THE FOODIST / HUMBLE CORNER VAULTS INTO WORLDWIDE FAME

[Original PillartoPost.org review]--When Finca opened in early 2024 on the northeast corner of Grim Avenue and North Park Way in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood, it brought huge ambitions to a modest neighborhood corner and became a show piece of epicurean savoir faire, a place where Spanish tapas met California produce, where wine was poured with knowledge but without pretense, and where neighbors felt welcome. 

In less than two years, that corner has vaulted into international view. In the October 2025 issue of Wine Spectator, one of the most widely read wine publications in the world, Finca appeared on the cover as part of the magazine’s annual roundup of “Editors’ Favorite Wine Bars.” 

The honor placed Finca among 38 wine bars worldwide and marked the only San Diego entry on the list. What drew Wine Spectator’s editors to North Park was not flash or exclusivity but a balance of substance and community. The magazine praised Finca’s range of more than 20 wines by the glass and a bottle list of about 165 selections, most priced under $100. 

Equally important was the atmosphere: a restaurant where the food and wine work together, and where the tone stays neighborly even as the ambitions reach higher. “A community-focused establishment centered on good food, wine and company, as any good wine bar should be,” the editors wrote. 

The selection validated what local critics had already been noting. San Diego Magazine described Finca’s menu as bold and inventive, pointing to dishes such as bone marrow with red-pepper jelly and steak tataki with fermented scallop ponzu. 

Eater San Diego highlighted the integrity of the tapas concept, saying it was not staged as a novelty but built into the daily rhythm of the kitchen. Now, with a Wine Spectator cover under its belt, Finca finds itself in a rare category: a neighborhood restaurant with international recognition. 

For longtime residents of North Park, that recognition carries extra weight. “Amazing to see modern North Park shine so brightly. Amazing because the neighborhood in the early 1990s was considered a blighted area by the Feds,” said Thomas Shess, founder and editor of North Park News. 

From its beginnings as a barbershop and repair shop corner to its present identity as a destination for food and wine, the corner of Grim and North Park Way has come a long way. Finca’s rise offers proof that neighborhood spirit and global standards can meet on the same block — and sometimes, even make the cover of a world famous epicurean magazine. 

Finca Restaurant Looking South San Diego Magazine photos.