El Punto, the latest venture from restaurateur Gerry Torres and longtime culinary collaborator chef Eduardo Baeza, is preparing to open in an approximately 8,800-square-foot indoor-outdoor space that has seen several ambitious restaurant concepts come and go over the past decade.
Located at 2885 Perry Road, Suite 102, directly across from Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens, El Punto is expected to welcome its first customers as Monday, November 9. Although that date has appeared in a local events roundup, the restaurant has not officially confirmed its opening day. Its website continues to advertise a fall 2026 debut, while recent social media posts have shown a substantially completed dining room and kitchen staff preparing dishes.
Located at 2885 Perry Road, Suite 102, directly across from Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens, El Punto is expected to welcome its first customers as Monday, November 9. Although that date has appeared in a local events roundup, the restaurant has not officially confirmed its opening day. Its website continues to advertise a fall 2026 debut, while recent social media posts have shown a substantially completed dining room and kitchen staff preparing dishes.
Unlike City Tacos, the fast-casual taqueria brand that Torres launched in North Park more than a decade ago, El Punto is designed as a full-service dining experience built around the flavors of coastal Mexico. The menu will emphasize seafood, including ceviches, tiraditos and oysters with a michelada-inspired preparation, alongside larger entrees, shareable plates and a selection of the most popular tacos from the City Tacos lineup.
The restaurant also plans to offer brunch and a dedicated children's menu, reflecting an effort to appeal to everyone from couples enjoying cocktails to families looking for a relaxed afternoon meal.
"This is not your traditional Mexican restaurant," Torres previously explained of the concept. "El Punto will be decadent, but affordable and casual."
That combination of ambitious food and approachable hospitality has become something of a signature for Torres, whose restaurant portfolio has expanded considerably since he opened the original City Tacos in North Park in 2014.
El Punto's beverage program will be another major component of the experience. The restaurant is planning a dedicated michelada station, a container-style bar, cocktails developed under the direction of bar director Rudy Corona, draft beer and coffee. The Type 47 liquor license authorizing the sale of beer, wine and distilled spirits was reportedly issued October 12, clearing an important regulatory hurdle ahead of the opening.
The restaurant also plans to offer brunch and a dedicated children's menu, reflecting an effort to appeal to everyone from couples enjoying cocktails to families looking for a relaxed afternoon meal.
"This is not your traditional Mexican restaurant," Torres previously explained of the concept. "El Punto will be decadent, but affordable and casual."
That combination of ambitious food and approachable hospitality has become something of a signature for Torres, whose restaurant portfolio has expanded considerably since he opened the original City Tacos in North Park in 2014.
El Punto's beverage program will be another major component of the experience. The restaurant is planning a dedicated michelada station, a container-style bar, cocktails developed under the direction of bar director Rudy Corona, draft beer and coffee. The Type 47 liquor license authorizing the sale of beer, wine and distilled spirits was reportedly issued October 12, clearing an important regulatory hurdle ahead of the opening.
Guests will have several options for ordering, including traditional table service, QR-code ordering on the patio and a walk-up counter. The combination is intended to give customers flexibility, whether they are settling in for a leisurely dinner or stopping by for a casual meal and drinks.
The physical space is particularly ambitious. Along with a fully covered outdoor patio, El Punto will feature a children's play area inspired by the City Tacos OB Playground in Ocean Beach, another Torres concept that incorporates recreation into the dining experience. An enclosed, off-leash dog park is also planned, giving pet owners a place to bring their dogs while visiting the restaurant.
For Liberty Station, where expansive outdoor gathering spaces and family-oriented businesses have become an important part of the former Naval Training Center's identity, the concept appears well suited to the neighborhood's mix of residents, visitors and families.
Behind the restaurant is a culinary partnership stretching back more than 25 years.
Torres and Baeza first worked together at Candelas, the upscale Mexican restaurant that once operated in downtown San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. At the time, Torres was working as a server while Baeza served as executive chef. Their professional relationship endured as Torres moved into restaurant ownership and eventually developed City Tacos into a recognizable local brand.
The physical space is particularly ambitious. Along with a fully covered outdoor patio, El Punto will feature a children's play area inspired by the City Tacos OB Playground in Ocean Beach, another Torres concept that incorporates recreation into the dining experience. An enclosed, off-leash dog park is also planned, giving pet owners a place to bring their dogs while visiting the restaurant.
For Liberty Station, where expansive outdoor gathering spaces and family-oriented businesses have become an important part of the former Naval Training Center's identity, the concept appears well suited to the neighborhood's mix of residents, visitors and families.
Behind the restaurant is a culinary partnership stretching back more than 25 years.
Torres and Baeza first worked together at Candelas, the upscale Mexican restaurant that once operated in downtown San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. At the time, Torres was working as a server while Baeza served as executive chef. Their professional relationship endured as Torres moved into restaurant ownership and eventually developed City Tacos into a recognizable local brand.
Today, Baeza serves as executive chef across Torres' restaurant operations, overseeing the culinary direction of an expanding portfolio that includes both fast-casual and full-service Mexican concepts.
