Taste of Mission Hills!
By Trish Watlington, Board President, Mission Hills BID
After a long hot summer, fall is upon us, and I’m pleased to write my favorite column of the year. As a restaurant owner and food lover, I’ve been thrilled to be a part of the renaissance of Mission Hills as a premiere dining destination, which will make this year’s “Taste” more exciting than ever.
On Tuesday, October 13th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., twenty-five venues, from worldly to hyper local, will be featured at the 4th Annual Taste of Mission Hills. This event is hosted by your non-profit Mission Hills Business Improvement District and serves as our annual fundraising event. Advance Tickets are $25 and are available online, at One Mission Realty, 928 Ft. Stockton #217, and at The Front Porch at 928 Ft. Stockton, #101. Tickets are limited and last year we sold out!
It’s been another exciting restaurant year in Mission Hills. We have welcomed Farmer’s Bottega and 
Rita’s on West Washington Street to the dining scene. We have also seen the additions of Kettle & Stone on West Lewis and Heartwork Coffee Bar and Mission Hills Coffee Company, on Goldfinch. All offer so much more than coffee and have become community gathering spaces for neighbors and visitors. Pizza E Birra filled a niche in the ground floor of the Jonathan Segal “The Charmer” Building and in the taste buds on International Restaurant Row. And Brooklyn Girl, The Red Door, and The Wellington have each gotten a new chef. Every change has added to the excitement and attention Mission Hills has drawn as a place to find fabulous food fare.
So join us on October 13th. Experience an evening of delectable “tastes” in our lovely and historic neighborhood. Please your palate with dishes representing everything from local farms to international cuisine. Our restaurants have promised to share some of their newest dishes and some of their tried and true favorites. Mix and mingle with Mission Hills friends and neighbors, grab a cocktail or a glass of wine and stop in to some of our local retail establishments who will be open a bit later than usual.
No driving is necessary! Included in the price of your Taste of Mission Hills ticket is the Old Town Trolley shuttle service to locations along West Washington, Goldfinch, Ft. Stockton, West Lewis and International Restaurant Row on India Street. The trolley will run as a continuous loop to within steps of all the venues until 9:30 pm.
The 25 participating venues in 2015 include: 
- Blue Water Seafood Market & Grill
3667 India St. 619-497-0914 - Brooklyn Girl
4033 Goldfinch St. 619-296-4600 - Café Bleu
807 W. Washington St. 619-291-1717 - Cake – Your Local Bakery
3085 Reynard Way 619-295-2253
(Taste location – Meshuggah Shack) - El Indio
3695 India St. 619-299-0333 - Farmer’s Bottega
860 West Washington St. 619-458-9929 - The Front Porch
928 Fort Stockton Dr. Suite 101, 619-377-0430 - Gelato Vero Caffé
3753 India St. 619-295-9269 - Harley Gray Kitchen & Bar
902 W. Washington St. 619-955-8451 - Kettle and Stone Coffee and Tea
1619 West Lewis St. 619-326-8505 - Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria
4030 Goldfinch St. 619-299-4030 - Meshuggah Shack
4048 Goldfinch St. - Mission Hills Coffee Company
4015 Goldfinch St. 619-795-7889 - The Patio on Goldfinch
4020 Goldfinch St. 619-501-5090 - Pizza E Birra
3625 India St. 619-550-5796 - The Red Door
741 W. Washington St. 619-295-6000 - Rita’s of Mission Hills
768 W. Washington St. 619-795-9086 - Rubicon Deli
3715 India St. 858-488-3354 - Saffron
3731-B India St. 619-574-7737 - Shakespeare’s Corner Shoppe
3719 India St. 619-683-2748 - Shakespeare Pub & Grille
3701 India St. 619-299-0230 - Starlite
3175 India St. 619-358-9766 - Sushi Deli 1
228 W. Washington St. 619-231-9597 - Venissimo Cheese
754 W. Washington St. 619-491-0708 - The Wellington Steak & Martini Lounge
729 W. Washington St. 619-295-6001
“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.”
― Ruth Reichl