Bianchi Pizza & Pasta restaurant opens on Mission Bay
Bianchi Pizza & Pasta, an Italian restaurant helmed by Palermo-born chef Ignazio Tagliavia (formerly of Elvira in Ocean Beach), opens Friday afternoon at Evans Hotels’ Bahia Resort Hotel on Mission Bay. The Neapolitan-inspired menu features wood-fired pizzas, pastas, tableside tiramisu service and house panna cotta. Bianchi will also offer a collection of Italian-inspired cocktails and aperitivo. Bianchi has a 12-seat marble bar and 45-seat patio, with hours from 5 p.m. to midnight at 988 W. Mission Bay Drive, San Diego. bahiahotel.com/bianchi
Odie’s Pizza Co. heads to Oceanside: Odie’s Pizza Co., specializing in sourdough crust pies, opens next week in downtown Oceanside. Odie’s serves 14- and 16-inch New York and Sicilian-style pizzas made with dough fermented 48 hours. the restaurant is owned by North County resident Odie O’Connor, who opened his first pizzeria in Portland, Ore., in 2020. The Odie’s menu features 10 artisan-style pies, as well as wings, salads, house-made ice cream sandwiches and house beer Odie’s IPA. Open from 11 am. to 10 p.m. daily, Odie’s is at 121 N. Cleveland St., Oceanside. Visit instagram.com/odiespizza.
Two Ladeki restaurants open at I.B. hotel: Two restaurants from Sammy Ladeki’s La Jolla-based restaurant company — Roppongi Asian Bistro and Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza — will open Friday at the Pier South Resort, a beachfront hotel near the Imperial Beach pier. Roppongi was a popular La Jolla destination from 1998 until its closure in 2015. Ladeki brought back the brand earlier this year at its original location on Prospect St. in La Jolla. The I.B. location is its second. Roppongi will operate side-by-side with Ladeki’s Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza, which has seven other locations in California and Nevada. The two hotel restaurants are replacing a third Ladeki concept, Toasted Gastrobrunch, which has five locations in California and Nevada. Visit piersouthresort.com/dining.
The Stand opens in Santee: The Stand, a fast-casual American classics restaurant chain, opened its second San Diego County location on May 15 in Santee. The Encino-based chain serves burgers, hot dogs, wraps, sandwiches, bowls, salads, sides and beers and wine on tap. 9355 Mission Gorge Road, Suit 121, Santee. thestand.com
Jan’s Health Bar heads to Del Mar: The Huntington Beach-based fast-casual healthy restaurant chain Jan’s Health Bar will open its eighth location in early June at the One Paseo shopping center in Del Mar Heights. Jan’s serves smoothies, sandwiches, spring rolls and salads. 3727 Paseo Place, Suite 1440, San Diego. janshealthbar.com
James Beard Awards countdown: To celebrate the achievements of executive chef Tara Monsod, a 2024 and 2025 finalist for the James Beard Awards’ Best Chef: California, Puffer Malarkey Collective will present a special countdown menu at Le Coq restaurant in La Jolla, where Monsod will be personally cooking and serving from the bar an a la carte menu of items beginning at 5 p.m. every Thursday night leading up to the award ceremony on June 16 in Chicago. Monsod will prepare a la carte dishes devised from that day’s fresh catch and market run. She’ll also curate the bar music playlist. Some of the dishes she’s planning to serve are Hokkaido Scallop with English pea, white balsamic and onion flowers; cured mackerel with pan con tomate and olives; and rockfish with green garlic aioli and asparagus. 7837 Herschel Ave., La Jolla. Details at instagram.com/p/DI4r7VuToDB.
An’s Gelato up for national prize again: San Diego’s An’s Gelato, which last year was named the No. 1 ice cream in America by USA Today, is once again nominated in USA Today’s annual ice cream poll (An’s came came in second place in 2023). Nominees are chosen by a of judges for USA Today’s 10Best competition, then the public can vote for their favorites through June 9. To vote for An’s, visit voteans.com.
