Disco, Opera & Fake Mustaches in SD

READER’S RECS

Welcome to Reader's Recommendations, where our community of food-loving locals share their favorite hidden gems, must-try spots, and neighborhood staples that make our city's culinary landscape truly special. Whether you are new to San Diego or you've been eating your way through the 619 since birth, this column is your chance to discover (or rediscover) San Diego through the taste buds of your neighbors who know where the good stuff is hiding. Here’s this week’s picks I’ve chosen:

• From Sara → Wildland 🔥 All day bar and restaurant in Carlsbad!

• From Katelyn → The Henry 🍣 Popular spot in Coronado.

• From Virginia → D’Lish 🍝 Fresh in house Italian food in Chula Vista.

• From Kelly → Wormwood 🇫🇷 French inspired fine dining in North Park.

• From Haylie → Soi 30th 🥘 Amazing Thai food also in North Park.

Want to share a restaurant or hidden gem?

✍️Reply to this email!✍️

If you’re a brand that’s looking to sponsor a future newsletter, email us at

[email protected]

MARCH MADNESS

I know everyone isn’t a basketball fan. But I had to shout out San Diego for achieving history! For the first time ever, San Diego has four teams competing in March Madness!

Both the SDSU Aztecs and the UCSD Tritons men’s and women’s basketball teams are headed to the NCAA Tournament. The crazy part is, this is UCSD’s first year of eligibility as a Division 1 team! Let’s go dancing San Diego!

Best Sports Bars & Restaurants for Watch Parties

• Park 101

  • Park 101's massive projector screen and multi-level complex is the perfect Carlsbad spot to devour St. Louis ribs while watching your bracket dreams implode—and honestly, the pulled pork sandwich alone is worth pretending you understand basketball terms when your mouth is too full to actually speak.

• Home & Away

  • Old Town's Chiefs-loving sports haven transforms into basketball central for March Madness, where I'll gladly feign interest in college hoops just for the privilege of watching games on their massive outdoor screen while knowing my midnight nachos are secure even if the refs decide seven overtimes sounds fun.

• Union Kitchen & Tap

  • Union Kitchen & Tap combines beach-proximity perfection with an impressive drink menu mere steps from Swami's Beach, creating what I consider the ideal March Madness sanctuary where you can drown your bracket sorrows in craft beer or celebrate your picks with fellow sports fans who—like you—are mostly there for the atmosphere anyway.

• Draft

  • The Mission Beach boardwalk's Draft combines ocean views with 70 beer taps and 25 TVs, and I'm firmly convinced there's no better way to watch your bracket collapse in real-time than while demolishing their beer-battered fish alongside an ice-cold 394 pale ale as the Pacific waves crash nearby.

• Fairplay

  • Hop over to North Park's ultimate sports sanctuary where March Madness meets mouth-watering munchies.

WHATS HAPPENIN’

• San Diego Latino Film Festival, Thursday 3/19-23 🎬 Immerse yourself in the vibrant cultural tapestry of the 32nd annual San Diego Latino Film Festival unfolding at AMC Mission Valley and Digital Gym Cinema this week.

• Chula Vista’s Taste of Third, Thursday 3/20 🍝 Get ready to waddle home satisfied as Chula Vista's Taste of Third transforms you into a passport-wielding food explorer, sampling everything from mini scones to Hawaiian breakfast sliders while live music drowns out your happy stomach growls.

• San Diego Impact Luncheon at Mister A’s, Friday 3/21 🍱 Join Sam the Cooking Guy and his wife Kelly at Mister A's this Friday for the Susan G. Komen Impact Luncheon, where I'm betting the views will be nearly as uplifting as the cause.

• Salome at Civic Theatre, Friday 3/21-23 🎭 Strauss's haunting operatic masterpiece "Salome" brings Oscar Wilde's twisted Biblical tale to the San Diego Opera stage this weekend, where I'll be clutching my pearls during the infamous Dance of the Seven Veils.

• The Trinity Irish Dance Company at Balboa Theatre, Friday 3/21 ☘️ The Trinity Irish Dance Company will tap, stomp, and mesmerize at Balboa Theatre this Friday night.

• The Mustache Bash, Saturday 3/22 🥸 Dust off those bell bottoms and prepare your face for some questionable facial hair decisions because The Mustache Bash is rollerskating into Mariner's Point this Saturday with Chromeo headlining—and honestly, I'd risk the inevitable disco-induced hip injury just to see a sea of fake mustaches bobbing to the beat.

• KSON Countryfest at Gallagher Square, Saturday 3/22 🤠 Grab your boots and prepare for some twangy goodness as KSON Countryfest takes over Gallagher Square this Saturday.

• Kelsea Ballerini at Pechanga Arena, Saturday 3/22 🎤 Kelsea Ballerini brings her heart-on-sleeve country-pop fusion to Pechanga Arena this Saturday.

• Yang Jiang: I Thought I’d Be Braver at the Athenaeum Art Center, Saturday 3/22 🖌️ Yang Jiang's emotionally-guided exhibition "I Thought I'd Be Braver" debuts at the Athenaeum Art Center this Saturday, and I'm already preparing to have an existential crisis in front of her artwork while pretending to understand the deeper meaning that will inevitably make me question my own courage.

• San Diego Wave vs Utah Royale FC, Saturday 3/22 ⚽️ The San Diego Wave kicks off their home opener against the Utah Royals this Saturday night!

• San Diego Half Marathon & 5K, Sunday 3/23 🏃 Lace up your running shoes for the GOVX San Diego Half Marathon & 5K this weekend, where you can either enjoy a breezy 3.1-mile jaunt or punish yourself with the full 13.1 miles—though I'm convinced the real motivation is that post-race chocolate milk.

• Tyga @ House of Blues, Sunday 3/23 🎵 Tyga's taking over House of Blues this Sunday night, and while I might pretend I'm too cool for "Rack City" throwbacks, you'll definitely catch me abandoning all dignity if he performs those early mixtape tracks only the real ones remember.

Share Area 619, Get Rewarded

Share the best local newsletter in town with your friends and we’ll give you a free birthday shoutout. What’s not to like?

You currently have 0 referrals, only 2 away from receiving Birthday Shoutout.

Copy & Paste this link: https://area619.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER