& D R I N K
BEST PLACE TO ROCK AN ELASTIC WAISTBAND Shabumi Devouring all-you-can-eat Asian hot pot at Shabumi with friends and family is best done in stretchy pants. Choose your steamy soup base before selecting three meats, such as Angus brisket, pork belly, and lamb leg. Top it off with bok choy, bean sprouts, onions, broccoli, and other veggies. Korean barbecue is also bottomless, which means you’ll probably be back—real soon. –MK shabumi.com BEST DONUT SHOP WITHOUT A PASTRY CASE Broad Street Dough Co. Like a dating app for donuts. Patrons select their sugary soulmate from a roundup of photos pinned to the wall, then the lovely folks at Encinitas’ Broad Street drop dough in the fryer; glaze it, stuff it, and spackle it with Fruity Pebbles; and serve it still warm. Most of the menu can be made vegan and/or gluten-free and is 99 percent less likely to disappoint than your latest Hinge match. –AR broadstreetdoughco.com/ encinitas
BEST NEW MICROGREENS DEALER Cardiff Farmers Market How did Cardiff not have a farmers market til recently? The beach burg is so rustic that parts of it don’t even have sidewalks. Well, that’s fixed now. Saturdays bring the Cardiff Farmers Market to Mira Costa College’s San Elijo Campus from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Located just off the 5, the market has close, ample parking and 70 vendors, including Cardiff Tiny Farm and Seas Greens Microgreens. –KO cardiff101.com BEST NOT-DESSERT DESSERT Ciccia Osteria Mario Cassineri and Francesca Penoncelli had been angling toward this little house for a long time. The married Italian transplants started a decade-plus ago as the food engine at Bice in Downtown (he was the chef; she, the cheese expert). In 2019, they threw everything into this cottage of their own. They can make pasta from scratch in their sleep, but it’s the mushroom flan that snatches breaths: a little truffle, a little cream sauce, and a pecorino crust. –TJ cicciasandiego.com
BEST WAY TO SABBATH Juniper & Ivy
J&I was one of the restaurants that put Little Italy on the serious- food map. It opened with Richard Blais holding the reins. Now, for nearly 10 years, it’s been Anthony Wells (protégé of Thomas Keller and Jonathan Benno) who keeps it flying high. While they’re usually a nice-shirt kinda place, they’ve introduced a Sunday Supper, a more casual, family-style, three- course meal using the best of hyper- local farms, fish, and ferments. It's set to return in September. Wipe great food on your jeans. –TJ juniperandivy.com
BEST BAR TO CHEER AT Majorette
When beloved College Area dive The Ugly Dog Pub closed and became Majorette, the transition breathed new life into a neighborhood thirsty for more upscale options. Yes, there are still billiards (now free, in fact), a cozy patio, and big screens showing sports. But owner Will Remsbottom is serving seasonal plates, low- ABV cocktails, and plenty of smashburgers paired with natty wine. Rah rah, indeed. –BD barmajorette.com BEST DRIVE-THRU EXPERIENCE FOR INTROVERTED CAFFEINE JUNKIES happyfastdelicious If the line of SUVs at Starbucks seems a little long and life-draining, happyfastdelicious in Hillcrest is an introverted nine-to-fiver’s dream. Opened in 2022, the grape-and- yellow, A-framed coffee drive-thru offers indie-shop creativity with the speed and convenience of mobile ordering. Grab espresso, energy drinks, seltzers, and sodas in 30- plus flavors to get a customizable fix for that uber-specific craving. From banana-bread lattes to cocoa marshmallow cold brew, it’s fast done well. –MK happyfastdelicious.com
117 SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE
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