SOLANA BEACH — Solana Beach is welcoming several new restaurants along Coast Highway 101 and in the Cedros Design District, which its owners hope will enhance the local dining and bar scene.
After operating in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter for a decade, American comfort food eatery Rustic Root opened a second location last month on the ground floor of the new Sandbox Solana Beach mixed-use development at 343 S. Coast Highway 101.
As the restaurant enters its fourth week, RMD Group Partner Michael Georgopoulos said it is regularly packed for brunch, happy hour, dinner and drinks at the bar, requiring additional staff to keep up with the demand.
“It’s been amazing, honestly. The responses immediately both in the building and in the community have been better than we expected,” Georgopoulos said. “It’s been so good, we had to hire another 20 employees last Sunday … That obviously is an indication of where we’re at.”
Georgopoulos said RMD Group had been eyeing a North County expansion for Rustic Root for several years but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. After scouting out spaces along the coast, they ended up connecting well with Sandbox’s ownership, which first opened early last year.
While most of the tables are filled through reservations, Georgopoulos said Rustic Root also holds some of its inventory for walk-ins to accommodate local customers.
Rustic Root opens at 5 p.m. Wednesdays to Fridays and at 9 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, with an expansive menu including pancake sliders for brunch, smash burgers, filet frites and roasted Atlantic salmon for dinner, and several signature cocktails.
“We have, I think, an amazing menu, and it really does lend itself for dine-in casual at the bar, or dining in for a full meal in the dining room, or takeout and delivery, which we’ve been doing a lot of lately,” Georgopoulos said.
Visit rusticrootsd.com for more information.
Sandbox has also brought in other retailers including clothing boutique and cafe Morning Lavender, open since December, and forthcoming tapas bar and restaurant CTZN.
CTZN is the new project from the owners of Pacific Beach bakery La Clochette. The restaurant is expected to open this summer and offer tapas, other Spanish Basque cuisine, and drinks.
Just south of Sandbox in the Beachwalk Shopping Center, another restaurant, Lana, is also preparing to open later this spring in the former California Pizza Kitchen location that operated for around 30 years.
Described as a sophisticated neighborhood restaurant, Lana is founded by restaurateur Travis LeGrand and sommelier Mark Wheadon, both of whom have been in the industry for years.
Wheadon, who lived in Solana Beach for a decade before moving to Encinitas, said the city has been a bit of a sleeper when it comes to upscale cuisine options compared to neighboring cities.
“I always thought, having lived here for 10 years and being in the area for 17, that Solana Beach really was untapped. When Travis came to me and said he was looking at CPK space, I thought it was a no-brainer,” Wheadon said.
LeGrand said the inspiration for Lana’s menu is “coastal comfort,” celebrating Southern California cuisine with Asian and Baja influences. The space will feature a vintage California design with a large central bar, main dining room, lounge areas, and an outdoor patio with a fire pit.
“The goal is to create an upscale neighborhood restaurant that really connects with the community,” said LeGrand. “We want it to be comforting from a price standpoint … and we want to provide people with warmth and hospitality.”
Lana is currently planned to open by late May. Find more information at lanasb.com.
A few minutes away along Cedros Avenue, another eatery based on a Leucadia favorite is also in the works. Tapas and wine bar Vále Bodega is preparing to open at the former site of Homestead Solana Beach, the sister location of Valentina bistro and wine bar in Leucadia.
The restaurant’s website describes it as a “casual, uncomplicated tapas and wine bar” with small shareable plates and a curated wine selection. No opening date has been announced yet. Find more information at valebodega.com.
Wheadon said he believes all the new dining options will make Solana Beach more of a foodie destination.
“It’ll bring a lot of attention to Solana Beach, in my opinion,” he said.
