At the corner of Paseo Delicias and La Granada, the Lilian Rice building that has held Nick & G's since 2017 is closed for a redesign. The building dates to the 1920s. It began as the home of the Millar family, one of Rancho Santa Fe's earliest families, then housed Delicias for 24 years and, briefly, Ponsaty's, before Sandra DiCicco-Bonar of the Grand Restaurant Group opened Nick & G's and named it after her children, Nicolas and Gianina, as reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The restaurant's own site gives the closure as October 19 through November 15. Most of the places that opened in 2026 serve the morning and afternoon. Far fewer serve a sit-down evening, and that is the part of the day the closure affects.
What opened this year, and when each one closes
The Village has added real variety since spring. Rancho Sandwich and Creamery opened at 6110 El Tordo by the end of June with breakfast, sandwiches and soft-serve. Owner Chris Miller told the Union-Tribune it was seeing more than 100 customers a day. Paseo Pizza and Gelato followed with a grand-opening weekend on September 25 and 26 at 6024 Paseo Delicias. Owner Jennifer Fields also owns Paseo next door, and the new shop offers 18 signature pizzas, build-your-own pies, rotating gelato and craft beer, per the Union-Tribune.
Laid out by the hours each place posts, this year's additions and the Village's daytime regulars cluster heavily before 4 p.m.:
| Spot | Location | Posted hours |
|---|---|---|
| Rancho Sandwich and Creamery | 6110 El Tordo | Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| The Café at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe | The Inn | Daily, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Paseo | 6024 Paseo Delicias | Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m., kitchen to 9 p.m., closed Sunday |
| Paseo Pizza and Gelato | 6024 Paseo Delicias, Suite D | Daily, noon to 9 p.m. |
Two of the four close by mid-afternoon. The other two share an address, and on Sundays only one of them is open. With Paseo closed Sundays and Paseo Pizza and Gelato serving noon to 9 p.m. every day of the week, the newest storefront on Paseo Delicias is the Village's casual Sunday dinner. Paseo Pizza and Gelato also takes online orders for pickup and delivery.
The other familiar names round out the map. When the Union-Tribune listed the Village's options in late September, it named Mille Fleurs, Lilian's and the café at The Inn, along with Thyme in the Ranch, Caffe Positano and Rancho Roasters. Mille Fleurs takes reservations online, and The Inn describes Lilian's as its signature restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Through mid-November, those two dining rooms and the Paseo pair carry the Village's evenings.
The second dinner room that is also dark
For Association members, the closure of Nick & G's overlaps with another one. The Ranch Clubhouse at 5827 Via de la Cumbre is the Association's restaurant for "a laid-back dinner at our restaurant after a friendly round of golf." It is open to all members of the Rancho Santa Fe Association, and the Association's page still lists it as closed for renovations. Food service continues at the Golf Club Snack Bar, Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mondays.
The clubhouse work is close to finished. In early September, Association Director of Planning and Development Maryam Babaki said the new kitchen was nearly ready for service, with fire department approvals. The rebuilt restaurant will have a more open layout around a central circular bar, according to the Union-Tribune. By the October 1 board meeting, Chief Administrative Officer Dominique Albrecht said the project had reached "the pretty part": wood flooring, wall finishes and restroom tile. The kitchen had a temporary certificate of occupancy from the county so staff could begin prep and training, the Union-Tribune reported. The stated target is a fall opening, and no date has been announced.
The Snack Bar is the members' fallback, and it is next in line for renovation. The Association's page says members may use it "until its renovation phase begins." The Golf Club plans an enhanced kitchen, upgraded restrooms, and an expanded patio with a small upper deck on top of the structure, aiming to finish by the end of the year. On October 1 the board also approved an $850,000 paver plaza at the Golf Club entrance, paid for entirely by the club, to link the new clubhouse, the players' clubhouse and pro shop, and the expanded Snack Bar. Tom Huesgen, the club's director of agronomy, hopes to finish by the first week of February 2027. He named the expected super El Niño as his biggest concern and said there would be some access challenges during construction. For members, the club campus will have construction at its entrance into winter even after the dining room reopens.
What returns to the corner after November 15
The Union-Tribune described a fully redesigned dining room and bar, new private-event and patio spaces, and a California-Italian menu built around handmade pastas, pizzas and seasonal shared plates. Chef/Partner Alex Carballo, who has been with the Grand Restaurant Group for about a year, is narrowing the menu to coastal Italian-American dishes, with local produce, handmade pasta and seafood, while keeping some of the restaurant's familiar dishes.
The space draws on the Amalfi Coast, with brighter yellows, oranges and blues developed with designers Rachael Lorraine Harris and Michael Soriano. A large olive tree will stand at the center of the dining room among new custom banquettes. A new wine cellar will look through to a lighter bar and lounge, and the kitchen will be visible from the room. Outside, a wave-shaped shade canopy will cover the planted patio, and the back courtyard will become a garden with water features.
Carballo's own comments, as reported by the Union-Tribune, connect the restaurant to the Village's newer openings:
"I like the energy when there's more…it gives people a little more variety and a reason to go into Rancho Santa Fe, and we're in the heart of it."
The restaurant also plans to keep up the evening programming it was building before the closure: live music, special dinners and community events, following a recent multi-course Patrimony Estate wine dinner held with local partners. The site gives November 15 as the last day of the closure and has not announced a reopening day or a reservations date. The Union-Tribune points readers to nickandgs.com and @nickandgs on Instagram for updates.
December adds evenings at The Inn
The Village's evening calendar picks up again in December. The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe's Champagne Chalet runs December 3, 4, 10, 12 and 17 through 19, with Perrier-Jouët tastings, cheese fondue, spa packages and private events. The Inn says it is open to guests and locals, and walk-ins are welcome.
If both the clubhouse and Nick & G's reopen on schedule, by mid-December the Village will have a rebuilt dining room on Paseo Delicias, a members' clubhouse with a new circular bar, a pizza shop serving dinner seven nights a week, and an Inn hosting December evenings. Until then, Nick & G's stays closed through November 15.
How a property sits in relation to the Village's daily rhythm, from a morning sandwich on El Tordo to a walk to dinner on Paseo Delicias, is a detail our clients ask about often, and one we follow closely. If you'd like to talk through how the Village's changes affect a property you own or are considering, WM Luxury Real Estate welcomes you to request a private consultation.
