and a bet that La Jolla Shores’ mix of beach traffic, locals, and destination diners will respond better to a tighter, more craveable format. If it’s something else entirely, the name may signal a broader “fresh start” branding play rather than a literal menu clue. Either way, the license filing indicates real forward movement, and the speed of the transfer suggests an operator aiming to get open without a prolonged, multi-year runway.
Shio is proposed for 2259 Avenida de la Playa in San Diego’s La Jolla Shores community. No opening date has been announced and the ABC Type 47 license is currently listed as pending.
Originally published on February 18, 2026.
