The Coronado Ferry Landing has had a vacant lot next to Il Fornaio for over 25 years. The Port of San Diego wanted two waterfront restaurants when they built the Ferry Landing in the late 1990s. They got one. Il Fornaio opened in 1999. The second restaurant never happened. Until now.
Maiden Coronado is under construction on that lot right now. It's a $10 million project by Social Syndicate, a San Diego hospitality group with about a dozen restaurants and bars across the county. It's the biggest thing to happen at the Ferry Landing in a generation, and when it opens in late 2026, Coronado's bayfront dining district will finally have the third anchor it was always supposed to have.
What's Coming: Maiden Coronado
The numbers are big. Nearly 12,000 square feet of indoor space plus a 4,300-square-foot wraparound patio. Twenty-two-foot ceilings. A 42-seat indoor bar that opens directly onto the patio. A secondary outdoor bar with 15 seats. An engineered teak facade. Total capacity for 300 guests. Ferry Landing Associates, the property operator, invested approximately $6.4 million for the building shell. Social Syndicate, led by CEO Brendan Huffman, is putting in $3 to $4 million for the interior buildout.
The menu will lean Baja-inspired seafood, craft cocktails, and local beers. Huffman said the concept draws from Social Syndicate's Monarch Ocean Pub in Del Mar. "We want it to feel elevated yet humble, with fresh coastal flavors, approachable dishes, and a welcome atmosphere for the community," he said.
Coronado Mayor John Duncan called the Ferry Landing site "one of the best views in all of San Diego." He's not wrong. The patio faces directly across the bay at the San Diego skyline and the Coronado Bridge. When Maiden opens, it'll have one of the most photographed restaurant views in the county. The lease runs through 2049.
Il Fornaio: The 25-Year Anchor
Il Fornaio opened in September 1999 and has been the Ferry Landing's only sit-down restaurant for most of that time. It has 2,889 reviews at a 4.4 rating. That's a quarter century of consistent performance. The Italian menu covers pastas, pizzas, seafood, and grilled meats, and the patio overlooks the bay. If you've eaten at the Ferry Landing in the last 25 years, you've probably eaten here.
Il Fornaio isn't going anywhere. Maiden Coronado is being built next door, not in place of. The two restaurants will share the same waterfront and the same 269-spot parking lot.
Peohe's: The Waterfront Institution
Peohe's is about a five-minute walk from Il Fornaio along the Ferry Landing waterfront. It has 2,080 reviews at a 4.1 rating and has been a staple of Coronado's dining scene for years. The Coronado Times ran a summer advertorial feature on Peohe's in 2026, which tells you they're still actively investing in their presence on the island. The menu is seafood-focused with a Pacific Rim influence, and the patio is one of the best spots on Coronado Island for watching the sun set behind Point Loma while the downtown skyline lights up.
The Bigger Picture
The Ferry Landing has been more of a ferry stop than a dining destination for years. Il Fornaio carried it. Bluewater Boathouse is nearby at 1701 Strand Way but technically outside the Ferry Landing complex. Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar is on Orange Avenue, a different part of the island entirely. The Ferry Landing itself lacked the critical mass to be a dining destination on its own.
Maiden changes that equation. Three waterfront restaurants within walking distance of each other, all facing the bay, all sharing a parking lot and a ferry dock. That's a dining district. And for visitors arriving by ferry from downtown San Diego, it means you step off the boat and you have three sit-down options without crossing a street.
What is the new restaurant at Coronado? Maiden Coronado. It's under construction at the Ferry Landing. It's projected to open late 2026. And if you're one of the 14,800 people who Google "Coronado Ferry Landing" every month, it's the answer to the question you didn't know you were asking: what's happening on the empty lot next to Il Fornaio?
Something. Finally.
