Callie

The story

Callie San Diego: Mediterranean Dining with a Michelin Bib Gourmand

Callie is a Mediterranean restaurant at 1195 Island Ave. in San Diego, and it earned a 2026 Michelin Bib Gourmand for good quality, good value cooking. Chef Travis Swikard, a San Diego native, opened the restaurant in 2021 after more than a decade cooking in New York.

Chef and cooking style

Travis Swikard spent over a decade in New York alongside Daniel Boulud and Gavin Kaysen. At Boulud Sud he cooked the food of Greece, Spain, Italy, Morocco and the Middle East. He brings those influences to Southern California farms and fishing boats. He calls the style Cuisine du Soleil, with light, bright and bold flavors shaped by land, sea and season.

Standout dishes

The pasta includes lemon saffron linguine with San Diego uni and bottarga breadcrumbs, plus pappardelle with duroc sausage ragu. Mediterranean octopus arrives with lemon, taggiasca olives and roasted garlic skordalia. Harissa grilled lamb chops come with cucumber and tzatziki. For dessert, the Meyer lemon pavlova pairs rose meringue with honey labneh.

Wine and cocktails

Lead sommelier Schuyler Munroe runs the wine program, and the by-the-glass list runs from light to full-bodied. Wine Spectator gave the restaurant its Best of Award of Excellence in 2025. The cocktail menu includes the Martini Du Soleil, made with Capri gin, vermouth, Lillet blanc and preserved lemon.