San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour Podcast
1) Naming the Best Soups in San Diego at Coco Maya
At Coco Maya, try chef Phil Humphrey's skirt steak with chimichurri, his big-knuckle lobster tacos, and a damn phenomenal coconut shrimp (the '80s classic will be slandered no more). What's your favor...Show More
2) Is Ozempic Changing the Way We Dine?
#419 On this week's Happy Half Hour, journalist Claire Trageser joins hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant to talk about her latest piece: Is Ozempic Killing Restaurants? With more diners eating less ...Show More
3) Why San Diego's Neighborhood Bars Still Matter
Broadcasting from The Shanty in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Happy Half Hour looks at the week's biggest restaurant news, including the upcoming closures of Dreamboat and Vulture and the shuttering of Cucina E...Show More
4) One of Little Italy's Top Chefs Returns
One of Little Italy's top chefs is back. Hard to overestimate how much Ironside Fish & Oyster changed the game when it opened in Little Italy in 2014. It was the dream concept for Jason McLeod, a che...Show More
5) San Diego's First Women's Sports Bar Lands in North Park
Patricia Sebold, Kalani Millsaps, and Kerry Pierce join Happy Half Hour to discuss their new concept: a women's-focused sports bar opening in North Park. We find out how the project came together and ...Show More
6) San Diego's Roast Beef Awakening
#415 On the latest Happy Half Hour, host Troy Johnson traces a proper Sunday roast into its evolution as a distinctly American handheld obsession. Following the breadcrumbs leads straight to Big Jim's...Show More
7) Cesarina & Elvira's Niccolò Angius on Pasta's Staying Power
On this episode of Happy Half Hour, co-hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant sit down with Niccolò Angius, the Italian-born chef-owner behind Cesarina and Elvira, to explore why pasta holds such an end...Show More
8) Lucien Lands in La Jolla With a 13-Course, Big League Tasting Menu
#413 On Happy Half Hour, host Troy Johnson talks with chef Elijah Arizmendi about leaving home at 15, training in Vegas and New York, and opening Lucien — an ingredient-obsessed, 30-seat destination b...Show More
9) Megastar Guy Fieri on Building an Empire & What's Next
#412 This week, Happy Half Hour host Troy Johnson talks with Food Network megastar Guy Fieri about how a one-off Flavortown joke grew into a national food brand, from pop-up kitchens to a fast-growing...Show More
10) Checking in With San Diego's Oldest Bar, Where Tequila Is Cheaper Than Therapy
#411 Bebemos cofounder Preston Caffrey and Waterfront Bar & Grill's Dennis Glover talk cocktails, what makes a good regular's bar, and running a local legacy This week on Happy Half Hour, the crew pos...Show More
Checking in With San Diego's Oldest Bar, Where Tequila Is Cheaper Than Therapy
1:14:21 | Dec 11th, 2025