Saska’s Old School Steakhouse Returns to Mission Beach

The Patio Group is gearing up to relaunch a Mission Beach institution. Saska’s Steak and Seafood, a family-run restaurant first founded in 1951, was firmly established as a local landmark when the hospitality group, which runs The Patio restaurants, Fireside by The Patio, Harvest by The Patio and more, originally purchased the property in 2015; its owner and CEO, Gina Champion-Cain, was a longtime patron of the old school restaurant, dubbed “San Diego’s Original Steakhouse”.

Last fall, the Mission Boulevard restaurant shuttered for a refresh and is scheduled to grand open on Thursday, February 23 with a sleek and swanky new interior that takes inspiration from classic steakhouses of yore. Now known as Saska’s, the restaurant menu is anchored by throwbacks from the 1960s and 70s — the updated nostalgic dishes including shrimp Louie salad and Oscar-style steak, which tops the beef with crab meat and bernaise sauce.

Executive chef Michael Ground, who helped open Fireside by The Patio, has upgraded Saska’s meat program; all steaks, ranging from The Original seven ounce filet mignon to The Cowboy 16 ounce bone-in ribeye are hand-cut daily and grilled over an open flame. Add some surf to your turf with optional grilled shrimp or lobster tail add-ons. Open for dinner and weekend brunch, Saska’s cocktail program is also firmly entrenched in the classics, with a timeless list that includes Old Fashioneds and Brandy Alexanders. As for the adjacent High Tide Sushi Bar, a rep for The Patio Group says it will be renovated into another location of the group’s East Coast-style pizza concept, Surf Rider Pizza Cafe.