Postino WineCafe opens two locations in Little Italy, Del Mar
Postino WineCafé, a Phoenix-born Italian-inspired restaurant/wine bar chain, has expanded into San Diego this spring with two location. The first location opened Monday in Little Italy. The second will open May 11 at the One Paseo shopping center in Del Mar Heights.
One of five restaurant concepts owned by Arizona-based Upward Projects, Postino WineCafé was launched in 2001 in a 1940s-era post office building, which inspired the restaurant’s name. Since then, Postino has expanded to Colorado, Georgia and Texas. Its first California location opened in Irvine in 2022. The two new San Diego locations are its first new California stores since then.
Postino is known for its happy hour menu, lunique lineup of bruschettas, paninis, salad, charcuterie boards and shareable plates designed to complement its rotating menu of boutique wines and craft beer.
The 2,652-square-foot, indoor/outdoor Little Italy location is in the 2100 Kettner Ave. building across the street from Herb & Wood. The One Paseo location is a 2,426-square-foot space near Parakeet Cafe and North Italia at 3745 Paseo Place, Suite 800, San Diego. Visit postinowinecafe.com.
The Espresso de Olla cocktail at Borrego Kitchen & Cocktails, a new rooftop bar at Hotel Indigo in the Gaslamp Quarter.
(Hotel Indigo)
New rooftop cocktail bar opens in Gaslamp
Borrego Kitchen & Cocktails, a new rooftop cocktail lounge with a shareable plates menu, opened March 28 on the newly remodeled ninth floor of Hotel Indigo in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.
The desert-inspired venue serves shareable California cuisine plates. Specialty drinks include the Espresso de Olla, a Mexican coffee twist on an espresso martini; the Baja Bloom, with gin, chile-infused mezcal and roasted pineapple; and the Vision Quest, with Sotol (a Mexican distilled spirit), cactus soda and nutmeg. Brunch service is coming soon. Borrego Kitchen & Cocktails is open from 4 to 11 p.m. daily at 509 Ninth Ave., San Diego. Visit hotelindigo.com.
A burger and cocktail at Brickman’s Restaurant & Bar in San Marcos.
(Courtesy of Lakehouse Resort)
Brickman’s debuts in San Marcos
Brickman’s Restaurant & Bar opened last month in the former The Grill location at the Lakehouse Resort in San Marcos.
The indoor-outdoor restaurant overlooks the resort’s The Links golf course and offers live satellite sports programming on the patio. Executive chef Jarrod Moiles’ menu features casual American fare, including grilled Atlantic salmon piccata, the truffle burger, 1/2 brick chicken and gourmet club sandwich. The daily breakfast menu includes steak and eggs, Reuben eggs Benedict and strawberry ricotta French toast.
Brickman’s is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, with weekend brunch from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekends at 1750 San Pablo Drive, San Marcos. Visit thelakehouseresort.com.
Cacio e Pepe opens in North Park
Cacio e Pepe, a new Italian trattoria, has opened in the former Seventh House restaurant location in North Park. The restaurant serves Roman-style square pizzas, house-made pastas (including the titular cacio e pepe), cheese and salumi plates, Roman-Jewish fried artichokes and chicken, seafood, pork and beef entrées. It also offers Italian-style cocktails, beers and wine. Cacio e Pepe, at 2935 University Ave. in San Diego, is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 4-10 p.m. Fridays; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 10 p.m. Saturdays; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays. Visit cacioepepetrattoriaromana.com.
Imported Italian cheese wheels used in at the cheese wheel pasta bar at Vincenzo restaurant in Little Italy.
(Courtesy of Vincenzo)
Vincenzo’s opens in Little Italy
Vincenzo Loverso, head of San Diego Dining Group, has opened his own namesake restaurant in the former Farmer’s Table location at 550 W. Date St. in Little Italy.
Vincenzo Cucina and Lounge, which opened April 18, serves a traditional Italian menu, but its signature feature is the reservation-only cheese wheel pasta bar. Diners choose their pasta and one of six Italian cheeses and the hot pasta is tossed inside a wheel of cheese, that melts and coats the pasta as it’s stirred. The restaurant also serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner and Italian-style aperitif cocktails and more. Raised in Palermo, Sicily, Loverso arrived in San Diego in 1992 and has opened several restaurants around town, beginning with Oestra Paevino in the Gaslamp. Visit vincenzosd.com.
Cameron Ingle is executive chef at Marisi restaurant in La Jolla.
(Courtesy of Marisi)
Marisi launches lunch service
Marisi, a Italian restaurant that opened in summer 2022 in downtown La Jolla, has introduced lunch service from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays. Created by new executive chef Cameron Ingle, the lunch service features house-cured meats, Wagyu carpaccio, wild mushroom crostini, fresh pastas, panzanella salad, Italian dip sandwich and burrata and coffee soft serve dessert. Marisi is at 1044 Wall St. La Jolla. Visit marisilajolla.com.