San Diego Restaurants Closures & Downgrades This Week (November 21 - November 27) Due To County Health Department Inspections

This is the weekly list of San Diego County restaurants and food facilities that have faced temporary closures and downgraded status due to health inspections from November 21 - 27, 2025.

San Diego's 40+ Most Festively Decorated Bars, Restaurants & Hotels For The Holidays

The holiday season has arrived, and once again San Diego’s bars, restaurants, and hotels are going all-in on festive décor, twinkling lights, and over-the-top winter whimsy. Whether you’re craving a cozy corner for a holiday cocktail, a full-blown Christmas-themed pop-up, or simply want to soak in some seasonal cheer, more than 40 venues across the county have transformed themselves into merry, magical escapes.

Thanksgiving Throwback: Check Out The 1974 Thanksgiving Menu From San Diego’s Historic Hotel Del Coronado

As San Diegans gather around their tables for Thanksgiving 2025 - with prix fixe holiday meals at luxury hotels now running well into the hundreds of dollars - a newly resurfaced artifact from the Hotel del Coronado offers a vivid look back at how America once celebrated the holiday. The Del’s 1974 Thanksgiving menu, a beautifully printed keepsake from November 28 of that year, reveals not just long-gone prices and dishes, but a snapshot of a nation and a hotel in the midst of major transition.

Michelin-Recognized Chef Jason Ambacher Takes Over the Kitchen At Leu Leu In Leucadia After Claudette Zepeda’s Abrupt Exit

Leu Leu, the eclectic coastal lounge that opened earlier this year in Leucadia, has entered a new chapter. The restaurant announced that Chef Jason Ambacher, a Michelin-recognized culinary talent celebrated for elemental, ingredient-driven cooking, is stepping in as the restaurant’s new chef. The transition comes just weeks after the dramatic and highly publicized departure of celebrity chef Claudette Zepeda, whose eight-month tenure made headlines throughout San Diego’s dining scene.

San Diego's RMD Group Debuts Canvas Café & Lounge Inside Little Italy’s Carte Hotel

San Diego hospitality powerhouse RMD Group has unveiled its newest concept, Canvas Café and Lounge, an all-day restaurant and bar now open in the lobby of the Carte Hotel on the corner of West Ash and State Street in Little Italy. The opening marks another expansion for the group behind Lumi, Huntress, and Rustic Root, blending café culture, lounge energy, and contemporary design in one of the neighborhood’s busiest crossroads.

San Diego's Better Buzz Coffee Plans New Imperial Beach Location, Withdraws Earlier Proposal For Escondido

Better Buzz Coffee Roasters, one of San Diego’s fastest-growing homegrown café brands, is preparing to expand into Imperial Beach, marking its southernmost location to date. According to recent permit filings, the company is targeting the current home of a Burger King for its next opening.

Global Taiwanese Chain 85°C Bakery Café To Close Original San Diego Location On Balboa Avenue This December

The original San Diego outpost of 85°C Bakery Café is shutting down next month, marking the end of an era for one of the region’s most recognizable Asian bakery concepts. 

Three-Year-Old Girl And Second Child Injured In Suspected Coyote Attack Outside Westfield UTC In La Jolla, Wildlife Officials Investigating

A three-year-old girl and a second child were injured Tuesday night in a suspected coyote attack near the Westfield UTC mall in La Jolla, prompting an active investigation by state wildlife authorities and renewed concerns about human-wildlife encounters in one of San Diego’s busiest commercial districts.

Michelin-Recognized HiroNori Craft Ramen Expanding With Second San Diego Location

HiroNori Craft Ramen, the acclaimed California ramen brand celebrated for its rich broths and traditional Japanese technique, is preparing to open its second San Diego location.

