Original Dija Mara Chef Opening North Park Restaurant

A revelation when it opened in Oceanside in 2017, Dija Mara thrilled by bringing Southeast Asian flavors and SoCal sensibilities to a thoughtful menu that invigorated the North County food scene. Under its founding chef, Ryan Costanza, who worked for Dominique Crenn, Daniel Patterson, and Govind Armstrong and opened several restaurants in Singapore before moving to San Diego, Dija Mara earned Eater San Diego’s Restaurant of the Year award in 2018 and established its long-held standing on the Eater 38.

As Dija Mara was still garnering accolades — it was recently recognized by the Michelin Guide — Costanza departed San Diego for Los Angeles where he started a sake company called Pure Land Sake and ran Freedman’s, a Jewish-American restaurant in Silver Lake.

Jessica Leigh Co.

This month, Costanza returns to San Diego to open a new neighborhood restaurant that will honor Asian ingredients in the context of modern California cuisine. Partnering with former Dija Mara co-owner Rob Jones, who lived in Southeast Asia for over a decade, Hoxton Manor has landed on University Avenue where it replaces Breakfast Company.

While the chef’s menu at Dija Mara spotlighted dishes from Malaysia and Indonesia, his focus at Hoxton Manor will be on the cuisines of Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and the surrounding areas in mainland Southeast Asia. Along with chef de cuisine Cory Muirhead, culinary director Costanza will be cooking with charcoal, smoke, and fermentation while working with Asian-owned markets, farmers, and artisans based in Asia.

Costanza says the 2,480-square-foot restaurant will have a dark and moody vibe reminiscent of 90s era Lower East Side Manhattan or London. Officially launching on July 21, Hoxton Manor will serve dinner Wednesday through Sunday; its bar, which centers around gin cocktails and natural wines, will stay open until 1:30 a.m.

Next Wave Commercial’s Nate Benedetto brokered the deal and shared, “Rob and Ryan’s creative vision was a natural fit for the neighborhood & the building’s multi-story layout. I predict the locals will be all over this place.”

Hoxton Manor Menu

• All Openings Coverage [ESD]