Madison on Park adds upscale deck for outdoor dining

Hundreds of San Diego County restaurants have scrambled to create makeshift outdoor seating areas in recent months due to the pandemic, but the owner of Madison on Park restaurant in University Heights is hoping the upscale outdoor dining deck he built for Madison and two nearby restaurants could become a permanent addition.

The new deck, constructed over parking spaces along Park Boulevard, was designed to replicate the tongue-and-groove cedar wood planking featured in Madison’s dining room. The new front deck adds 25 outdoor seats for Madison, as well as 20 new seats for Small Bar and 30 seats for Park & Rec, said Madison owner Matt Sieve.

“We wanted to do it right, to be the example of how it should be done,” Sieve said. “Hopefully legislation will follow to allow these parklets to be permanent. Just this week we added 20-plus shifts and hired three new employees. It’s a win-win any way you look at it. We’ll gladly pay the $20 a week the city was making on the two parking meters.”

Madison is at 4622 Park Blvd. Visit madisononpark.com.

Jimbo’s in Carlsbad expanding outdoor dining

The Jimbo’s supermarket at 1923 Calle Barcelona in Carlsbad is undergoing a renovation that will expand its outdoor dining area and bakery and add new display cases in its produce, deli and meat and seafood departments.

As part of the company’s sustainability program, the Carlsbad store will be the second Jimbo’s on the West Coast to remove from sale all single-use plastic water bottles. Instead it will install a refillable water station. The renovation will be complete this fall. Details at jimbos.com.

Pam Kragen writes about restaurants for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Email her at pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com.