“I’ve been fishing and surfing since I was a kid. I just love the water,” said Nico Gibbons, San Diego native and owner/operator of the soon-to-open Nico’s Fish Market. “The ocean has always been a part of my life… [and] I love everything about San Diego.”
Gibbons has been in the local fish business since he was a teenager, first working as a busboy at El Pescador Fish Market in La Jolla before eventually transitioning to fishmonger. It was then that he realized he had found what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.
“This is my dream—to open my own fish market restaurant,” he said. After attending business and film school at UCLA, while returning for shifts at El Pescador during school breaks and vacations, Gibbons left for Mexico City to work under acclaimed seafood Chef Federico Rigoletti (Contramar, Puntarena , Primos) and eventually moved back stateside to work at Hawaiian Fresh Seafood.
There, “I got to know the supplier side,” he explains, working in restaurants to understand what it takes to open his own. He was always on the lookout for a possible location, but when he couldn’t find the right place, he decided to launch a pop-up business in early 2022 to cultivate a following while he continued his search.
Nico’s Fish Market began popping up in local bars, restaurants, cafes, and other locations. “Slowly but surely, word of mouth started to spread,” he said. “We always have regular locals coming in for their weekend fish fix, and people rave about the food and stuff.” After a sold-out pop-up at Wayfarer Bread & Pastry in Bird Rock, he knew he had to find a brick-and-mortar to meet the demand.
Fate works in strange ways sometimes. Gibbons lives in Pacific Beach, and she walks her dog past La Perla Cocina Mexicana on Emerald Street all the time, often stopping for a bean and cheese burrito and a quick chat with the owner. When La Perla closed, Gibbons’ relationship with the owner meant he signed a lease right away.
“Now it’s like you have Nico’s Fish Market in Pacific Beach half a block from the water,” he laughed. “We really struck gold here.”
He estimates they will open at 745 Emerald Street by late summer as both a restaurant and fish market with more than 1,500-square-feet and indoor/outdoor dining. He envisions it operating like a “1950s dish market deli,” where customers can order to eat onsite as well as fresh cuts of fish to be picked up from the same counter.
The menu will be similar to the pop-ups, with favorites like ahi tuna poke bowls, local catch burritos, their signature habanero-guava-carrot hot sauce, and fresh oysters, but Gibbons said he plans to add some soup, salad, and sandwiches too. But he emphasizes that “transparency, quality, and freshness” distinguish him from other seafood vendors. “Everything is cut in order. What you see in the case of fish is what you eat that day… there are no shortcuts.”
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Julian Beer Company and Cyclops Farms launch Seasonal Dinner
On March 16, Cyclops Farms and Julian Beer Company will team up for a “collaborative, seasonal dinner” on the farm’s property in Fallbrook starting at 5 pm. Tickets to this rain-or-shine, 18+ event are $100, and guests are encouraged to bring their own wine to pair with a yet-to-be-announced multi-course menu led by Vince Marsaglia (Pizza Port, Port Brewing, The Lost Abbey) and Mike Aubuchon (Pizza Port, Heritage Barbecue).
Launched in 2014 in Oceanside, Cyclops Farm moved operations to four acres in Fallbrook in 2020 and now hosts monthly collaborative farm dinners with guest chefs. Their focus is to serve seasonal dishes made with local ingredients from their farm, as well as neighboring farms, and the menu tends to be a surprise based on ingredient availability and the chef’s vision.
“I don’t really ask the chefs to tell me what they’re going to cook,” laughs Luke Girling, owner of Cyclops. “They go and do their thing.” He said guests can expect about five courses related to an Irish and St. Patrick’s Day theme. Patrick’s Day, with a non-scary vibe. “It’s a big impressive portion, not too fancy… it’s like ‘bring your wine if you want wine, get your keg beer, and don’t miss a few courses, because we’re flying.’ “
Marsaglia opened Julian Beer Company in 2018, after renovating the space and adding a brewhouse to make craft beer onsite. Their menu ranges from pizza to barbecue and hosts an impressive tap list of local craft beers, ciders, and some NA options.
Aldea Opens This Week in La Jolla
Aldea, which means “village” in Spanish, will open this Thursday, February 22 at 1251 Prospect Street in La Jolla. Founder Steve Horowitz, a La Jolla native, brought in chefs Alex Reznick and John Villalba to create a California-Mexican menu featuring plenty of seafood, such as locally caught red snapper, mahi -mahi, fresh ceviche, and more, as well as meat dishes like pork belly, ribeye, short rib, and a great cocktail menu. Visitors may recognize Reznick from shows like Top Boss and Defeat Bobby Flayand Villalba from New York City icon Tavern on the Green.
The 3,200-square-foot space will be open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 4 pm to 9 pm; Friday and Saturday from 4 pm to 10 pm; and Sunday 4 pm to 9 pm, with brunch hours beginning March 9.
Beth Bites
Puffer Malarkey Coll’s upcoming Le Coq will open in La Jolla this spring, but with the hen going to the kitchen. Tara Monsod, executive chef at Animae and semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: California 2024 award, has been named executive chef for the French-inspired steakhouse in addition to her position at Animae. Take it, queen, take it!
More burgers are coming—Encinitas-based Eat Crispy Burger plans to open new locations throughout San Diego throughout 2024, including the Convoy District, Oceanside, Downtown, and Eastlake. I’ve never had a burger with crunch, but I’m always down to try something new.
More coffee. Living Room Coffeehouse has been a San Diego coffee and live music institution since 1991, and just opened a new location at 2512 Jamacha Road in Rancho San Diego.
More coffee. Achilles Coffee will open this year in Carmel Valley, their second location in North County and fifth overall. I haven’t tried their “authentic New York bagel”—can anyone confirm the fact? [email protected].
