If your salivary glands just involuntarily activated it’s likely because early-bird tickets for the San Diego Food + Wine Festival recently went on sale.
The San Diego Food + Wine Festival has major cred. Dubbed “San Diego’s Best Annual Event” by The San Diego Sun, the festival has received kudos from the Travel Channel, Wine Enthusiast and Forbes, and was honored last year as the “Festival of the Year” by FestForums (a national conference series that rates events like Coachella, SXSW, Burning Man, Lollapalooza and more).
In its 21-year-history, the SDFWF has also been in the Top 10 six times (since 2019) in the “Best Wine Festival” category in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice contest, and has taken the top spot twice.
The dates for 2025 are November 2-9. Test fate and wait to buy tickets, but rest assured the Grand Weekend events (November 7-9) will sell faster than matcha-dusted hotcakes.
The Grand Weekend includes the Friday Grand Decant, Saturday Grand Tasting and Sunday Grand Fiesta. The Grand Tasting, held on the bayside Embarcadero Marina Park South, always completely sells out. More info.
Stay tuned: The Sun is an SDFWF media sponsor and will have tickets to raffle off as the event gets closer.
WASTING AWAY, AGAIN
The biggest day of the year for the Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter is August 29. That’s Jimmy Buffett Day, celebrating the late, great songwriter who penned cult-favorite tunes like “Fins,” “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” “Why Don’t We Get Drunk,” “Come Monday,” and of course, “Margaritaville.”
The hotel’s Five o’Clock Somewhere Bar will be ground zero for a rooftop benefit concert, airbrush tattoos, a blender bike competition and plenty of Parrot Head fun. More info.
GOING BANANAS
The insanely popular Savannah Bananas exhibition baseball team is coming to play two wild nights at Petco Park (September 5-6). To complement the team’s showmanship, Borrego Rooftop Kitchen + Cocktails is selling a limited-time themed cocktail called the Banana Balk.
You can see Petco from Borrego’s ninth-floor deck bar in East Village. Consider doing pre- or post-game swigs of a Banana Balk (Four Roses Bourbon, banana liqueur, lemon juice and honey syrup). More info.
TE QUIERO
Quiero Restaurants shares a primo spot in Seaport Village with Mike Hess Brewing — at the southwest bend in the Embarcadero. A downtown insider says that at 8:30 a.m. you can beat the tourist rush and order from the breakfast menu (including the Sunshine Taco with a sunny side up egg for just $3.95). For the best dining view, step up to the westward-facing second-floor deck. More info.
LUNCH ITALIANO
The Busalacchi family’s beloved Barbusa in Little Italy is now open for lunch. New lunch hours are 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for house-made Sicilian flavored pastas, including Granchio, Bolognese Al Forno Short Rib Lasagne and more. More info. SDSun
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