2025 in San Diego dining: Biggest openings, closures and trends of the year

Opening a restaurant is a high-risk investment, but for many local hospitality industry veterans it’s been a risk worth taking.

That passion was tested in 2025, when dozens of San Diego County restaurants folded in the face of rising prices, a labor shortage, tariffs on goods, a decline in tourism and a winnowing of reliable restaurant “regulars,” among other factors.

Yet there was still much to celebrate.

Four North County restaurants joined California’s Michelin Guide this year, including new Michelin star honoree Lilo in Carlsbad. Carmel Valley’s Michelin three-star Addison By William Bradley reached new heights of global fame. Two local chefs and an area bar were recognized by the James Beard Foundation.

And there were many new restaurant openings, in particular chef Travis Swikard’s highly anticipated côte d’Azur-inspired French restaurant Fleurette, which debuted Dec. 10 in the UTC area of San Diego. In September, Robb Report named Fleurette one the “13 most exciting” restaurant openings in the U.S. this fall.

Here’s a look back at the year in dining.

Addison named to world’s ‘Greatest Restaurants’ list

In November, Addison by William Bradley was ranked 34th on the list of “The 100 Greatest Restaurants of the 21st Century,” a tally that notably recognizes dining establishments that have had a major influence on American cuisine since 2000. Published by Robb Report to assess how the American restaurant scene has evolved over the past 25 years, the 100 awardees were chosen by an esteemed jury of 250 top chefs, restaurant owners, sommeliers, ingredient purveyors and well-traveled diners from across the United States. Bradley launched the restaurant 19 years ago with a modern French menu, but in 2020 he transformed its cuisine to California gastronomy, to reflect not only the food he grew up eating as a San Diego native, but also California’s bounty of fresh produce, iconic dishes, local seafood and diversity of international cuisines. Bradley is planning to celebrate Addison’s 20th anniversary next year with an interior refresh.

Michelin Guide honors four North County restaurants

Last May, the Michelin Guide bestowed new honors on four coastal North County restaurants.

Just two months after it opened to the public in Carlsbad, the stunning 22-seat fine-dining restaurant Lilo was awarded a well-deserved Michelin star.

The charming al fresco restaurant Atelier Manna in Encinitas, owned by chef Andrew Bachelier and his wife, Larah, earned a coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand award.

Oceanside’s 24 Suns, a hyper-regional Chinese restaurant owned by Addison alum chefs Nicholas Webber and Jacob Jordan in late 2024, earned a Michelin recommendation. Also picking up a recommendation was Oceanside’s Tanner Prime Burgers, co-owned by chef Brandon Rodgers (a former chef de cuisine for Michelin 3-star Benu in San Francisco) and Brandt Beef owner Eric Brandt.

James Beard Foundation recognizes two chefs and a bar

For the second year in a row, Animae executive chef Tara Monsod made it all the way to the finals for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: California award, but didn’t clinch the prize. She is the first-ever San Diego chef to make it to the final round, so here’s hoping the third time is the charm for Monsod in 2026. Robert Alcocer, executive chef at the 5-year-old Baja-inspired Valle restaurant in Oceanside was also nominated last January as a semifinalist. And the lavish Mexico City-inspired cocktail bar Roma Norte in San Diego’s The Headquarters at Seaport Village  was nominated in the category of Best New Bar. Despite the bar’s acclaim, it closed its doors at the end of August.

High-profile openings

As the year draws to a close, two of San Diego’s most beloved chefs — Travis Swikard of Michelin Bib Gourmand-honored Callie, and Accursio Lota of North Park’s Cori Trattoria Pastificio — have opened their much-anticipated second restaurants. In late November, Lota and his wife, Corinne Goria, opened Dora Ristorante,  in La Jolla. And earlier this month, Swikard, his wife, Mia, and their business partner David Cohn opened Fleurette, an eye-popping 120-seat coastal French restaurant and event space on Executive Drive in San Diego.

Other notable 2025 openings include the afore-mentioned Lilo, which I reviewed last April; Michelin-trained chef Elijah Arizmendi’s French-Japanese tasting-menu restaurant Lucien in La Jolla; Nobu restaurant chain opened its second San Diego County restaurant at the Hotel del Coronado; Chick & Hawk, the long-anticipated gourmet fried chicken eatery owned by skating icon Tony Hawk and Atelier Manna owners Andrew and Larah Bachelier; Vulture & Dreamboat, a vegan diner and fine-dining restaurant combo in University Heights co-owned by Kindred owner Kory Stetina and longtime business partner Arsalun Tafazoli of CH Projects. Tafazoli also took over and refreshed the beloved India street restaurant/bar Starlite. And Chula Vista’s new Gaylord Pacific resort has opened seven restaurants over the past six months.

