Mission biography of san diego cafe

Newly renovated and re-dubbed as the Mission Bay Beach Club, the iconic Mission Bay Visitors Information Center has returned to its original purpose as a gathering space for locals and tourists with the opening of an all-vegan coffee shop called Superbloom and a forthcoming restaurant.

A curvilinear structure built in 1969 by San Diego’s Richard “Dick” Lareau, the building overlooking the bay has lived many lives. Once the heart of Mission Bay tourism, the site eventually became an unmanned vending machine area, storage space, and public bathroom. In 2010, the site was decommissioned and sat derelict until this year.

Superbloom sits under the mid-century spire that crowns the renovated building, which was modernized by Bradley Schnell of Playground Design and Kristine Overacre of Beaucoup Creative in partnership with the City of San Diego and the Mission Bay Parks department. Local roaster Mostra provides the beans for Superbloom’s hot and cold drinks, which can come spiked with flavored syrups or a foamy pour of oat milk. The pastry case is filled with flaky croissants and tender scones from Split Bakehouse, and this is the only spot to get Split’s oat milk ice cream sandwiches. Prepared savory dishes from Urban Remedy, like a vegan Caesar salad or soba noodles bowl, are available as well.

The back side of the building holds Beach Bunny a bike rental and beach boutique and the prime bay-facing curve of the building is slated to become an all-day wood-fired pizzeria and wine bar called Picnic sometime next year. The gentle slope towards the building is planted with an urban vineyard that Schnell and Overacre hope to press into a house wine. “We’re just at the early stages and need to see how our grapes fare on site, but so far so good,” Overacre tells Eater.

It’s two-for-one at The Sasan, Mission Hills’ newest eye-catching addition at 901 West Washington Street, on the corner of Washington and Goldfinch Street. The 54-unit residential building, draped in ferns and soft, undulating curves, is home to two new restaurants: Paradis on the ground floor (which opened early this month) and Communion on the rooftop.

Restaurant owner Jacquee Renna Downing has been a familiar name in Southern California dining for years as owner of La Quinta Cliffhouse and Pacifica Seafood in the Coachella Valley. She also previously owned Pacifica Del Mar with her late husband, Kipp Downing. Downing is a Carlsbad native and says she and her husband strived to return to San Diego before he passed away.

“We wanted to bring our roots back to San Diego,” she adds, noting that, while she loved her time in the desert, there’s just no place like home. Plus, her daughter may want the keys to the kingdom one day—or so Downing hopes. “We needed to get ourselves a foothold before she’s ready to take over the restaurants,” she laughs. “We just believe that it’s the place for us.”

The team she assembled for both concepts brings decades of experience: Executive chef Mike Moritz (Mille Fleurs, Mister A’s) helms Communion and chef Jon Hawkins (Common Theory, George’s at the Cove) leads Paradis. There’s overlap between the two as well, with Aly Lyng (George’s at the Cove) assuming the pastry chef position alongside lead bartender Eliza Woodman (Camino Riviera) and bar consultant Marina Ferreira (Botanica). 

Paradis

Paradis is the building’s daytime café, offering coffee, pastries, and small bites through the afternoon, when it transforms into a European-style pintxo bar. Pintxo (pronounced pin-cho) is a type of small snack popular in the Basque region of Spain, meant to be casually enjoyed in a group. The indoor and outdoor space, designed by local group Design Perspectives, cover