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All Episodes

San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour — 300 episodes

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Title
1

10,000 Pounds of Crawfish & One Big Accordion-Fueled Fever Dream

2

French Food Isn't Just Butter and Cool-Sounding Words

3

San Diego Mag's Chef of the Year (2024) Looks Back at 10 Years

4

San Diego's Accursio Lota Has Won Italy's Highest Chef Award

5

The Best Hot Dogs in San Diego

6

The Best Sardines in San Diego

7

The Short List for SDM's Best Restaurants

8

Your Favorite Bartender Eats Here

9

James Beard Nominee Tara Monsod on the Rise of Filipino Food

10

Where to Get a $12 Ribeye in San Diego

11

Naming the Best Soups in San Diego at Coco Maya

12

A Per Se Alum Opens a Bodega and Ozempic is Bumming Out Restaurant Culture

13

Why San Diego's Neighborhood Bars Still Matter

14

One of Little Italy's Top Chefs Returns

15

San Diego's First Women's Sports Bar Lands in North Park

16

San Diego's Roast Beef Awakening

17

Cesarina & Elvira's Niccolò Angius on Pasta's Staying Power

18

Lucien Lands in La Jolla With a 13-Course, Big League Tasting Menu

19

Megastar Guy Fieri on Building an Empire & What's Next

20

Checking in With San Diego's Oldest Bar, Where Tequila Is Cheaper Than Therapy

21

Inside Le Coq's Revival with Brian Malarkey and Chris Puffer

22

Andrew Zimmern Wants Us to Rethink the Way We Eat Fish

23

Spinning Spanish Wine Into Magic With Juniper & Ivy Alums

24

Viral TikTok Star Katie Brooks on Hand-Making Gnocchi on a Plane

25

How Craft Beer Built San Diego's Food Scene and What's Brewing Next

26

Lana Puts a Fresh Spin on Coastal Dining in San Diego

27

San Diego Restaurant News, Chefsgiving & Claudette Zepeda Makes Moves

28

Crashing The Marine Room's High Tide Dinners

29

Longtime restaurateur Sami Ladeki Shares His Unlikely Career Path to Food

30

How to Earn a Michelin Star in Only Six Weeks

31

Inside City Farmers Nursery's 52-Year Legacy in City Heights

32

Chef Carl Schroeder's Exit Interview

33

Happy Half Hour Hits Monarch with Bebemos Tequila and a San Diego Burger Draft

34

Kindred at 10 & Kory Stetina's Next Chapter with Dreamboat and Vulture

35

The Story of San Diego's (Real Young) Rising Star Chef, Aidan Owens

36

Eat With Your Hands (Rerun)

37

En Fuego Turns 30 & Launches Hidden Cocktail Bar

38

"Yes, Chef!" Winner Emily Brubaker Talks Cooking for Martha Stewart

39

The Bebemos Golden Hour: Chased by Imaginary Jaguars in Mezcal Jungles, a Waverly Story

40

Jason Mraz Is Now a Part-Time Barista (and Co-Owner) for Jitters Coffee Pub

41

Veranda Debuts at Hotel Del After $550M Glow-Up

42

Inside the Brand New Nobu Del Coronado and the Cult Dishes That Still Hit

43

This Couple Is Fixing Your Taco Problem

44

Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls Wins 2025 Fairtastic Food Competition

45

The Best Dollar Oyster Deal In Town

46

Meet the Cheese Shop that Accidentally Became a Sandwich Shop

47

This BBQ Sauce Made Troy Johnson Break His No-Sauce Rule

48

Inside Carlsbad's Little Victory Wine Bar: Natty Wine, Local Bites, Zero Pretension

49

Little Fox Cups and Cones Turns Ice Cream into Art in Oceanside

50

The Three Year Search for the Best Damn Tequila with Bebemos Founder Preston Caffrey

51

From TomTom to Old Town: Pietro Busalacchi on Restaurants, Reality TV, and a San Diego Legacy

52

This San Diego Chef Is Bringing Real Tortillas Back to the Table

53

The JuneShine Story: From a Sketchy San Diego Garage to Co-Starring with Willie Nelson

54

The Buttered Handshake, $19 Cocktails, and Why Nobody Drinks Anymore

55

The Best House Cured House Smoked Pastrami in San Diego?

