"We periodically evaluate our tenant mix and long-term vision for the property," Del Mar Plaza property manager Tamara Failla told The Coast News in June. She was explaining why the Plaza would not renew the lease of Pacifica Del Mar, which opened in 1989 as one of the first businesses in the newly built Plaza at Camino Del Mar and 15th Street. Pacifica closes in December, nearly 37 years in.
A few blocks south, the white brick building that housed Bully's for 48 years has been torn down. A new restaurant now stands in its place. Between them, these two places were part of the village for 85 years. Neither simply faded away. In 2026, Del Mar Village has very few blank storefronts. It changes by succession, with one occupant taking over another's address, and more of those decisions are now made on purpose by the people who own the buildings.
Two Anchors, Two Different Exits
Bully's closed in 2017. The lot then sat through a long rebuild before Hillstone Restaurant Group opened Honor Bar there. Hillstone also runs Houston's, Gulfstream in Newport Beach and Rutherford Grill in Napa. The Union-Tribune called the opening "highly anticipated" and noted it came nearly ten years after Bully's closed.
Pacifica's exit runs on a calendar the owners set. The restaurant got through recessions, the pandemic and a change of ownership in 2016, when longtime owners Kipp Downing and Jacquee Renna-Downing sold it to Sangiv Chopra. It still serves some dishes from its first menu, including the sugar-spiced salmon. Several staff members have been there more than 30 years, according to the restaurant's own farewell statement. The Plaza said it has "chosen to move forward with a new restaurant operator whose concept aligns with our goals for the future of Del Mar Plaza."
One closed long ago and its building was replaced. The other is closing because its lease was not renewed. Either way, the decision about what comes next sits with the property, not with whoever runs the restaurant.
Honor Bar Was Designed to Feel Like It Was Always There
Honor Bar has more in common with Bully's than its address. Inside the red brick building are brick walls, wood paneling, booths and heavy ceiling beams. The Union-Tribune said the room makes it "feel like a longtime fixture." A sunken patio sits off Camino Del Mar under a row of yellow umbrellas that match a vintage-style pole sign. Honor Bar also operates in Beverly Hills, Dallas, Montecito and Palm Beach, so a group with national reach chose to build something that looks like an old village bar.
The menu is short. It includes deviled eggs, chicken meatballs, hand-rolled sushi and the house "Osaka style" pressed sushi, along with the Honor Burger, a French dip and cedar plank roasted salmon. Practical details for a first visit:
- Hours: daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., at 1404 Camino Del Mar
- Seating: no reservations, but you can call ahead to join the wait list. The restaurant prefers parties of four or fewer.
- Payment: cashless
- Dress code: posted on the front window. Sportswear, backwards hats and flip-flops are not allowed.
- Parking: under the restaurant, entered from the alley off 13th Street
Del Mar Plaza, Re-Leased Space by Space
Brixton Capital, which describes itself as the "vertically integrated owner and operator" of Del Mar Plaza, has been the most active curator in the village this year. Here is how 2026 has gone at 1555 Camino Del Mar so far:
- January 10: Valley Farm Market opened at 8 a.m. Next door, the Baja-style restaurant High Marea opened at 11 a.m. the same day.
- Late April: Pacifica Breeze Cafe, Pacifica's casual breakfast and coffee spinoff, closed.
- May 15: Pacifica Del Mar announced it would close in December.
- By June 29: Desserts By Clément was open in Suite 304, the former Paris en Rose space, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
- August 11: Brixton announced La La Land Café for the former Pacifica Breeze space. It will be the coffee-and-matcha brand's first San Diego location, with 1,168 square feet indoors plus seating and queuing on the terrace. Construction and opening dates had not been set.
Brixton's own wording explains the list. President Rob Taylor said the goal is to "continue to attract fresh, exciting brands at the Plaza to best serve the community and stay at the leading edge of retail placemaking." Founder Marc Brutten called the La La Land lease "first-to-market" for a brand that has grown to more than 30 locations since 2019. The café is going into the southwest corner of the mezzanine, a spot the Plaza promotes for its panoramic Pacific views.
On Camino Del Mar, Every Opening Took Over a Former Tenant's Space
The street-level openings follow the same pattern. Queenstown Del Mar opened May 21 at 1435 Camino Del Mar, in the space WestBrew Del Mar used to occupy. It is the first North County restaurant from Queenstown Hospitality Group, formerly NZ Eats, which Matt Baker and PJ Lamont co-founded. The menu is New Zealand-influenced comfort food: lamb and Wagyu smashburgers, New Zealand-style meat pies, fish and chips and New Zealand sea bass. There is also a full bar and a menu for dogs.
Farther south, Sea Love held its ribbon-cutting the week of June 26 at 1201 Camino Del Mar. The shop sells ocean-themed gifts and offers scent blending. Its own site lists the address as Suite 102.
Count up the year and you get Bully's to Honor Bar, WestBrew to Queenstown, Paris en Rose to Desserts By Clément, and Pacifica Breeze to La La Land. Each one is a handoff. That is why the one handoff still unannounced matters so much.
The Last Race Meet With Pacifica Open
The Coast News describes Pacifica as a long-standing stop for people heading to the Del Mar Racetrack. With a December closing, the Bing Crosby Season, which runs November 6 to 29, is the last race meet the restaurant will see. The Del Mar Fairgrounds lists racing on November 6–8, 13–15, 20–22 and 26–29. Several village events fall around those dates:
- November 6: Opening Day at the track
- November 13, 8 to 9:30 a.m.: the Del Mar Village Breast Cancer Cheering Station, on Camino del Mar just south of 15th Street, the Plaza's own corner, as the Susan G. Komen 3-Day leaves Del Mar
- November 14: Uncorked: Derby Days Wine Festival at the track
- November 26: Thanksgiving racing and the Family Mile Fun Run
- November 29: Closing Day
- December 5: the Red Nose Run on the beach, with 3K and 5K run/walk options that depend on beach conditions
- December 6, 1 to 4 p.m.: Winter Taste & Sip downtown, followed by the 5 p.m. tree lighting at the Jim Watkins Amphitheater at L'Auberge Del Mar
Pacifica has not announced a final service date, so the safest way to plan a last dinner there is to go during the race meet rather than waiting until December. The restaurant's statement in May asked guests to "visit us one last time before we close our doors."
The Ocean-View Room Still Has No Name
In June, the Plaza said it would name Pacifica's successor "in the coming months." As of early October, no operator has been publicly announced. The only replacement the Plaza has named is La La Land, and that is for the smaller café space, not the dining room. Even La La Land has no construction start or opening date yet.
So Del Mar Plaza heads toward December with its most prominent dining room still waiting on a new tenant. Whoever takes it will be the first new restaurant in that room since 1989.
Across Del Mar Village, the question of what replaces a long-standing business shapes the walk from every nearby front door. If you're thinking about selling a home near the village this season, the Middleton Team follows these changes block by block and can show you how they fit into your home's story. List Your Home with us, and we'll start with the corner you walk to every day.
