The Crack Shack, the fried chicken-centric restaurant group that opened its first location in San Diego in 2015, opened its fifth location March 5 in Pacific Beach. The new location, at 4525 Mission Blvd., s the original location in Little Italy, as well as spots in Encinitas, Costa Mesa and Las Vegas.
The Crack Shack was created by the same team behind Michelin Guide-recommended restaurant Juniper & Ivy restaurant: owner Mike Rosen and culinary director/executive chef Jon Sloan. The outdoor restaurant is now serving chicken sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, milkshakes and fresh-baked cookies. It opens at 11 a.m. Mondays-Fridays and 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays with service until 10 or 11 p.m. Visit crackshack.com.
Veranda, Nobu coming to Hotel del: The Hotel del Coronado has announced plans to open Veranda, a new open-air restaurant in the former Sheerwater restaurant space, in April. The 159-seat restaurant’s name was inspired by the veranda that used to encircle the hotel when it first opened in 1888. The opening of Veranda, followed by the highly anticipated Nobu restaurant in May, are among the finishing touches of the hotel’s six-year, $550 million revitalization project.
Veranda will serve breakfast and dinner, but not lunch. The American classics menu will include grilled artichokes, broiled oysters with chorizo butter, Angus beef steaks, a Dungeness crab wedge salad and more. It will also offer nightly specials, like fried chicken on Wednesday, prime rib on Thursdays and seafood boil on Fridays. Reservations open April 11. Visit hoteldel.com/dine/veranda-restaurant.
Slice House heads to Little Italy: Slice House by Tony Gemignani, a San Francisco-born fast-casual pizzeria chain founded by the 13-time world pizza champion, will open its first San Diego County location in April in Little Italy’s 2100 Kettner Building. Local franchisee Shayan Rajabi will be serving the company’s menu of New York, Sicilian, Grandma and Detroit-style pizzas, both whole and by the slice, along with pasta, wings, salads, craft beer, wines and soft drinks. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For opening updates, visit instagram.com/slicehouse.
Teddy’s Treats expanding to three locations: Teddy’s Treats, a new ice cream and dessert shop concept owned by Ken Rose, opened its first kiosk in January at the Las Americas Outlets shopping center in San Ysidro. A second location will open in April at the Fashion Valley shopping center in Mission Valley and a third will open in June at the Carlsbad Outlets mall. Teddy’s Treats serves ice cream sundaes and frozen ice cream beads, chocolate-covered berries and cookies, ice cream slushies and kettle corn. For details, visit instagram.com/teddystreats01.
Finca hosts wine fundraiser: From now through April 15, Finca restaurant and bottle shop is donating $3 to Feeding San Diego from every bottle sold from a designated selection of wine curated by owner and sommelier Dan Valerino directly to Feeding San Diego. For every bottle sold, Feeding San Diego will be able to donate 6 meals to San Diegans facing food insecurity. Finca, at 3066 N. Park Way, in San Diego is at finca.wine.
Cori Trattoria wins global award again: Cori Trattoria restaurant in North Park, helmed by Sicily native Accursio Lota, has once again won the coveted Three Forks (tre forchette) award from the Italian ratings agency Gambero Rossi. Cori is one of just five U.S. restaurants, and 18 worldwide, to receive the honor in 2025. Lota was also the winner of the 2017 Barilla World Pasta Competition in Italy. Lot and his wife, Corinne Goria, will open their second restaurant, Dora Ristorante, this summer on the UC San Diego campus near La Jolla Playhouse. For details, visit instagram.com/cori_pasta.
Free pizzas in Escondido: Tony Pepperoni Pizzerias will offer a free pizza giveaway from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday at its Escondido store at 249 E. Grand Ave. Customers can pick up, dine in or take out their free pizza, but delivery will not be offered. Only cheese and pepperoni pizzas will be offered, with no substitutions. Same-day pre-orders can be made by calling 760884-4300, tonypepperonipizzeria.net.
Sarah Richardson, director of operations for Tony Pepperoni, said the promotion is a way to thank existing customers and introduce itself to new ones. Tony Pepperoni was founded more than 20 years ago in Aliso Viejo by Joseph Locricchio, a Michigan native who founded his first pizzeria there at age 18. The restaurants use recipes handed down by Locricchio’s Sicilian grandparents and are known for being family-friendly as well as gathering spots for sports team celebrations, with more than 20 satellite TVs in every location.