56

How Rosemarie's Went from Food Truck Favorite to San Diego Gastropub Darling

57

La Jolla's Dining Boom: Marisi's Cameron Ingle on Elevating Italian in a Changing Scene

58

Is Ozempic Changing the Way We Dine?

59

How a Cult Horror Filmmaker Became San Diego's King of Bread

60

San Diego's Ultimate Taco Shop Showdown

61

The Wild, Thirst-Trappy Story of San Diego's Fast Food Icon, Jack in the Box

62

Communion: A Rooftop Revelation in San Diego's Dining Evolution

63

The OG: How OB People's Food Co-Op Set the Standard for San Diego Organic Produce

64

Inside Oceanside's Hottest New Restaurant: 24 Suns with Michelin-Trained Chefs Nic Webber & Jacob Jordan

65

The 83 Year-Old Who Revolutionized San Diego's Seafood Scene

66

10 Restaurant Pet Peeves and Ideas for a Better Restaurant Future

67

High-End Dining: Inside the menu at San Diego's First Cannabis Café, Sessions by the Bay

68

The Story of Oceanside's Hot New Space: Merenda

69

Everything You Need to Know About San Diego Restaurants and Food in 2024

70

The Chicken Pie Shop Legacy: 87 Years of Comfort Food in San Diego

71

Making an Ocean Beach Legend: Hodad's owner Shane Hardin talks Food Network, Fame, and his Father

72

How Monarch Del Mar Became a North County Icon

73

Why Thompson Heritage Ranch is Changing San Diego's Menus

74

Rumorosa and Sheraton San Diego Executive Chef Marcos Seville Preps Us For Thanksgiving

75

How Randy Smerik Turned Solare Ristorante into a San Diego Icon

76

Celebrating 10 Years of Juniper & Ivy with Chef Jon Sloan: San Diego's Culinary Powerhouse Looks to the Future

77

San Diego Seafood's Past and Future: A Dive Into Local Fishing with Chris Rov Costa and Theresa Talley

78

Behind the Tap Truck: Corbin O'Reilly on Beards, Brews, and Building a Mobile Bar and BBQ Empire

79

How Dang Brother Pizza Turns Fire Trucks into Pizza Hotspots

80

Travis Swikard: On French cuisine, returning to his hometown, and opening Callie

81

How Kitchens for Good Tackles Food Waste and Empowers Student Chefs

82

Eric Greenspan: On Michelin-Star Kitchens, Food Network, and Reinventing American Cheese

83

How The Mental Bar Became Encanto's Third Place

84

The Story Behind San Diego's Most Legendary Cocktail

85

The Royal Family of San Diego Taco Shops: A Deep Dive with Jorge Farfan of Lolita's

86

Cracking the Code of Picky Eaters: San Diego-based Hidden Foods is Revolutionizing Family Mealtime

87

This San Diego Non-Profit Focuses on Cooking Stoves, the Number One Killer in the World (Seriously)

88

How Sam The Cooking Guy Won the Internet

89

Stella Jeans' Secret Sauce is its Milk

90

Organic Food Pioneer Ran Every Day for Six Years…Twice

91

San Diego's Soul Food Lumpia Truck Was Inspired by Cooking in the Panamanian Jungle

92

The Little Lion's Chef Learned Everything from Her Grandparents at The Belgian Lion

93

Martin Short is the Current Mayor of This Food-and-Drink-Obsessed San Diego County Town

94

Meet the Man Responsible for Light Beer's Craft Comeback

95

Javier Plascencia Talks Michelin Stars and the Caesar Salad's 100th Anniversary

96

Deep-Fried Delights at the San Diego County Fair

97

San Diego Mag's Chef of the Year + His Truffle Hunter

98

San Diego's King of Produce

99

Inside an Icon: Top of the Market

100

Trying The Best Food at Petco Park with Don & Mud

101

Michelin's Sommelier of the Year is Serving Wine at a Bistro in North Park

102

San Diego Broadcast Legend Chris Cantore and Sushi Icon Tyler Mars Launch Omakase-and-Vinyl Pop-Up

