Modern European Restaurant Replacing Cafe Gratitude in Little Italy

A modern European restaurant is coming into the space vacated by Cafe Gratitude, which shuttered in January after more than seven years in Little Italy as the only San Diego location of the well-established vegan restaurant chain with multiple outposts in the Los Angeles area.

The 4,000-square-foot corner spot in the Broadstone Little Italy building has been remodeled and is set to reopen on Monday, July 10. Co-owner Giovanni Gargano has been involved in a number of area restaurants, including Saltwater and the Butcher’s Cut in the Gaslamp, and chef Luigi Di Micheli’s background includes a Michelin-rated restaurant in Italy.

Sitting adjacent to Little Italy’s Piazza Pescatore, which commemorates San Diego’s fishing fleet and its history as the former tuna capital of the world, the Heights will feature dishes that reflect the team’s Italian heritage and local seafood culture, from shellfish towers and mussels to scallops with Jerusalem artichoke risotto, and homemade gnocchi paired with red snapper and pea puree. The menu will also include caviar bumps and beef Wellington as well as tableside prepared or presented plates like salt-baked whole fish, beef tartare, and fettuccine alfredo.