Herb & Wood Team Announce New Restaurant in Downtown High-Rise

Puffer Malarkey Restaurants, the group behind Little Italy megahit Herb & Wood, is creating a new restaurant that will splash down on the downtown San Diego waterfront by the end of the year. Called Animae, it will anchor the 15,000-square-foot ground floor space of Pacific Gate by Bosa, a 215-unit super premium high-rise at the corner of Pacific Highway and Broadway whose residents will have access to a fleet of high-end cars, a yacht, a chef concierge and many other luxuries.

Described as a “contemporary Asian American restaurant that blends cuisines from Japan to Southeast Asia with the cosmopolitan design and architecture of Hong Kong”, Animae will be lead by celebrity chef Brian Malarkey, a Top Chef alum and frequent Food Network judge whose other restaurants include the Searsucker and Herringbone locations in San Diego and beyond. Alongside business partners Christopher Puffer and Herb & Wood co-chef Shane McIntyre, Malarkey also operates Herb & Eatery, Green Acre, and Farmer & The Seahorse.

Eater has learned that the kitchen will be coal roasting A5 Grade Japanese Wagyu Kobe Beef and other prime proteins over a robata grill and Josper oven, but the menu will be balanced with lighter and more delicate preparations featuring fresh raw seafood from around the world. In a statement, Puffer shared that “Animae will bring the sophistication of Asian cuisine and design to San Diego with the approachability and excitement our venues provide.”