10 New San Diego Venues for Summer Entertaining and Events

One Door North opened in May in North Park. The 5,000-square-foot restaurant includes a bar and dining room with unique design touches that evoke the outdoors, including several canvas tents that separate tables from the rest of the dining room. The spacious two-story restaurant holds 140 seated guests. Dishes at the restaurant include a selection of small plates, pizzas, burgers, and a tri-tip steak.

Located downtown, Horton Plaza Park opened with fanfare in May and spans over 53,000 square feet. It has several spaces available for event rental for a variety of gatherings, from grand-scale events to intimate meetings. The 3,360-square-foot South Plaza holds 224 guests and is suited for small performances, tasting events, or social events. A 12,700-square-foot amphitheater seats 224 guests in a coliseum-style bowl and holds 622 on the floor. The landscaped historic park section measures 13,530 square feet and holds 900 people for receptions.

Serving Californian Mediterranean cuisine, Little Italy’s Herb & Wood is the latest project by executive chef Brian Malarkey and partner Chris Puffer. Opened in May, the overhauled warehouse stands at 9,500 square feet with a dining-area capacity for 180 seated guests. The adjoining lounge and open-air patio accommodate an additional 30 guests, and the wraparound bar can seat 28.

Soak in the beach scene in the middle of the Mission Beach boardwalk with tiki-inspired decor and drinks at Miss B’s Coconut Club. Opened in April, the 2,329-square-foot space includes a patio complete with fire pits. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating for 138 guests.

Open since March in Point Loma’s historic Naval Training Station, Mess Hall sources nearly all of its vegetables and proteins from Liberty Public Market. At 600 square feet, the space includes a 38-seat dining room and full-service kitchen. It also features an adjoining cocktail bar and lounge that seats an additional 54 guests.

Renovations to pizzeria and bar the New Yorker in the Gaslamp this May unveiled a refreshed interior reflecting its namesake city. Updates include access to the second-floor mezzanine, which mimics the exterior of a New York City building and updated decor like red brick walls, graffiti art, and penny-covered floors. The venue measures 2,000 square feet with a capacity for 64 seated guests.

1919, a Gaslamp sports bar that pays homage to the Black Sox scandal of the same year, opened in April. More than a dozen flat-screens are scattered throughout the two-floor restaurant, which totals 4,000 square feet and can hold a combined 194 standing guests. Not included in the space is the restaurant’s “Last Call” lounge area at 2,000 square feet with room for 70 seated guests.

Gaslamp’s BiCe Ristorante has expanded to add two new private rooms. Available since April, the Italian concept’s Torino Room measures 1,079 square feet with capacity for 80 seated guests; the Milano Room is 624 square feet and holds 50 seated guests. Both rooms feature up-to-date entertainment systems and flat-screen televisions.

Pushkin, a Russian-Armenian restaurant in downtown San Diego, is an elegantly decorated space featuring two floors of dining spread over 3,500 square feet. Open since December, the restaurant seats 111 guests and includes a wraparound bar at the back of the restaurant.

Trust Restaurant in Hillcrest opened in March on the ground floor of the Mr. Robinson building. The New American restaurant features a 2,687-square-foot dining room with room for 72 seated guests and a 1,300-square-foot patio for an additional 50 seats.