looking for a fun upcoming event to bring your food to go? check out these options throughout spring and summer:
san diego earthfair
the largest free environmental fair in the world, san diego’s annual earthfair at balboa park features hundreds of exhibitors, special theme areas, live entertainment, arts and crafts, and an ehome exhibit showcasing products and tech to make your home more environmentally sustainable. since you’ll need to keep your energy up walking around the huge historic park, we recommend bringing along our sonoran chicken or house roast beef sandwich.
- when: april 22, 10am-5pm
- where: balboa park
- price: free
motorcars on mainstreet car show
car nuts will go nuts over the 400-plus classic cars, hot rods, and custom cars and trucks on display at coronado’s annual event, which also features live music from the cat-illacs and special raffle drawings through the day. for such a classic event, we recommend bringing along our classic club sandwich, although our baby back rib sandwich fits the car show’s americana theme as well.
- where: isabella ave. and orange ave., coronado
- when: april 29, 10am-3pm
- price: free
ocean beach kite festival
celebrating its 70th year, the ocean beach kite festival is a colorful way to spend a saturday. in addition to professional kite demonstrations and kite building and decorating workshops, the festival also includes games, crafts, carnival activities and live music. whether you go alone or bring the kids, we recommend bringing along our light and breezy caprese sandwich or the colorful hoisin-ginger pulled pork sandwich.
- where: dusty rhodes park, ocean beach
- when: may 12, 10am-4pm
- price: free
grunion run with birch aquarium
if you’ve never experienced the magic of watching thousands of small silver grunion fish ride the waves into la jolla to spawn, no need to worry because it happens every year. this late-night event hosted by birch aquarium includes educational commentary by birch naturalists, but be sure to bring your own flashlight and dress for wet conditions. as for a sandwich recommendation, we’d love to recommend the on-point avocado highway with smoked salmon added, but out of respect for the grunion and to keep you warm, we’ll go with smokey the meatloaf sandwich or our eggplant ball sandwich.
- where: birch aquarium at scripps, la jolla
- when: may 31, 10:30pm-12:30am
- price: $15 for birch members, $17 for the public
big bay boom
you can find fireworks just about everywhere on the fourth of july, but if you want to experience the largest fireworks show in the entire county, head down to the san diego bay for the big bay boom. fireworks discharged simultaneously on barges around the bay will be visible from the embarcadero south marina park all the way around to shelter island. while enjoying the amazingly choreographed 17-minute show, we recommend warming up with the o.f.t. sandwich (turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy on sourdough), or one of our house-made soups of the day.
- where: san diego bay
- when: july 4, 9pm
- price: free
cardiff dog days of summer
come celebrate man’s best friend at cardiff-by-the-sea’s annual dog-centric festival. located in a gorgeous community park near the beach, you and your pooch can peruse the wares of over 100 dog-related vendors and enjoy live music, kids activities, and more. there’s even a variety of contests for your dog to enter, with the chance to win a ribbon and goodie bag filled with prizes. as for your human treat, we recommend you bring along one of our most popular sandwiches, like the cali cubano or loins of fire.
- where: encinitas community park, encinitas
- when: august 12, 11am-6pm
- price: free
picnic at a park
while several of the events listed above allow drinking on-site, there are only a few areas in balboa park that allow alcohol and most san diego city parks don’t allow it at all. so if you’re looking to plan a weekend picnic at a local park with gourmet bfd sandwiches and craft beer to go, try historic presidio park overlooking old town, the calm lakefront of lake murray community park, or the chill beachy vibes of ocean beach community park. any gourmet sandwich will fit the bill, and you’ll love our beer selection, too.
rather stay home? we’ve got you covered
there’s plenty to do in san diego for tourists and locals alike, but if a weekend spent lazing around your house and binge-watching your favorite show is more your style, we’re here for you, too. bypass the drive-thru and stop in at our university heights or solana beach locations for a delicious gourmet sandwich and local craft beer to go. then go slip into your jammies and get your binge-watch on.
