San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour cover art

All Episodes

San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour — 307 episodes

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Title
1

Switchfoot Takes Us to Their Poke Spot

2

How Luigi Agostini Built One of San Diego's Favorite Pizza Shops

3

From Tia's Pozole to Top Chef—Claudette Zepeda Books It

4

Why Valentina Is the Most Leucadia Restaurant in Leucadia

5

The Wild Tale Behind Relic Bakery's Origin Story

6

Pro Surfer Benji Weatherley Credits Cooking With Saving Him

7

The Steakhouse That Replaced Saska's Is Worth the Hunt for Parking

8

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

9

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

10

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

11

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

12

The Best Hot Dogs in San Diego

13

The Best Sardines in San Diego

14

The Short List for SDM's Best Restaurants

15

Your Favorite Bartender Eats Here

16

James Beard Nominee Tara Monsod on the Rise of Filipino Food

17

Where to Get a $12 Ribeye in San Diego

18

Naming the Best Soups in San Diego at Coco Maya

19

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

20

Why San Diego's Neighborhood Bars Still Matter

21

One of Little Italy's Top Chefs Returns

22

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

23

San Diego's Roast Beef Awakening

24

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

25

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

26

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

27

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

28

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

29

Andrew Zimmern Wants Us to Rethink the Way We Eat Fish

30

Spinning Spanish Wine Into Magic With Juniper & Ivy Alums

31

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

32

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

33

Lana Puts a Fresh Spin on Coastal Dining in San Diego

34

San Diego Restaurant News, Chefsgiving & Claudette Zepeda Makes Moves

35

Crashing The Marine Room's High Tide Dinners

36

Longtime restaurateur Sami Ladeki Shares His Unlikely Career Path to Food

37

How to Earn a Michelin Star in Only Six Weeks

38

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

39

Chef Carl Schroeder's Exit Interview

40

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

41

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

42

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

43

Eat With Your Hands (Rerun)

44

En Fuego Turns 30 & Launches Hidden Cocktail Bar

45

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

46

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

47

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

48

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

49

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

50

This Couple Is Fixing Your Taco Problem

51

Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls Wins 2025 Fairtastic Food Competition

52

The Best Dollar Oyster Deal In Town

53

Meet the Cheese Shop that Accidentally Became a Sandwich Shop

54

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

55

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

56

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

57

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

58

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

59

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

60

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

61

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

62

The Best House Cured House Smoked Pastrami in San Diego?

63

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

64

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

65

Is Ozempic Changing the Way We Dine?

66

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

67

San Diego's Ultimate Taco Shop Showdown

68

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

69

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

70

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

71

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

72

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

73

10 Restaurant Pet Peeves and Ideas for a Better Restaurant Future

74

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

75

The Story of Oceanside's Hot New Space: Merenda

76

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

77

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

78

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

79

How Monarch Del Mar Became a North County Icon

80

Why Thompson Heritage Ranch is Changing San Diego's Menus

81

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

82

How Randy Smerik Turned Solare Ristorante into a San Diego Icon

83

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

84

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

85

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

86

How Dang Brother Pizza Turns Fire Trucks into Pizza Hotspots

87

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

88

How Kitchens for Good Tackles Food Waste and Empowers Student Chefs

89

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

90

How The Mental Bar Became Encanto's Third Place

91

The Story Behind San Diego's Most Legendary Cocktail

92

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

93

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

94

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

95

How Sam The Cooking Guy Won the Internet

96

Stella Jeans' Secret Sauce is its Milk

97

Organic Food Pioneer Ran Every Day for Six Years…Twice

98

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

99

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

100

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

101

Meet the Man Responsible for Light Beer's Craft Comeback

102

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

103

Deep-Fried Delights at the San Diego County Fair

104

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

105

San Diego's King of Produce

106

Inside an Icon: Top of the Market

107

Trying The Best Food at Petco Park with Don & Mud

108

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

109

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

110

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

111

Feeding San Diego Rescues 1.2 Million Pounds of Food a Month

112

Making Wishes Come True With Chef William Eick

113

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

114

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

115

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

116

Is This the Best Falafel in San Diego?