103

Jordan Howlett: 40 Million Followers, a Collab with Kevin Hart—All from His Kitchen in Oceanside

104

Feeding San Diego Rescues 1.2 Million Pounds of Food a Month

105

Making Wishes Come True With Chef William Eick

106

The Beach Boys' Mike Love Puts Us in a Kokomo State of Mind

107

San Diego's First Family of Karaoke Opens Grand New Thing (With a Heck of a Burger)

108

The Story Behind the City's Backyard Restaurant With a Year-Long Waitlist

109

Is This the Best Falafel in San Diego?

110

San Diego's Legendary Tony Tee Drops By

111

Feeling Lucky with Jason Mraz

112

That's the Spirit

113

Let Us Eat Cake

114

Getting Real With Celebrity Chef Lauren Lawless

115

40 Years of La Jolla's George's at the Cove

116

The Fishmonger Tommy Gomes Returns With Dry-Aged Fish

117

Paradise, Or Something Like It

118

The Big South Bay Brewery That Could

119

Top Chef Thanksgiving Day Tips: Lessons From Brad Wise

120

HOT TICKET: Susan Finegar & Liz Lachman

121

The Best First Date Bar in San Diego?

122

Vegan Doom Metal Pizza

123

Hell of a Pedigree for a Little Fish Shop

124

Three-Star Michelin Chef Opens Burger Joint in San Diego

125

THE NEXT BIG THING: New School American Cheese

126

The Hit of Coronado

127

The Life of Failed Umpire Drew Deckman

128

Napatini Takes Off in Carlsbad

129

The Roberto Alcocer Formula That Led Valle to a Michelin Star

130

Openings, Closings, Bib Gourmands & Machaca

131

The Meals to Eat in San Diego Before You Die

132

Raising the Bar on Stadium Food in San Diego

133

The Food People of the San Diego County Fair

134

Coffee in Offices with Guitarists

135

It Will Rain On Your New Outdoor Restaurant

136

Incoming: Izola Bakery Builds a Bread City of Glass in City Heights

137

The Salt-of-the-Earth Star Power of Catherine McCord

138

Creating Consortium Holdings: The Story Behind Its Success

139

Small-Batch Aquavit Is Here (and it's gooooood)

140

JC Select Wines Shows us How to Indulge in a Different Kind of Wellness

141

Co-owner of IZO, Gaston Martinez, shares how his mezcal helped their agave spirits stand out

142

The World's Happiest Rice Starts in National City

143

The Farm Adopted by San Diego's First 3-Star Michelin Restaurant

144

Cold Beer and Pink Boots with Small-Batch Brewer Laura Ulrich

145

Carol Roizen built a healthy cafe in San Diego for their daughter, and it turned into a huge success

146

Year in Review, we talk through the best things we ate, the biggest news, and trends

147

The San Diego Company Growing the Future of Global Seafood in a Beer Chamber

148

This Restaurant Only Has One Teeny Tiny Trash Can

149

Three Thanksgiving Cooking Tips from Top Chef Josh Mouzakes of Arlo

150

The Next Generation Has Reinvented San Diego Classic, The Fishery (and it's fantastic)

151

The Woman Behind La Jolla's Secret House of Food

152

A Local Cook Was Gifted a Restaurant - This is Her Story

153

SD's First NFT Bar, We take Botanica owner Amar Harrag out for food and drinks to Cutwater Spirits

154

Talking lo-fi wines with the co-founder of Rose Wine Co and the newly opened Mabel's Gone Fishing

155

Skrewball co-founder Steve Yeng explains his journey from refugee camps to the face of spirits

156

Natural Wine and Petco Park's Facelift

157

Going through the 5 stages of SDs iconic beer with the face and voice of BP, Jeff Lozano

158

We introduce one of San Diego's best pizzas to one of its best beers

159

Ranting About Food with Padres Funnyman, Mark "Mudcat" Grant

160

The Next-Gen of Vietnamese Food with Shank & Bone's owner Han Tran

161

Ranch45 Expands in Del Mar

162

Stone Delicious IPA, a birria flatbread, and a Claudia Sandoval

163

The Magic of Woodsmoke

164

Richard Blais: Chef, TV Star, Golf Influencer

165

San Diego Chef Grows Michelin-Star Mold

166

San Diego's New Star of Modern Japanese Food

167

Grand Ole BBQ y Asado is Back!