City Tacos currently operates six San Diego County locations in North Park, La Mesa, Encinitas, Sorrento Valley, Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach, along with an outpost at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The chain has developed a following for its creative interpretations of Mexican street tacos, combining traditional preparations with less conventional ingredients and flavor combinations.
Torres has also expanded beyond tacos with restaurants offering more elaborate dining experiences. Tour de Tapas in La Mesa focuses on Spanish-inspired small plates, while Fonda del Barrio, which opened in Barrio Logan in August 2025, explores another side of Mexican cuisine.
El Punto represents a further evolution of that strategy, bringing the team's experience with casual dining and more ambitious cooking together in one of its largest restaurant projects to date.
The location itself comes with a complicated restaurant history. The Liberty Station property originally became home to El Jardín, the acclaimed modern Mexican restaurant from chef Claudette Zepeda, which opened in 2018. The concept generated significant attention for its ambitious approach to regional Mexican cooking but ultimately gave way to El Jardín Cantina, a more casual successor.
The space later became Go Go Amigo, a colorful Mexican restaurant and bar that operated until January 2024. Another proposed occupant, the acclaimed San Diego taco concept Lola 55, announced plans for a flagship restaurant at the property, but those plans were subsequently placed on indefinite hold.
The repeated turnover has made the prominent Liberty Station storefront something of a revolving door for restaurant operators, despite its generous footprint, outdoor amenities and proximity to other popular dining and entertainment destinations.
El Punto's arrival offers another opportunity to establish a lasting restaurant in the space, this time backed by an operator with more than a decade of experience building and expanding Mexican dining concepts throughout San Diego.
SanDiegoVille first reported on the El Punto project in July, when plans for the coastal Mexican restaurant began taking shape. Since then, the development has progressed toward an anticipated fall opening, with the restaurant's liquor license reportedly secured and recent images suggesting that the dining room and kitchen are approaching readiness.
For Torres and Baeza, the opening will bring a decades-long professional relationship into a new setting, with a menu that moves beyond the tacos that made their restaurant group familiar to San Diego diners.
And for Liberty Station, it means another attempt to turn a high-profile, historically challenging restaurant space into a destination where guests can linger over seafood, cocktails and a meal while children play and dogs enjoy their own designated outdoor area.
El Punto is preparing to open at 2885 Perry Road, Suite 102, in San Diego's Liberty Station. An official opening date, final menu and operating hours have not yet been announced. For more information, visit elpuntosd.com.
City Tacos currently operates six San Diego County locations in North Park, La Mesa, Encinitas, Sorrento Valley, Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach, along with an outpost at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The chain has developed a following for its creative interpretations of Mexican street tacos, combining traditional preparations with less conventional ingredients and flavor combinations.
Torres has also expanded beyond tacos with restaurants offering more elaborate dining experiences. Tour de Tapas in La Mesa focuses on Spanish-inspired small plates, while Fonda del Barrio, which opened in Barrio Logan in August 2025, explores another side of Mexican cuisine.
El Punto represents a further evolution of that strategy, bringing the team's experience with casual dining and more ambitious cooking together in one of its largest restaurant projects to date.
The location itself comes with a complicated restaurant history. The Liberty Station property originally became home to El Jardín, the acclaimed modern Mexican restaurant from chef Claudette Zepeda, which opened in 2018. The concept generated significant attention for its ambitious approach to regional Mexican cooking but ultimately gave way to El Jardín Cantina, a more casual successor.
The space later became Go Go Amigo, a colorful Mexican restaurant and bar that operated until January 2024. Another proposed occupant, the acclaimed San Diego taco concept Lola 55, announced plans for a flagship restaurant at the property, but those plans were subsequently placed on indefinite hold.
The repeated turnover has made the prominent Liberty Station storefront something of a revolving door for restaurant operators, despite its generous footprint, outdoor amenities and proximity to other popular dining and entertainment destinations.
El Punto's arrival offers another opportunity to establish a lasting restaurant in the space, this time backed by an operator with more than a decade of experience building and expanding Mexican dining concepts throughout San Diego.
SanDiegoVille first reported on the El Punto project in July, when plans for the coastal Mexican restaurant began taking shape. Since then, the development has progressed toward an anticipated fall opening, with the restaurant's liquor license reportedly secured and recent images suggesting that the dining room and kitchen are approaching readiness.
For Torres and Baeza, the opening will bring a decades-long professional relationship into a new setting, with a menu that moves beyond the tacos that made their restaurant group familiar to San Diego diners.
And for Liberty Station, it means another attempt to turn a high-profile, historically challenging restaurant space into a destination where guests can linger over seafood, cocktails and a meal while children play and dogs enjoy their own designated outdoor area.
El Punto is preparing to open at 2885 Perry Road, Suite 102, in San Diego's Liberty Station. An official opening date, final menu and operating hours have not yet been announced. For more information, visit elpuntosd.com.
Originally published on November 5, 2026.
