Punch Bowl Social Prepping for June Rollout in East Village | Eater San Diego

"Opening June 9 in Makers Quarter, the 23,500-square-foot Punch Bowl Social San Diego transforms the historic Coliseum Athletic Club, a 1920s boxing venue, into a restaurant, bar, and “eatertainment” destination. Named a 2018 Most Innovative Company by Fast Company, the Denver-based group is focused on restoring the site and contributing to the neighborhood’s revitalization. The E Street venue packs two bocce courts, eight bowling lanes, private karaoke rooms, shuffleboard, billiards, ping pong, foosball, an arcade, and lots of TVs, while dining is headed by James Beard Award–winning chef and Top Chef judge Hugh Acheson, whose most thorough menu revamp to date debuts here before other markets. While keeping some American favorites—including a gluten-free variation on Southern fried chicken—Acheson adds modern Mexican–influenced dishes such as grilled Albacore tuna with kale slaw, pico de gallo, lime, and pickled red onion, and fried squash with braised sweet onion, avocado, quinoa, and salsa verde. The bar pours craft beer, cocktails, and punch bowls alongside non-alcoholic floats, shakes, and fizzes, and inside the Coliseum marquee the emphasis is on people vs. food, people vs. shots, and people vs. games in true Cali style." - Candice Woo