Murals

The West End is the gateway to Mid-City and The Boulevard.

The Lafayette Hotel is a historic icon in San Diego, and a beacon that welcomes tourists and locals alike to El Cajon Boulevard. It wasn’t long after the hotel was built in 1946 that the Red Fox Room opened within the hotel quarters.  While now across the street, The Red Fox has kept its classic charm and remains a sought out destination for their great piano bar and old school cuisine.

Surrounding the hotel is an incredible grouping of ethnic food including Pomegranate, a Russian restaurant that attracts a unique clientele with an appreciation for the old world.  Next door is Flavors of East Africa is which offers delicious flavors from Chef Owino’s home country of Kenya.  For amazing homemade Lebanese wraps, Mama’s Bakery is one of the best lunch spots in town, not only for the food, but also for the casual outdoor seating available on the adjacent public parklet.

The Live Wire, now going on their 30^th year is recognized as a pioneer in capturing a local night life scene on The Boulevard when times were a lot tougher than they are now. Pizzeria Luigi’s, with foosball and a pool table and thin crust pizzas.

With so many thriving businesses encompassing El Cajon Boulevard’s West End Hub, it is no wonder there are numerous new multi-story mix-use developments, which means a larger community of people attracted to the vitality of urban living and small business activity.

#30ECB Businesses in North Park are proud entrepreneurs who have honed in on their craft and turned the neighborhood into a small business center with fantastic cafes, craft beers, delicious restaurants, fine art and sustainable goods. While University and 30th Street has long been a notable center of the business district, a new cluster of businesses at 30ECB (30th and El Cajon Boulevard) have helped to define an alternative center to North Park that’s also bound by the homemade, hand crafted, sustainable, local spirit of great neighborhood businesses.

The Central Hub is ripe with opportunity. Beginning at the 805 and heading east to Little Saigon, Central has seen large public investment over the years.  This includes the Centerline transit station, the new Wilson/Central School and the Copley-Price Family YMCA.

Little Saigon Beginning in the 1970’s, Vietnamese businesses began to populate storefronts along El Cajon Boulevard, clustering in the six-block stretch between Highland Avenue and Euclid Avenue.  Today, a majority of the businesses within the boundaries of the Little Saigon District are owned and operated by Vietnamese-Americans.  Defining the area as a “Little Saigon Cultural and Commercial District” validates the incredible amount of perseverance, hard work, and dedication the residents of the district have shown over the past 30 years.

The El Cajon Boulevard BIA and the Little Saigon Foundation work closely with local businesses and residents to revitalize the business economy on El Cajon Boulevard.  Thanks to the work of the El Cajon Boulevard BIA, Viet Vote and Little Saigon Foundation, Little Saigon San Diego is in its early development stages.  Through the celebration of holidays, culturally appropriate street improvements, enhanced tourism, and civic engagement of local youth and residents develop, the goal is to see that Little Saigon become an iconic neighborhood destination throughout San Diego.

BLVD EAST stretches from Euclid Ave to a block east of 54th St. This emerging hub is home to a number of small businesses with an international flair. This includes Su Pan bakery, Frutería Don Chamango, Cali Baguette, African Caribbean Market, Phở Ca Dao and World Foods.