Is Rosarito Beach Dying? Locals Say Tourism Has Collapsed, Nightlife Is Empty, And A Once-Booming Coastline Is Fading Into Uncertainty

For decades, Rosarito Beach has been San Diego's south of the border playground - a sun-bleached stretch of coastline fueled by nightlife, cheap beer, weekend tourism, and the reliable churn of visitors who crossed the border for a burst of freedom they couldn't get at home. It was a place where clubs thumped until sunrise, Papas & Beer packed in thousands every weekend, vendors lined the boardwalk, and families from both sides of the border crowded its beaches. But a growing wave of residents, business owners, tourism workers and longtime Baja visitors are now voicing a starting question in online forums, community groups, and local conversations: Is Rosarito dying?

PastaPhony Expanding Into San Diego County With New Location At The Island At Carlsbad

PastaPhony - a fast-rising California pasta chain known for its customizable bowls, house-made sauces, and quick-service approach to Italian comfort food - is preparing to open its first San Diego County location.

Dog Swept Nearly A Half-Mile Out To Sea Rescued by San Diego Lifeguards After Dramatic Ocean Search

A family trip to San Diego turned into an hours-long rescue operation Sunday after a runaway dog was swept into the Ocean Beach rip current and carried nearly a half-mile out to sea - only to be miraculously found and saved by San Diego lifeguards.

Hidden Cash Craze Hits San Diego: Inside The Rise Of Local Money-Drop Accounts Fueling Frenzy

San Diego has officially joined the nationwide “cash drop” phenomenon sweeping cities from Boston to Atlanta, where social media creators hide stacks of money in public places and post cryptic visual clues for followers to race out and find them. 

Ranch 45’s Former Chef-Owners Taking Over Encinitas’ Chiko Space For New Culinary Project ‘Blank Slate’

Encinitas’ dining landscape is preparing for a significant transition as Aron and Pam Schwartz, the husband-and-wife restaurateurs formerly behind Ranch 45 in Solana Beach, move toward opening a new concept in the longtime Chiko space on North Coast Highway 101.

Giraffe Appearance At North County San Diego's Orfila Vineyards Sparks Outrage, Membership Cancellations, Federal Complaint, And Intensifying Welfare Concerns

A weekend promotion at Orfila Vineyards & Winery ignited a storm of criticism across San Diego after the historic Escondido winery hosted a live giraffe on its property Saturday afternoon, drawing crowds — and immediate condemnation — from residents, animal-welfare advocates, and longtime wine club members.

Reports of “Coronado Grinch” Stir Concern After Series of Strange Encounters Near Ferry Landing

Coronado residents are raising alarms over a man frequently seen wearing a full Grinch suit around the island - an eccentric presence some say has crossed into aggressive or unsettling behavior in recent weeks. The individual, described as bearded and often dressed head-to-toe in bright green fleece, has been spotted around the Ferry Landing, Orange Avenue, and various parks, prompting a wave of community discussion and calls for caution.

Coco Fuego Set To Ignite San Diego As Grind & Prosper Hospitality Takes Over Former Backyard Kitchen & Tap Space In Pacific Beach

Grind & Prosper Hospitality (Miss B's Coconut Club, Coco Maya, Louisiana Purchase) is taking over the former Backyard Kitchen & Tap space in San Diego's Pacific Beach to open Coco Fuego, a stylish a Caribbean-inspired restaurant and bar.

Beloved Whistle Stop Bartender, Artist, And Community Beacon Jfre Coad Has Passed Away

The Whistle Stop Bar and the wider San Diego creative community are mourning the loss of Jfre Coad - a longtime bartender, artist, musician, and unmistakable fixture of South Park’s cultural heartbeat - who passed away peacefully at home on November 19 at the age of 56.

Meet The Taco Fiend: The San Diego Food Reviewer Taking Over The Internet One Tortilla-Encased Creation At A Time

San Diego has a new food-world star, and he isn’t a chef, restaurateur, or TV personality. He’s a camera-toting content creator known only as The Taco Fiend, and he has become one of the most influential voices in Mexican street food.