Chef Roberto Alcocer of the Valle de Guadalupe’s acclaimed Malva Cocina de Baja California has transported a taste of the region to Oceanside where his first stateside restaurant anchors the Mission Pacific hotel. Offering a four-course tasting menu as well as an a la carte option, the fine-dining restaurant features dishes straight from Malva’s menu, made with ingredients from Baja and Southern California. A new wine dinners series features prominent winemakers from the Valle.

Chef William Eick’s fine dining take on modern Japanese cuisine, which started as a pop-up before opening in its own intimate space in Oceanside’s Tremont District, spotlights progressive dishes that combine Japanese technique with Southern California ingredients. Featuring elaborate multi-course menus, including an 11-course chef’s counter tasting, Matsu is now offering an eight-course vegan omakase option that can be requested when diners make a reservation.

Founding chef Claudette Zepeda’s deeply personal menu reflects the diversity of food the chef has discovered while living and cooking in her hometown of San Diego, with highlights like the crispy dan dan pastry and a lamb shank in pasilla curry. Zepeda has stepped away from the kitchen but will continue to collaborate with executive chef Ananda Bareño.

A pair of brothers, vets of the San Francisco pizza scene, brought this much-needed dining option to Rancho Bernardo. The family-friendly space, which also serves notable cocktails like a spicy paloma made with tequila, mezcal, grapefruit, and firewater bitters, specializes in deep dish pizzas including the the 858, topped with spinach, ricotta, garlic, mushrooms, red onions, crispy bacon.

Del Mar Highlands Town Center’s multi-restaurant collective spans a beer deck and central craft cocktail bar called Understory, plus other self-contained outposts from local favorites like Ambrogio15 (which introduced new pizzas and other dishes from a Michein-starred chef), KiinThai, and Le Parfait Paris as well as Bay Area transplant Marufuku Ramen.

Convoy Street has a Chinese restaurant addition that specializes in Cantonese cuisine with an extensive menu highlighted by barbecue meats, including roast duck and crispy skinned pork as well as fresh, live seafood ranging from whole steamed fish to lobster with ginger and scallion.

The latest contender in the Korean fried chicken battle might be the best one yet. This prolific Korean chain, which has been featured in several popular K-drama shows, brines its chicken before frying it to a satisfying crunch. Try the crispy-crusted golden original or the slightly-sweet soy garlic glaze as well as its commendable kimchi fried rice and spicy rice cakes.

The newest and fanciest hot pot restaurant to land in San Diego is part of well-known brand that has operating in China for more than two decades. Open daily for lunch and dinner, its specialty is spicy and numbing Sichuan hot pot, although milder broths are offered. Don’t miss the complimentary desserts, including freshly-fried sesame balls.

Chef Steve Brown has landed his wagyu beef butcher shop and burger combo in an expansive space in Pacific Beach. The restaurant and bar also offers brunch and a casual, you-call-it steakhouse experience based on its extensive meat counter.

Celebrating absinthe and the spirit’s romantic history, this charming bistro and cocktail bar is earning early acclaim for its thoughtful menu, based on French classics refreshed with unexpected flavors and regional ingredients from Southern California and Baja.

After shuttering her original San Ysidro shop last fall, chef Priscilla Curiel is now cooking up her acclaimed birria at the Old Town Urban Market. With ample patio seating, the counter-service spot is serving up the spiced, slow-stewed beef in quesadillas, tortas, and her acclaimed birria tacos topped with roasted bone marrow.

Veteran local chef Ronnie Schwandt’s first solo restaurant serves dinner Wednesday through Saturday as well as Sunday brunch. The cozy North Park spot’s current seasonal menu includes an ever-changing farmer’s market salad, Peruvian shrimp ceviche, and housemade cavatelli pasta with braised duck.

After three years away, Grand Ole BBQ’s original spot in North Park is back and more grand than ever; the soaring space now features a larger patio along with an indoor dining area and bar. In addition to its accomplished Texas-style barbecue (and Argentine specialties on Sundays), the restaurant has expanded its menu to include more vegan options, sides, and desserts.

Recently honored as a James Beard Awards semifinalist in the Best Chef: California category, executive chef Anthony Wells has introduced several new dishes to the Little Italy restaurant’s spring menu including lamb meatballs with dill naan and white bean hummus, pork belly ravioli with snap peas, green garlic, and herb butter, and local halibut in a citrus vinaigrette with miso and sunflower seed crumble. Pastry chef Lindsay Sipress has also updated the signature “Yodel” dessert, which now features a dark chocolate base with cold brew “snow,” hazelnut brownie crumb, and dolce Frangelico ganache.

This long-awaited restaurant and bar is a welcome addition to Golden Hill, serving equally accomplished food and drinks inside a gleaming and elegant space. With classic Vietnamese cuisine as a starting point, the plates have been modernized by executive chef Jonathan Bautista while Asian flavors serve as inspiration for David Tye’s skillful cocktails.

Located at the edge of Fault Line Park in the East Village, this Asian restaurant brings attention to Issan cuisine, the traditional food of the Thailand’s northeastern region. With partners that include alums of Thai Papaya and Sab-E-Lee, two local Thai standouts, its menu includes lesser-seen dishes like Thai-style fried chicken as well as curries, noodles, and more.