La Doña

"Catch a breeze on La Doña’s Ocean Beach patio while enjoying the house Doña Margarita with fresh lime, agave, and El Jimador blanco tequila in a Hiwa Kai black salt rimmed glass. Adding guava is an option that should not be skipped." - Kelly Bone

"Formally in the spot held by Nati’s Mexican Restaurant, La Doña continues the tradition of serving Mexican food. The menu by Tijuana-born Gabby Lopez highlights dishes reflecting her background. There are TJ-style hot dogs, chicken tinga enchiladas, a molcajete of seafood and more." - Darlene Horn

"A sought-after spot in Ocean Beach — the sixty-year-old Bacon Street landmark Nati’s Mexican Restaurant — is starting this decade as a brand new Mexican eatery and cocktail bar from a team that’s familiar to the local community. Ownership includes Brendan Huffman and Hoffman Leung from Social Syndicate, which runs Wonderland Ocean Pub and OB Surf Lodge, and Matt and Judd Braun, the brothers behind Blue Water Seafood who partnered with the hospitality group last year to open an OB outpost. With La Doña, Leung says it was important for the group to pay homage to Nati’s by bringing Mexican food back to the 4,000-square-foot space, which has been transformed by design firm Tecture and features mostly outdoor seating. The restaurant is scheduled to open this Saturday, October 10 and will serve lunch and dinner daily. Born and raised in Tijuana, chef Gabby Lopez’s family is from Guadalajara and Nayarit. Many of their passed-down recipes were incorporated into her menu, which includes a trio of mariscos dishes, mini Tijuana-style hot dogs, a variety of tacos, and larger plates ranging from pork chile verde to chicken tinga enchiladas, a molcajete of seafood sautéed in garlic butter, and carne a la tampiqueña, a popular dish of citrus and garlic-marinated steak. The bar program includes beer from in-house brewery Resident Brewing as well as Mexican craft labels like Colima and Insurgente. Cocktails range from classic margaritas to the tropical OB Parrot made with Doctor Bird Jamaica Rum, Amaras Verde Mezcal, Rinomoto, demerara, pineapple, and lime." - Candice Woo

"La Doña is a cantina-style Mexican eatery by Social Syndicate, poised to open in Ocean Beach this fall." - Keri Bridgwater