At 25, Pacifica Del Mar serves up tradition (2024)

In the dining world, chefs are always looking for the next best thing. But at Pacifica Del Mar — which celebrates its 25th anniversary this month — new and old comfortably share space at the same table.

Since the oceanview seafood restaurant opened in 1989 on Del Mar Plaza’s top floor, owner Kipp Downing has continued to grow the brand while lovingly maintaining several founding traditions, like the frequently pilfered wooden-fish napkin rings and five dishes that have stayed on the menu since opening day.

Chef/partner Chris Idso, who came on board 15 years ago, said he’s never tempted to make radical changes to the menu because the formula at Pacifica is still working well.

“You get itchy for change sometimes, but there’s enough creative space on the menu to keep going,” he said. “Consistency is important and the challenge is to find new things to try while honoring what got us this far.”

Pacifica Del Mar was one of three San Diego restaurants that Downing and a former partner opened in the 1980s. Downtown San Diego’s Pacifica Grill survived for a decade before closing in 1994 and Cafe Pacifica in Old Town lasted nearly 20 years before it shuttered in 2004.

When the Old Town location opened, it had a bland white interior, so Downing’s staff went to Pier One Imports to find colorful table décor. They found small wooden napkin rings shaped like tropical fish and ordered hundreds of them at $1.50 apiece. When the Del Mar restaurant opened, the fish napkin rings followed. Now $3 apiece and hard to find, the fish have been so popular with sticky-fingered guests that an average of four disappear into pockets and purses every night, to Downing’s dismay.

Pacifica Del Mar started out with a flashy interior and Pacific Rim-style menu created by original chef Neil Stuart. Diners can still sample many of Stuart’s original dishes — including the sugar-spiced salmon, kimchi crab and takoshimi — but Idso has gradually migrated the menu in a more seafood-centric direction. Pot stickers and satays made way for hamachi and lobster rolls, and he has refined dishes with elements like avocado mousse and pomegranate gelee. He also added an oyster menu five years ago that’s become a big hit with diners.

And speaking of diners, Idso said some locals visit Pacifica (and its casual sister eatery downstairs, the Breeze Cafe), six to eight times a week. The bar also has a group of “Cheers”-style regulars who sit in the same chairs every night. Customers aren’t the only ones who keep coming back. Five servers have been on staff for 20 or more years, and two of the managers started out years ago as busboys.

To celebrate its 25-year history, Pacifica Del Mar this week introduced a three-course tasting menu that highlights some of the restaurant’s greatest dishes of past and present. The $25 menu will rotate nightly through Dec. 31.

While most restaurants never last a quarter-century, Idso said he sees Pacifica Del Mar carrying on for years to come because it has adapted with the times, remodeled and expanded when necessary and always honored its roots.

“We’re not ever going to be jumping on fads,” he said. “We want to be a leader, serve good food, source good ingredients and keep it fresh and seasonal. That’s what we do.”