San Diego Restaurant Week is giving diners across the county a chance to discover new restaurants — including a tucked-away Italian eatery in Lemon Grove.
Just off Broadway sits Giardino, a restaurant that has been serving the East County community since 2017.
Owner Karina Kravalis says opening in Lemon Grove was a deliberate choice.
“I recognized the need for a nice restaurant in this neighborhood,” Kravalis said.
Over the years, Giardino has built a loyal customer base. Kravalis estimates that about 75% of her customers are regulars who visit weekly.
“We are very fortunate to be here in Lemon Grove,” she said. “We have wonderful clientele, very supportive people.”
But while local support has helped keep the restaurant going, Kravalis says San Diego Restaurant Week provides an important boost in exposure.
Every year, Giardino makes it a goal to participate in the eight-day dining event, joining more than 120 restaurants throughout San Diego County.
Participating restaurants create special menus, often at lower prices, giving diners an opportunity to try dishes they might not otherwise order while encouraging them to explore restaurants outside the county’s better-known dining destinations.
For Giardino, that exposure can be especially valuable.
“Restaurant Week actually helps to give us extra exposure to people who are like, ‘Oh, I didn't realize there was a restaurant in Lemon Grove,’” Kravalis said.
The event also encourages diners to venture beyond areas such as Little Italy, where San Diego's restaurant scene is particularly well known.
“They realize they don't have to go to Little Italy to have great food,” Kravalis said. “We're so much closer to a lot of neighborhoods that are underserved in terms of restaurants.”
For Giardino, the goal is not just to bring in customers during Restaurant Week — it’s to turn first-time visitors into regulars.
Kravalis says some diners discover the restaurant through the event and eventually return on their own.
“Some people don't realize that we're here until they hear about us participating in Restaurant Week,” she said. “Then we create the new regular.”
For a restaurant that has spent nearly a decade building a presence in Lemon Grove, that kind of exposure can help bring more attention — and more diners — to East County.
And for Kravalis, it is another way to put Lemon Grove on the map as a dining destination.