117

San Diego's Legendary Tony Tee Drops By

118

Feeling Lucky with Jason Mraz

119

That's the Spirit

120

Let Us Eat Cake

121

Getting Real With Celebrity Chef Lauren Lawless

122

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

123

The Fishmonger Tommy Gomes Returns With Dry-Aged Fish

124

Paradise, Or Something Like It

125

The Big South Bay Brewery That Could

126

Top Chef Thanksgiving Day Tips: Lessons From Brad Wise

127

HOT TICKET: Susan Finegar & Liz Lachman

128

The Best First Date Bar in San Diego?

129

Vegan Doom Metal Pizza

130

Hell of a Pedigree for a Little Fish Shop

131

Three-Star Michelin Chef Opens Burger Joint in San Diego

132

THE NEXT BIG THING: New School American Cheese

133

The Hit of Coronado

134

The Life of Failed Umpire Drew Deckman

135

Napatini Takes Off in Carlsbad

136

The Roberto Alcocer Formula That Led Valle to a Michelin Star

137

Openings, Closings, Bib Gourmands & Machaca

138

The Meals to Eat in San Diego Before You Die

139

Raising the Bar on Stadium Food in San Diego

140

The Food People of the San Diego County Fair

141

Coffee in Offices with Guitarists

142

It Will Rain On Your New Outdoor Restaurant

143

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

144

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

145

Creating Consortium Holdings: The Story Behind Its Success

146

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

147

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

148

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

149

The World's Happiest Rice Starts in National City

150

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

151

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

152

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

153

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

154

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

155

This Restaurant Only Has One Teeny Tiny Trash Can

156

Three Thanksgiving Cooking Tips from Top Chef Josh Mouzakes of Arlo

157

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

158

The Woman Behind La Jolla's Secret House of Food

159

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

160

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

161

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

162

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

163

Natural Wine and Petco Park's Facelift

164

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

165

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

166

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

167

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

168

Ranch45 Expands in Del Mar

169

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

170

The Magic of Woodsmoke

171

Richard Blais: Chef, TV Star, Golf Influencer

172

San Diego Chef Grows Michelin-Star Mold

173

San Diego's New Star of Modern Japanese Food

174

Grand Ole BBQ y Asado is Back!

175

Kingfisher Takes San Diego by Storm

176

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

177

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

178

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

179

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

180

JoJo Ruiz Is Everywhere

181

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

182

The Massive Impact of Kitchens for Good

183

The Creative Team Behind San Diego's First Absinthe Restaurant

184

Meet Amy Truong of Paru Tea Bar

185

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

186

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

187

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

188

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

189

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

190

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

191

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

192

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

193

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

194

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

195

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

196

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

197

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

198

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

199

Meet Tara Monsod, Animae's New Executive Chef

200

A New Film Documents San Diego's Craft Beer Scene

201

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

202

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

203

Homestead Brings a Locally-Sourced Neighborhood Market to Solana Beach

204

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

205

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

206

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

207

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

208

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

209

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

210

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

211

We Talk Baseball and Burritos with Padres Outfielder Wil Myers

212

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

213

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

214

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

215

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

216

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

217

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

218

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

219

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

220

Meet Tony Guan, Executive Chef at Fortunate Son

221

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

222

Meet Starr Edwards, the Founder of Bitchin' Sauce

223

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

224

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

225

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

226

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

227

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

228

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

229

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

230

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

231

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

232

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

233

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

234

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

235

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

236

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

237

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

238

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

239

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

240

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

241

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

242

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

243

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

244

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

245

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

246

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

247

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

248

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

249

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

250

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

251

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

252

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

253

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

254

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

255

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

256

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

257

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

258

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

259

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

260

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

261

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

262

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

263

Tommy the Fishmonger Talks About Going Solo while Staying Sustainable

264

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

265

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

266

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

267

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

268

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

269

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

270

Meet Justin Vaiciunas, the 'Cutthroat' Chef at Luca

271

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

272

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

273

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

274

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

275

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

276

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

277

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

278

Michelin-Starred Chef Michael Mina

279

Part 2: A Follow Up with Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins

280

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

281

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

282

We made three beers!

283

We Talk Beef with Andy Harris of Grand Ole BBQ

284

Meet Arturo Kassel, CEO of Whisknladle and Gravity Heights

285

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

286

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

287

Meet Jeff Fenster, CEO of Everbowl

288

Special Episode: Live from Our Best Restaurants Party

289

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

290

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

291

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

292

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

293

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

294

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

295

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

296

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

297

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

298

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

299

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

300

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

301

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

302

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

303

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

304

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

305

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

306

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

307

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