168

Kingfisher Takes San Diego by Storm

169

San Diego's Mike Hess Brewing Releases Exclusive Hazy IPA for SeaWorld

170

Roller Coasters, Hazy IPAs, and Podcasts... Oh my!

171

The Giant-Big Chef News at Iconic Lodge at Torrey Pines

172

Lan Thai Enclave Expands "Food as Medicine," Takes Over San Diego Farm

173

JoJo Ruiz Is Everywhere

174

The New Owner of Mr. A's Joins us to Talk about what Changes He will (and will not) be Making

175

The Massive Impact of Kitchens for Good

176

The Creative Team Behind San Diego's First Absinthe Restaurant

177

Meet Amy Truong of Paru Tea Bar

178

Did Troy Johnson and his wife Claire really just buy San Diego Magazine?

179

Meet Mike Minor, the New Executive Chef at The Marine Room

180

We Go Inside Barons Market, a Local Family-Owned Grocer

181

Addison Received Two Michelin Stars! We Check In with Chef William Bradley

182

Meet Saman Javid, the New Executive Chef at George's at the Cove

183

A Family Affair: Karina's Mexican Seafood Celebrates 40 Years in San Diego

184

We Talk Vegan Food, Music, and Tiki Drinks with Kindred's Kory Stetina

185

We Indulge Our Sweet Tooths with Baker Justin Gaspar of Hommage Bakehouse

186

We Share This Year's 'Best Restaurants' Issue with Chef Brad Wise

187

From Madison Avenue to Margaritas: Meet Ian Tenzer, Puesto's New R&D Chef

188

We Get the Inside Scoop on Upcoming Concerts and Events (Including Golf!) at Petco Park

189

We're Talking Beer and Baseball from a Suite at Petco Park

190

Say Hola to Hellote, Which Serves Mexican Street Corn with a Twist

191

We're Celebrating Pride Week with Roanna Canete of North Park's Gluten Free Baking Co.

192

Meet Tara Monsod, Animae's New Executive Chef

193

A New Film Documents San Diego's Craft Beer Scene

194

We Talk Beef Jerky with Will Dryden, Founder of Baja Jerky

195

How Milton's Deli in Del Mar Went from a Neighborhood Staple to a National Brand

196

Homestead Brings a Locally-Sourced Neighborhood Market to Solana Beach

197

Local Writer Beth Demmon Speaks About Reporting On Sexism in the Craft Beer Industry

198

Kindred Bartender Dannika Underhill Gives a Front-of-House Perspective on Tipping

199

Gustavo Tonella Is Bringing Sonoran-Style Hot Dogs to Imperial Beach

200

Restaurants Are Struggling to Find Workers. Dario Gallo of Civico 1845 Explains Why

201

We Chat with Acclaimed Chef Eric Greenspan about the World of Ghost and Virtual Kitchens

202

How Food Writer Sabrina Medora Galvanized Local Chefs for an Event to Fight Racism through Food

203

Chef Travis Swikard's Long-Awaited Callie Restaurant Is Finally Opening!

204

We Talk Baseball and Burritos with Padres Outfielder Wil Myers

205

A Toast to an Award-Winning Wine Made Right in Ocean Beach

206

Kaci Goff Embraces Her Malaysian Tamil Heritage at Wolf and Woman Pop-Up

207

Emily Green at Sisters Pizza Is Building a Legacy of Pizza and Community

208

Brewer Megan Stone on Receiving a National Award for Promoting Inclusivity within Craft Beer Culture

