The 14th annual Taste of Mission Hills is Wednesday, October 14, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. It follows the same roughly five-mile trolley loop as last year: West Lewis Street, Fort Stockton Drive, Goldfinch Street, West Washington Street, Reynard Way and India Street. The roster is shorter. There are 25 participating restaurants and food purveyors this year, down from 28 at the October 8, 2025 event.
Three fewer stops could read like a neighborhood losing ground. A walk down West Washington says otherwise. Every space on that street that went quiet in the past year already has a named successor, either open now or with its plans filed. The 2026 Taste is a snapshot of Mission Hills in the middle of a handoff.
The two spaces on West Washington that changed hands
Bar Dynamite closed at the end of July after more than 16 years at 1808 West Washington Street. The San Diego Reader noted that when the club opened, DJs still mostly played vinyl. The space was empty for only a few weeks. By mid-August, Blonde Bar had opened there. It's run by a team of longtime San Diego musicians, bartenders and DJs who kept a couple of Dynamite's dance nights. The new bar leans toward a New York, CBGB-style rock room, with live bands and classic albums on vinyl between sets.
Farther east, Harley Gray Kitchen & Bar served its last guests on December 19, 2025, after 12 years at 902 West Washington Street. Times of San Diego included it in a March roundup of local restaurant closures. The building's next operators were already lined up. In January, WhatNow reported that Merritte and Hailey Powell, owners of La Puerta Mission Hills, had applied for a liquor license at the address. They were working with architect Mark Bausback on a new restaurant and bar planned as its own concept, not a La Puerta expansion. The plan calls for service seven days a week, including lunch, brunch, happy hours and late-night dining. According to WhatNow, the Powells hope to honor Harley Gray's legacy with the new concept.
Hoodline's report from the same week said no name or opening date had been announced. No public update with a name or date has appeared since, so the project is best treated as pending.
The Powells will be on this year's Taste either way. La Puerta is a participating venue, and the couple is one of two trolley sponsors whose support makes the shuttle free for ticket holders. Marea Riedler, founder of A Designed Space, is the other.
A third space, opening for the first time
The southwest corner of Washington and Albatross is getting a business that has never operated in Mission Hills. Serafino will be an all-day coffeehouse, Mexican-Italian café and market, and wine bar on the ground floor of a four-story residential building there. The founding team comes from special education and hospitality. The Union-Tribune reported that they plan to hire workers with disabilities and hold every employee to the same standard in an upscale setting. The coffee program is part of that plan, because co-founder David Cross told the paper that many of the people he works with do well at that kind of precise, repeatable work.
The team looked at locations across the city before choosing Mission Hills. Project and general manager Amanda Sarich explained why:
"The philosophy is very approachable, community-driven, warm, welcoming and family-driven entirely, and it will offer curated quiet luxury at the same time."
Serafino's website still says "coming soon" with a "Fall 2026" window. NBC 7 reported in April that the team was aiming for late fall. Don't expect it to be serving by October 14.
What changed on the roster, and what didn't
Comparing the two official BID rosters shows a change smaller than "three fewer stops" suggests. Two names are new to the 2026 Taste:
- Komatsuya, 4015 Goldfinch Street, which serves seasonal kaiseki-style omakase with natural wine and sake pairings. It isn't new to the neighborhood. Its own site posted a reopening after renovations back in 2022.
- Wild Child Ice Cream, 4033 Goldfinch Street, the sidewalk scoop window next to Cardellino that used to be Mr. Trustee Ice Cream. Eater San Diego reported the rebrand and reopening in April 2024.
Five names from 2025 aren't on the 2026 roster: Harley Gray Kitchen & Bar, STARLITE, Grab & Go Subs, Mission Hills Liquor & Deli and What De Health Thai. Only Harley Gray's absence reflects a closure. STARLITE reopened at 3175 India Street in March 2025 under CH Projects after a 14-month closure. Grab & Go Subs still lists daily hours at 768 West Washington Street. Restaurants join and skip a fundraiser for many reasons, and being off the list says nothing about whether a business is open.
Most of the lineup is the same as last year: Burger Deck, Cake, Cardellino, Communion, El Indio, Falcon Liquor, Farmer's Bottega, Fiori's Pizza, Fort Oak, Gelato Vero Caffé, Karina's Ceviches & More, Kettle & Stone, La Puerta, Lazy Acres Natural Market, Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria, Lewis & Fay, Paradis, Pizza e Birra, Red Door, Rubicon Deli, Saffron Thai, Sushi Deli 1 and Venissimo Cheese. Both of last year's notable newcomers, Paradis and Communion, are back. Each opened in November 2024 at 901 West Washington Street.
Two of the new names sit side by side on Goldfinch. That's where this year's additions landed, while West Washington is where the handoffs are still underway.
The same pattern off the route
Espresso Mío followed the same pattern on a smaller scale. The coffee shop left its storefront at 1920 Fort Stockton Drive this summer and reopened a few blocks away as an outdoor coffee bar at Mission Hills Nursery, 1525 Fort Stockton Drive. The Reader describes it as open to the sidewalk, with a little garden seating. The nursery has its own history. Owner Fausto Palafax bought it in 1989 from the Antonicelli family, whose forebears were among Kate Sessions' original employees.
Planning the night
The BID caps sales at 600 tickets. These details matter most this year:
- Buy before Saturday, October 10, to save. Tickets are $50, and the code BUYEARLY takes $5 off online orders placed before 10/10/2026. Credit card purchases carry a small processing fee.
- Buy in person to skip Will Call. Physical tickets are sold at US Bank, 610 West Washington Street; All American Tailors, 325 West Washington Street; Salon Sloane, 1605 West Lewis Street; and Lewis & Fay, 1620 West Lewis Street.
- Online buyers must pick up by 6 p.m. Will Call is at Lazy Acres Natural Market, 422 West Washington Street, from 4 to 6 p.m. only, and it closes promptly. The market's parking lot is reserved for shoppers.
- Use the trolley for the long legs. The free Old Town Trolley loops from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and stops at each designated Taste stop every 15 minutes. The stops are listed on the back of each ticket.
- Each ticket gets one taste per venue. Venues mark your ticket when they serve you.
Road work on Washington Street is an ongoing part of the trip into the neighborhood. SANDAG's Washington Street and Mission Valley Complete Streets project is under construction through 2027. In the Mission Hills area, it will add separated bike facilities, a walking path along the south side of Washington from India Street to University Avenue, and a bus island near India Street. The latest notice schedules overnight light pole and signal work at Hancock and Washington streets from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on October 7 and 8, finishing nearly a week before the Taste.
The neighborhood's fall calendar is already well underway. The second annual Mission Hills Oktoberfest took place on September 18. Mission Hills Heritage held its 19th annual Historic Home Tour on September 26. This year it focused on midcentury modern homes, and the Robertson House opened to the public for the first time. Mission Hills Heritage's free members-only annual meeting is next, on October 17 from 4 to 6 p.m. at 2121 Fort Stockton Drive.
When a space on Restaurant Row changes hands, nearby homeowners usually want to know how the block's next chapter might affect their own property. John Rubino follows Mission Hills one storefront and one sale at a time. If you're curious what your home is worth this fall, get your free home valuation and consultation.
