In a 2022 Shoutout SoCal interview, Roger was asked where he would take a friend visiting San Diego. His answer covered nine places: Colima’s for Mexican food, Tadokoro and Soichi for omakase, Fort Oak and Madison for dinner and drinks, Donna Jean and Plumeria for plant-based meals, and Bird Rock Coffee and Chi Chocolat for coffee. Four years is long enough for a restaurant list to change, so on September 15, 2026 SD Foodie checked each one against current public listings.
Seven of the nine still have active public listings at the addresses on file: Colima’s on University Avenue in North Park, Sushi Tadokoro in Old Town, Soichi on Adams Avenue, Fort Oak in Mission Hills, Donna Jean in Bankers Hill, Plumeria on Park Boulevard and Bird Rock Coffee’s Little Italy café on Kettner. Being listed is not the same as a fresh review. It means the 2022 recommendations still point somewhere real.
Madison is in the middle of a change. San Diego Magazine reported in August 2026 that Madison on Park would close temporarily on September 7 for a multi-month renovation, with a lighter, share-plate menu and a new name to follow. Roger’s original tip was about the cocktails — especially the house barrel-aged mezcal and whiskey drinks — and the reported plans keep cocktails central. Until there is a new visit, though, Madison sits off the Roger’s Picks list with a temporary-closure note on its page.
Chi Chocolat is the clear loss. Public listings mark the Liberty Station shop as closed, with HappyCow recording a reported closure in October 2022 — the same year as the interview. Roger’s tip there was to ask the barista to invent an espresso drink, which is exactly the kind of personal, place-specific detail that disappears when a small shop closes. The page stays up as history.
That leaves a seven-place list that still works as a starting point: a forearm-sized surf ’n turf in North Park, two omakase counters, pork chops and whiskey cocktails in Mission Hills, vegan soul food and Hot Shrooms in Bankers Hill, panang curry at Plumeria and nitro cold brew in Little Italy. Check each restaurant’s own hours before you go, and look for these pages to gain dated visit notes as Roger revisits them.