209

We Try Ballast Point's Two Newest Beers: Big Gus and Wee Gus

210

Indulgent Vegan Food? Avonte Hartsfield of Rollin' Roots Shows It's Possible

211

We Chat with Tommy Gomes about His New TV Show, The Fishmonger

212

We Check in with Richard Blais about His Pandemic Projects and New Restaurant

213

Meet Tony Guan, Executive Chef at Fortunate Son

214

We Talk Tacos with Ernie Becerra, Founder of ¡Salud! in Barrio Logan

215

Meet Starr Edwards, the Founder of Bitchin' Sauce

216

How Maya Madsen's Vegan Cookies Went From Farmers' Markets to the National Spotlight Overnight

217

We Chat With Michelin-Starred Chef William Bradley of Addison to Talk the Future of Fine Dining

218

We Reminisce on 2020: Our Most Memorable Guests, Favorite Foods, and Hopes for the Future

219

We Chat with Arturo Kassel of Whisknladle Hospitality about the Second Shutdown

220

We Reveal to Chef Accursio Lota of Cori Pastificio That He's a Best Restaurants Winner!

221

It's Almost Time for Pumpkin Pie! We Chat with Steven Torres of Pop Pie and Stella Jean's

222

We Chat with Timothy Parker, Navy Veteran and Owner of Chula Vista Brewery

223

We're Back at The Del's Sun Deck and Talking Cocktails

224

Join Us on the Hotel Del's New Sun Deck!

225

How Is Limited Indoor Dining Going? We Asked Sandy Vuong of Dumpling Inn

226

How Hanna's Gourmet Went from a Catering Business to a Beloved Bistro

227

It's Our 200th Episode! We Celebrate With Chef Brian Malarkey

228

Our First Cross-Border Episode! With the Founder of La Lomita Winery

229

How a Small Farm and Café in North Park Helps Refugees Build a New Life

230

We Chat with Acclaimed Chef Eric Bost about His Move to Jeune et Jolie

231

We Learn about San Diego's Growing Wine Industry with Denise Clarke, Owner of Altipiano Vineyard

232

How One Nonprofit Is Helping Restaurants Stay Afloat While It Feeds Hospital Workers

233

What is San Diego's Restaurant Scene Going to Be Like Once Summer Ends? We Asked Jeff Rossman

234

What's Brewing in Barrio Logan: A Women-Led Craft Beer Space

235

Kris Buchanan of Goodonya Organic Eatery Says It's Not Realistic for Businesses to be the Enforcer

236

We Get Behind the Lens with Pro Food Photographer and Stylist Brittany Wright

237

Beyond Booze: Michael Skubic of Old Harbor Distilling Talks Making Hand Sanitizer

238

We dig in to Korean fried chicken with Tommy Nguyen, owner of Cross Street Chicken and Beer

239

What's the future of live music in San Diego? We ask Tim Mays, owner of The Casbah and Starlite

240

How Chef Phillip Esteban Adapted and Expanded His Businesses, One Rice Bowl at a Time

241

Brad Keiller of Nomad Donuts shares his experiences on being a Black business owner in America

242

Chef Travis Swikard Returns to His Hometown to Open Callie Restaurant in East Village

243

Would You Try a Mashed Potato Pizza? Jon Mangini of Basic Pizza Talks About Why You Should

244

Our Conversation with Gaston Martinez Gets Smoky As We Discuss Mezcal, Mexico, and Marketing

245

Amplified Ale Works' founder Alex Pierson shares how he went from cooking kebabs to brewing up beers

246

We Talk Pizza and Ridiculously Hot Chicken Wings with Regents Pizzeria owner, Bill Vivian

247

We Talk Healthy Eating with Lan Thai, Chef at Enclave, Inside of JuneShine Ranch's Kombucha Brewery

248

Hard Cider is Here to Stay: North Park's Bivouac Ciderworks Rolls Out Cans

249

A Q&A With the New Owner of Ballast Point: We Ask Brendan Watters How it Came to be

250

Love Italian Food? Get Ready to Feast, Matteo Cattaneo of Buona Forchetta Fame Joins us

251

The Team Reminisces On 2019 as They Look Back at Trends, Guests and Holiday Traditions

252

What Was the Best Thing You Ate In 2019? The Biggest Stories and we Reveal our 'Best Of' List