High-profile closures

One of San Diego’s oldest and most beloved restaurants, Las Cuatro Milpas in Barrio Logan will close at the end of this month. The family-run casual Mexican eatery has been open since 1933. The family sold the property to pay off significant property, sales and other tax debts. A nearby church purchased the property so it can expand.

Continuing a trend that began after the pandemic, multi-unit restaurant companies and fast-food chains continued mass closures of under-performing outlets in 2025, including Starbucks, Rubio’s, Jack in the Box, Burger King, Subway, Red Robin, Domino’s and many more.

Here are just some of the dozens of independently owned San Diego County restaurants that closed this year, listed in order of date of closure: Barrio Dog in Barrio Logan; Lucha Libre taco shop North Park; Henry’s Pub, Gaslamp Quarter; Fish House Vera Cruz, San Marcos; the Little Italy Food Hall; Lola 55 in Carlsbad; Ty’s Burger House in Oceanside; Dolce Pane e Vino in Rancho Santa Fe; Pioneer BBQ in the Lake Murray area; La Pastaia Cucina Italiana in Clairemont; Joe’s Crab Shack and Roma Norte bar in downtown San Diego; Bottlecraft in Oceanside; Blackmarket bakeries in Oceanside and North Park; The Friendly in Pacific Beach; Alejandra’s Mexican Cantina in Carlsbad; Phattie’s in Escondido; Switchboard in Oceanside; Miguel’s Cocina in 4S Ranch; Sandpiper Wood-Fired Grill & Oysters in La Jolla Shores; Barrio Star in Bankers Hill; Comedor Nishi in La Jolla; and Camino Rivera in Little Italy. The French Gourmet in Pacific Beach has also announced a Jan. 4 closing date.

San Diego’s craft beer industry stabilized somewhat in 2025 after several brewery and tasting room closures in 2024. But the industry is still challenged by an oversatured market, rising rents and changing tastes, including the rising popularity of low-ABV beverages and mocktails.

The stacked deck

Many of the chefs I spoke with this year talked about the challenges they face on multiple fronts that make running a restaurant a bigger gamble than in years past. Here are just some of the issues they’re facing.

San Diego restaurants have always benefited from tourism, but restaurant owners and hoteliers report that tourism has flattened, if not fallen, including a drop in visitors from Canada and Mexico. An ongoing labor shortage has grown even worse this year as many restaurant workers who live south of the border have stopped crossing for fear of harassment by ICE officers.

San Diego’s minimum wage for fast-food workers rose to $20 in 2024, which had the effect of pushing up wages for workers at traditional sit-down restaurants that require employees with more experience.

Food price inflation has been a problem since restaurants reopened post-pandemic. Then last spring, the Trump administration imposed tariffs on imports from other countries spiraling prices even higher. Last month, the administration rolled back tariffs on more than 200 imported goods like coffee, beef and wine. But the trade war remains a fluid situation.

The costs of rent, building out and renovating restaurant spaces continues to rise. A recent viral video on Instagram features Gabe Ruben, owner of 4-month-old Mission Bagel in Pacific Beach, explaining the nitty-gritty details of how it cost him $100,000 to rent and revamp the former Friendly restaurant space at Grand Avenue and Ingraham Street.

Generational changes in dining

One concern many local chefs have mentioned is that budget-conscious baby boomers are eating out less, which hurts the eateries’ bottom lines because older diners tend to be more loyal as “regulars” who return often. Millennials and Gen Z diners are more likely to order food through delivery apps, make dining choices based on videos from social media apps like TikTok, Beli and Instagram, and more likely to visit a restaurant only once because their dining is driven by a desire for new experiences. On the plus side, these mortgage-free younger diners eat out a lot, and they’re also known to leave generous tips.

Trends for 2026

In respond to consumers desire to see better value for their dollar, industry analysts predict more restaurants will offer shareable small plates on their menus rather than traditional one-item entrées with sides because diners will feel like they’re getting more for their money, even if they’re sharing dishes with their tablemates.

In times of economic uncertainty like this, nostalgia-driven comfort food always appealed to American diners. Look for more smash burgers, pastas, pizzas, and curries that remind diners of happier times. Watch for further grown in restaurants serving global cuisine and spicier food, reflecting the tastes of this country’s diverse population and well-traveled millennials.

Luxury dining is still very much in fashion. Diners are willing to pay high prices for an exceptional fine-dining meals if they feel they’re getting the dining experience they paid for.