Dining Outside at Juniper & Ivy, San Diego
![The hamachi tostada with pickled pumpkin at Juniper & Ivy.](https://www.foodgal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Juniper-Ivy-hamachi-tostada.jpg)
Richard Blais of “Top Chef” fame may no longer be affiliated with Juniper & Ivy, where he was the founding chef, but this San Diego establishment remains as popular as ever.
Opened in 2014 by owner Michael Rosen in an abandoned warehouse, it kick-started a new renaissance in the city’s Little Italy. The kitchen is now helmed by Chef Anthony Wells, a James Beard semi-finalist.
When my husband and I dined on a recent Saturday night while on a Southern California road trip, the place was hopping with the dining room and bar full, and a group of fashionably dressed women celebrating some sort of occasion in the private dining room.
![The stylish restaurant was built in what was an old, abandoned warehouse.](https://www.foodgal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Juniper-Ivy-sign.jpg)
![The outdoor dining area.](https://www.foodgal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Juniper-Ivy-outside-dining.jpg)
We dined outside on the outdoor patio that has a living wall, as well as plenty of potted plants and a canopy awning overhead. One thing it doesn’t have, though, is heaters. So, be sure to dress in layers, especially if you tend to linger at dinner.
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