253

Sergio Garcia Manriquez of Dos Tierras Talks About Finding His Calling Through Cooking

254

How the City of Oceanside is Using an Innovative Kitchen in the Fight Against Food Waste

255

Fernando Gaxiola Gives us Taste of Mexico's Wine Country Through His Co., Baja Wine and Food

256

Tommy the Fishmonger Talks About Going Solo while Staying Sustainable

257

Co-Founder of Coronado Brewing Company Rick Chapman, Joins Us

258

We Step Inside the City's Newest (and Spookiest) Speakeasy with Tahona Owner Amar Harrag

259

Sponsored: We Chat with the Crew behind Hornblower Cruises and Events Aboard the High Spirits Ship

260

Crystals and CBD Cocktails: Matt Sieve Talks About His Daring New Drinks at Madison on Park

261

From Refugee Camp to Running a Restaurant Empire: Steven Yeng of OB Noodle House Shares His Story

262

Brandon Zanavich talks all things Dirty Flat Top Cheeseburger and The Friendly

263

Meet Justin Vaiciunas, the 'Cutthroat' Chef at Luca

264

How the Founder of Puesto Turned His Love of Home-Cooked Meals into a Thriving Restaurant

265

Drive-Bys to Gentrification: The owner of Original 40 Brewing tells us how North Park has changed

266

Meet Gina Marsaglia, 'The Godmother of San Diego's Beer Scene' and CEO of Pizza Port

267

We Chat With Richard Blais About What's Cooking at our Sponsor KAABOO This Year

268

Meet David Castro Hussong, Chef at Fauna in the Valle de Guadalupe

269

How A Local Pastry Chef Went from Baking High-End Desserts to Crafting Cannabis Edibles

270

Cris Liang, owner Realm of the 52 Remedies, joins us

271

Michelin-Starred Chef Michael Mina

272

Part 2: A Follow Up with Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins

273

Part 1: We Chat with James Beard Award Nominee Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins

274

Our Catch of the Day: Peter Halmay, the "Urchin King"

275

We made three beers!

276

We Talk Beef with Andy Harris of Grand Ole BBQ

277

Meet Arturo Kassel, CEO of Whisknladle and Gravity Heights

278

Chef Jojo Ruiz of Serea at Hotel Del Coronado and has LaCroix fizzled out?

279

Meet Wally Sadat, one of the owners of local chain The Kebab Shop

280

Meet Jeff Fenster, CEO of Everbowl

281

Special Episode: Live from Our Best Restaurants Party

282

We chat with New Orleans native Quinnton Austin, chef of Louisiana Purchase

283

Meet David Favela, founder of Border X Brewing; and is the Aperol spritz a bad drink?

284

We reveal to chef Angelo Sosa that Death by Tequila is on the cover of Best Restaurants!

285

The Patio Group gets a new chef, and what's the tipping etiquette at fast-casual restaurants?

286

We chat with Mark 'Mud' Grant at Petco Park, and is fake meat taking over real meat?

287

A Michelin-starred chef is coming to San Diego, and is the Instagram aesthetic over?

288

Meet the San Diego Padres' executive chef, and Troy Johnson is engaged!

289

A taqueria in San Ysidro gets national attention, and are millennials sick of drinking?

290

Meet the founder of the I Love Poke Festival, and David's 60-second beer review

291

Inside The Lion's Share and a fine-dining pop-up, and a restaurant is fined for surcharges

292

Hanis Cavin of The Porchetta Shack joins us, and a debate over the James Beard Awards

293

Meet the new executive chef at Born & Raised and Sycuan Casino's major makeover

294

We chat with the San Diego Tourism Authority about Michelin's new guide to California restaurants

295

Interview with a local culinary stalwart, One Paseo, and mail-order meal kits

296

We Chat with Karen Barnett about Small Bar's second life

297

The parking episode! The latest chef-hunter trend, and lots of La Mesa talk.

298

What's behind the natural wine trend, and a debate over Instagram influencers

299

A new Moroccan Baja-inspired restaurant lands in North Park, plus loads of other food news

300

Thorn Brewing talks tasting rooms and is the Little Italy Food Hall one of the top 10?