Barbetta, the family-run Italian on Restaurant Row, will close after roughly 120 years; final service is Friday, Feb. 27. The house is offering select cellar bottles at steep discounts.

Tony Gemignani’s Slice House is coming to downtown San Jose at the Marketcenter on Coleman Avenue and is targeting a summer opening with regional slices. The chain will serve New York, Detroit, Grandma and Sicilian styles by the slice.

John Wayne Airport cut the ribbon on new dining and retail concessions on Feb. 19, kicking off a multi‑million‑dollar modernization that mixes national brands with OC favorites.

Hop City is turning a former boiling room inside Upper West Market into The Boiler Room, a 30-seat bar focused on beer, wine, cocktails and THC beverages. The bar won’t serve food; market vendors will handle eats.

Cousins Ann Groux and Sheneen Brown opened Lil Sista’s Goody’s, a downtown Napa soul‑food restaurant serving shrimp and grits, oxtails and a popular Sunday buffet.

A longtime Mill Avenue operator is opening RePUBLic — a sports bar, pool hall and live‑music venue — in the former Mill Cue Club and Zuma Grill spaces, targeting August 2026.

Insomnia Cookies is opening a third Minneapolis bakery on Uptown’s Lake Street and is already hiring crew and managers as the chain expands nationwide.

Alex Henry of El Molino del Sureste picked up his first James Beard semifinalist nod for Best Chef: Midwest, spotlighting Yucatán cooking and house-made masa.

A focused ramen bar from the Hot Joy team is open in downtown San Antonio, serving classic bowls and snacks with late-night hours.

So Deity Diner reopened Wednesday after months of repairs following the March 2025 tornado, celebrating with a ribbon-cutting and a city social post.

A new alpine yurt bar, Viking Mike’s, opens in the Arts District with a circular yurt, icy entry and a mead-forward drink list.

Dutch Bros is coming to Bradenton — its first shop in Manatee County — as part of the SeaFlower Village Center. The center is slated to be completed in late 2026.

Fincher’s Bar‑B‑Q plans an April opening at 102 S. Armed Forces Blvd in Warner Robins, bringing its pulled‑pork and ribs to a rebuilt storefront near Robins Air Force Base.