The Joint Sushi & Tapas opened in 2011 inside the former Little Chef diner at the corner of Newport and Cable Streets, debuting Ocean Beach's first taparia. The fish program pulls six days a week from a single Japanese fishmonger in Los Angeles, building inventory from one source rather than splitting across multiple wholesalers — a single-source discipline closer in spirit to the Old World wine curation at Vinum Locus a block west on Newport. The current executive chef previously served as chef de cuisine at downtown's Mister A's and East Village steakhouse Cowboy Star, running a tapas line built on Specialty Produce deliveries and three local farms. The Newport patio sits at the geographic center of the Wednesday Ocean Beach Farmers Market, a foot-traffic intersection shared with Ocean Beach Brewery two blocks west on the same Newport corridor. The menu spans Peruvian-style ceviche in a lime-cilantro-chili marinade, salmon carpaccio with chili ponzu and tempura jalapeños, blackened wild salmon tacos, and seared A5 wagyu nigiri. The most ambitious project on the operator's plate is The Joint Hilo Sushi, a Hawaii sister concept currently in development that exports the Newport Avenue sushi-and-tapas hybrid to the Big Island.