San Diego has taken on a major presence in the dining world, and the region’s wealth of mega-talented Hispanic chefs and entrepreneurs has played a pivotal role in that rise, bringing matchless multicultural imagination to our cuisine. Here are just a few of San Diego’s many Hispanic culinary stars.
Addison
Jonathan Brambila’s journey to becoming Chef de Cuisine at one of the most acclaimed restaurants in America began at his parents’ taqueria in Tijuana, which specialized in barbacoa (slow-cooked meat in the traditional Mexican style). After accomplishing his culinary training at the Art Institute of California - San Diego, Brambila joined Chef William Bradley’s team as a prep cook at Addison at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar hotel in 2011. And he has been at the famed North Coastal restaurant ever since, helping Addison rise to its coveted three-Michelin-star status as he took on the role of Sous Chef. He was appointed Chef de Cuisine in 2023. As the restaurant posted recently, Brambila’s heritage and passion bring “the essence of Mexico to our kitchen.”
Puesto
The top-flight taqueria Puesto brings new meaning to the phrase “family restaurant.” The place, now a mini-chain with locations in Downtown San Diego, Mission Valley and La Jolla (plus stands at the Padres’ Petco Park) is owned by first-generation Mexican American brothers Eric, Alan and Alex Adler, along with two cousins and founding chef/partner Luisteen Gonzalez. The Michelin-recognized Puesto is celebrated for its inventive takes on tacos, inspired by the cosmopolitan cuisine of Mexico City. And with such exquisite specialties as tamarindo shrimp, filet mignon and the veggie-centric verduras -- with its mélange of tatume squash, nopales and zucchini blossom -- Puesto will tempt you to try every one.
Serēa and Lionfish
Seafood that’s both scrumptious and sustainable has been the calling card of JoJo Ruiz, a San Diego native and chef partner for Clique Hospitality. The current executive chef for both Serēa at the Hotel del Coronado and Lionfish at the Pendry San Diego, Ruiz came up as a talented local sushi chef before joining the much-buzzed Searsucker in Downtown San Diego as executive chef, and then taking on the same role at Herringbone in La Jolla. Ruiz has also worked alongside Michelin-starred chef/partner Jason McLeod at Ironside Fish & Oyster in Little Italy, and has been honored as a James Beard Foundation Smart Catch Leader for his focus on sustainability.
Paraná Empanadas
If you’ve visited the sprawling Liberty Public Market food emporium at Liberty Station in Point Loma, then you just might know the wonders of the delicious empanadas served up at the popular Paraná booth. The multilayered flavors of these savory pastries are inspired by the Argentinean heritage of founder Lucia Landman and family, who also have opened Paraná locations in Pacific Beach and at the Westfield UTC mall. (Several local farmers markets sell them as well.) Try such specialties as the Margherita or the Five Cheese, complemented with a selection of dipping sauces, and you just might agree with Landman and Co.’s lofty philosophy that these creations are "the fusion of our roots, inserted in our present and projected in the future in a universal way.”
Pepino
Pepino Eatery and Bakeshop draws on the culinary traditions of Peru, but the place also represents a return to San Diego roots for chef and owner Sebastian Becerra. He grew up in La Jolla, not far from where the Peruvian-influenced restaurant (whose name means “cucumber” in Spanish) is set to open in early 2025. Becerra is tapping into his own Peruvian heritage to animate the place, which sprouted from a highly popular pandemic-era pop-up. It’s quite a homecoming for Becerra, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and then gained experience at a pair of Michelin-starred restaurants in San Francisco before joining the acclaimed Eleven Madison Park in New York. A post at Herb & Wood in Little Italy brought Becerra back to San Diego, where he’s now ready to make waves back on his home turf of La Jolla.
Independent chef and TV personality
Spending childhood days at her aunt’s restaurant in Mexico and her parents’ eateries on both sides of the border helped fire up the foodie imagination of Claudette Zepeda, the San Diego native who has become one of the top emissaries for the region’s cross-border cuisine. The founding executive chef and former culinary director at the celebrated VAGA restaurant in Encinitas, Zepeda made her first big splash as executive chef and partner in El Jardin. Since departing VAGA, The James Beard Best Chef West finalist has become a much-recognized regular on scads of national TV shows, including “Top Chef” and “Iron Chef.”
Barrio Donas
“Donuts Without Borders” is how these two co-founders of San Diego’s Barrio Donas like to describe their shops’ sweet wonders, which are steeped in the flavors of Mexico while also paying tribute to American donut traditions. The married couple now run three outposts of Barrio Donas, in Clairemont, Old Town and National City. With tempting specialties from the Chocolate Abuelita to the Cocada (boasting flavors of dulce de leche and toasted coconut) to the popular Horchata, resistance is pretty much futile. And if that’s not enough, Barrio Donas offers tortas, tamales and coffees, too.
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