Francophiles in San Diego must be foaming at the mouth. French steakhouse Le Coq just landed in La Jolla, chef Brad Wise’s upcoming French brasserie will transform a long-neglected corner of North Park into a Parisian portal next year, Amaya at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar recently reinvented itself as a West Coast-meets-South of France concept, French native Phillippe Maurin opened L’Orangerie in Coronado earlier this summer, and Bar Nice will open in North Park in early 2025.

The name is pronounced “Niece,” after the French Riviera town. Owner Anthony Viveros says he wanted to poke fun at the inevitable mispronunciations related to the town and the general friendliness. He explains that the dual nature fits perfectly with their Old World meets New World ethos. “There will be a dichotomy,” he says. “Our wine list motif will be half New World American and half Old World French, (and) you’ll see that in our food and cocktails as well.”

A Chicago native and longtime restaurateur, Viveros first came to San Diego in 2011 to open several True Food Kitchens with Sam Fox before traveling around Europe, including Nice, starting in 2016. He returned in 2018 to co-found Nolita Hall in Little Italy and worked there as operations manager until 2020, at which point he teamed up with Paul Basile and Jules Wilson to begin conceptualizing their Roseacre project in La Jolla. Bar Nice is his first hospitality project as founder and full partner.

While France in general is highly regarded for the quality of its cuisine, Viveros says the Mediterranean landscape and other unique cultural influences surrounding Nice provide the ideal source of inspiration for San Diego. Bar Nice will focus on traditional French dishes with a major seafood component, but “ultimately it’s a cocktail bar,” he explains. “We’re really going to focus on French liqueurs, aperitifs, quinquinas, agricoles, rums, that sort of thing.” He adds that they also plan to highlight low-intervention wines as well as plenty of southern French rosés.

Viveros’ wife Heather designed the interior and exterior with architect Philip Cudaback of Lahaina Architects, creating a warm, timeless, Old World-inspired design with lots of wood elements, marble-patterned tabletops and bar, black-and-white tiled floors, and brass and gold accents. Viveros laughingly calls it a “super-classic, old-school French vibe.”

Bar Nice’s hours will be Wednesday through Sunday, then seven days a week. Happy hour will run from 3 to 5 p.m., and Viveros says he plans to stay open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, closing at 11 p.m. the rest of the week.

Staying open late is non-negotiable, he says. “I think that’s a big gap in San Diego right now,” he stresses. It’s taken them a long time to get to the finish line – they signed the lease for the space in 2022 – but he’s optimistic about their place in San Diego’s dining scene. “We’re just really excited to be opening. It’s been a really long, long road, that’s for sure.”

Restaurant news and culinary events in San Diego

George’s At The Cove turns 40

Everyone loves the opening of a spectacular new restaurant, but staying in business for 40 years is another matter entirely. That’s exactly what La Jolla institution George’s at the Cove will accomplish on August 9 when it celebrates its fortieth anniversary on Prospect Street. Founder George Hauer, chef and business partner Trey Foshee, chef Masa Kojima and pastry chef Anna Adams will join in the celebration. The restaurant hosts many special events throughout the year, including an upcoming renovation and a chef-led dinner series.

Perry’s Café closes

Perry’s Cafe, an Old Town icon, announced its impending closure just a few weeks ago, but closed its doors earlier than planned on Monday, August 5. The legendary eatery was in operation for nearly 40 years, serving omelets, pancakes, hot coffee and hamburgers to tourists and locals alike. Owner Perry Eulmi cited her retirement as the reason for the closure, and we certainly wish her the best on her well-deserved break.

Beth’s Bites

• San Diego residents were a little disappointed with this year’s Michelin mentions (Tires, emptied—you understand?). We didn’t get a single new star – Sushi Tadokoro even lost one and the guidebook removed the Solare Restaurant from Bib Gourmand altogether. So that Los Angeles doesn’t feel to smug, Addison is still the only three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Southern California, so take that!
• San Diego Beer News first reported that Karl Strauss’ San Marcos location, called “The Outpost,” would close permanently on Sunday, August 11, citing numerous issues that prevented the experimental concept from operating after less than a year. No more locations will be closing – phew.
• As always, there are plenty of new restaurants on the horizon: 85°C Bakery Café is coming to Oceanside (bring me all the buns!), Birria Puesto is coming to San Marcos, Ten Gu Ramen is opening in Escondido in October, and Houston TX Hot Chicken is heating up Gaslamp on Saturday, August 24.

Do you have breaking news, exciting updates or great stories about new restaurants in San Diego or the city’s dining scene? Send your suggestions to (email protected).