9 New Venues in San Diego for Fall 2023 Meetings and Events

A multimillion-dollar renovation is nearly complete at Hotel La Jolla, Curio Collection by Hilton, a landmark 50-year-old property in the seaside community of La Jolla Shores. The project includes a revamp of each of the property’s 110 guest rooms and suites, 1,600 square feet of meeting and event space, and the 11th floor—which will include the January opening of Sea & Sky, a penthouse-level fine dining restaurant replacing the hotel’s existing eatery Cusp Dining & Drinks. The restaurant will have a private dining room (pictured) with ocean views and space for 25 people; other event spaces include the 960-square-foot Sunset Room and a pool lounge that holds 75 people.

In September, popular taco shop City Tacos opened its seventh and largest location in San Diego. OB Playground is a 10,000-square-foot “taco garden” that comes complete with murals from local artists and a mix of picnic tables, high-tops, and fire pits with bench seating. There’s also a variety of games including life-size versions of Jenga, chess, dominoes, and Connect 4. Also on site is a dog park, paleta cart, flower shop, coffee shop, and vintage Volkswagen van that sells retail items from small businesses. OB Playground, which boasts its own parking lot, holds close to 200 people and is available for buyouts.

AC Hotels opened its first property in San Diego last spring. The eight-story AC Hotel San Diego Downtown Gaslamp Quarter, located just 3.7 miles from San Diego International Airport, has 147 rooms, a fitness center, and a preserved historic façade. Hotel highlights include AC Kitchen, which serves European-style breakfast, and AC Lounge in the lobby, serving a selection of Europe-inspired tapas. There’s also Techo Beso (pictured), a 21-and-over rooftop inspired by the culture of Tulum; it serves handcrafted cocktails and small bites, and hosts live DJs every weekend. For small meetings, there’s a 197-square-foot room that seats eight conference style.

James Beard Award-nominated LA pizza joint Pitfire Pizza opened in the San Diego area in October. Founded with the motto of “Food, Art, and Community,” the ninth location of the family-friendly chain features a seasonally updated menu of pizza parlor classics and farmers market favorites, all made with Pitfire Pizza’s slow-rise, fermented sourdough crust. The event-friendly Carlsbad location features a 20-seat bar serving local craft beer and cider, plus wine and specialty cocktails like craft slushies. The 3,500-square-foot dining room, meanwhile, has plush leather booths and tables for large groups; there’s also a 400-square-foot patio space. Playful pizza artwork from muralist KC Woolf Haxton brings life to the colorful space, which was created by the Hopson Rodstrom Design team.

Rare Society Solana Beach recently opened a new private dining room that seats up to 24 people and comes with a dedicated event planner, a custom menu, and a suite of presentation technology. The eatery from chef Brad Wise pays homage to retro steakhouses on the Las Vegas Strip, infusing modern concepts like wood-fired log boilers for meat, a progressive cocktail program, and sustainably sourced seafood. The sleek space features black marble, tufted leather booths, and a gold-paneled ceiling that evokes the Rat Pack era. In addition to the Solana Beach location, there are four Rare Society locations—in University Heights in San Diego, as well as farther north in San Clemente, Santa Barbara, and Mill Creek, Wash., near Seattle—each with a private dining room.

The historic Lafayette Hotel and Club reopened in July after a $31 million transformation—and in October, debuted additional restorations to various spaces including the Mississippi Room, best known as the location of the famous “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” scene in the original Top Gun movie. Other highlights of the 2.5-acre property include a low-lit mezcal bar with interiors compiled from a decommissioned church, a 1940s-inspired all-night diner, and an Olympic-size swimming pool. The opulent hotel was originally built in 1946 as a haven for young Hollywood stars like Ava Gardner, Lana Turner, Frank Sinatra, and Bob Hope.

Tasting room Pali Wine Co. in Little Italy recently started offering its space for private tastings, business events, holiday parties, wedding festivities, and more. Multiple areas are available for events, including a backyard that seats 80 or holds 150 for receptions, a rooftop that holds 30, or the main indoor area that holds 55. The entire space can also be rented for groups as large as 250, and the Pali Wine Co. team can arrange wine packages or tasting-style experiences with curated menus and live entertainment including musicians or DJs. An on-site kitchen offers food like mussels en escabeche, sheep's ricotta agnolotti, and cheese and charcuterie boards.

The newly refreshed and rebranded Wayfarer San Diego opened in September. The property features 126 bright and beachy accommodations, plus an oceanfront deck with a heated pool and an outdoor fire pit, and the new Zephyr Café for quick bites, craft canned cocktails, and local roasts from Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. While the hotel itself doesn’t offer dedicated event space, room blocks are available—and as a fun perk, Pacific Surf School, located just steps from the hotel, offers rentals and surfing lessons directly in front of the property.

For a quick group getaway, renowned hospitality group Marc & Rose Hospitality has reimagined The Inn at Laguna Beach; the revamped space is now called Casa Loma Beach Hotel. The luxury oceanfront property, which has 70 rooms, is getting a new look from design firm Electric Bowery and graphic and branding firm LAND; the decor pays homage to Laguna Beach’s creative history and clifftop landscape, with a calming color palette of sandy neutrals, clay tones, and seaside greens. For events, spaces include the Pacific Terrace, which holds 75 and overlooks the beach. Casa Loma will remain open throughout the renovation, with the first set of new guest rooms slated to debut before the end of the year.