Gaslamp Mexican Spot La Puerta Expanding to Mission Hills | Eater San Diego

"After a dozen years on Fourth Avenue, I'm excited that La Puerta is venturing out of the Gaslamp to open a second location in Mission Hills. Owner Merritte Powell — now a Mission Hills resident who had long contemplated expanding the popular Mexican eatery — signed the lease to take over The Patio on Goldfinch and plans to redesign the 4,000-square-foot LEED-certified space to put even more emphasis on patio dining, remove the former cheese room to lengthen the bar, and expand the kitchen. While the downtown outpost has a casual cantina feel, the Goldfinch Street restaurant will be more upscale, family-friendly and may offer late-night service. The existing menu of salads, tacos and burritos will carry over, but a larger kitchen will allow more seafood options and a greater variety of entrees; crowd-pleasers like Taco Tuesday, happy hour and weekend brunch will remain, along with the comprehensive list of agave spirits, and the new bar will feature more progressive cocktails and seasonal frozen drinks. Powell hopes Mission Hills residents who told him via Nextdoor they wanted a full-service Mexican restaurant will embrace the spot, which should be ready in four to seven months and could be a model for future North County expansion." - Candice Woo