Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Tent City Restaurant Expands Menu and Enhances Outdoor Dining

The pandemic has undoubtedly shaken up business at most restaurants. Coronado’s Tent City Restaurant used this time as an opportunity to make improvements. Preston Cobb took over management of the restaurant in September with plans to revamp the long standing Coronado staple.

Tent City Waffles
Brunch Option- Waffles

New Menu

Preston explains that after the first wave of coronavirus, Tent City had tightened up its hours by cutting the dinner menu during the week. Now though, with an updated menu in place, brunch begins at 8 am, flowing into a 2-5 pm happy hour, and ending with dinner service. New happy hour favorites include the house made hummus, vegan street tacos, and the chef’s charcuterie board.

Tent City Vegan Street Tacos
Happy Hour Option – Vegan Street Tacos

While tourists contribute to Tent City’s success, the restaurant focuses on locals and returning customers. Preston says that long time customers are “happy with the changes.” One menu item that customers can count on to stay is the pot pie. “The pot pie has been around for years so we wanted to keep an OG menu item that customers look forward to,” Preston assures. Of the additional menu choices, Preston explains, “people are more health conscious, many looking for more vegetarian and vegan options,” and the vegan street tacos are a prime example of this. For those that enjoy seafood, Preston suggests the grilled lobster, not only for its taste but for the price point and presentation.

Tent City Grilled Lobster
Dinner Option – Grilled Lobster

The new menu also extends past the usual clientele – made in-house are Debee’s Puppy Pastries. Current flavors include banana peanut butter, bacon peanut butter, and oat milk banana honey. The organic treats can be enjoyed on the dog friendly patio or taken home (a perfect pup stocking stuffer…).

Tent City Charcuterie Board
Happy Hour Charcuterie Board

Outdoor Dining

In addition to the enhanced menu, upgrades to the outdoor seating have been made to accommodate the changing dining restrictions. Preston shares, “we are lucky with a lot of outdoor seating already, and now we have added heaters and fire pits.” He adds that Tent City had offered blankets to patrons in the past to keep warm but with the new restrictions he continues to look into other options to keep guests comfortable on the patio.

“We don’t know when we will have indoor dining again so we are focusing on the experience of the outdoor dining.” Preston laughs, “I am used to turning restaurants around, but never in a pandemic!” In addition to warmth, Preston considers both the ambiance and prices a priority. Candles are added during the dinner service and they are sprucing up the decorations. Right now, the vibe is fall harvest, but winter touches will take over soon. “I want locals to feel comfortable. That they can come in here and have a good price point. They don’t need to spend an arm and a leg. It’s also important that they feel safe here and want to come in even a few times a week.”

In addition to dining at the restaurant, Tent City offers their menu on GrubHub and Door Dash.

 

 

More Changes to Come

While many changes have already been made, Preston’s vision is not complete. “We would like live music, such as an acoustic guitarist, and wine dinners with a sommelier.” Also in the long term plan is acquiring a full liquor license. There is no timeline on some of these items as Tent City is following all state and county guidelines relating to the virus restrictions. Preston encourages locals to visit and try some of the new menu items, and reminds us that, “we are all in this together, please follow the guidelines.”

*Thanksgiving Special*

Lime roasted chicken

Tent City has a thanksgiving dinner meal kit made for reheating. Items include:
– Lime roasted chicken
– Baked asparagus in garlic butter sauce
– Homemade mashed potatoes
– Roasted Brussel sprouts

Order here.

 


Tent City Restaurant • 1100 Orange Ave, Coronado
TCR websiteInstagram



Alyssa K. Burns
Alyssa K. Burns
Alyssa is a graduate of Coronado High School and was in the founding broadcast journalism class at CHS. She earned her BA in Communication from CSU East Bay and completed her MBA from CSU San Marcos. Her passion for writing and interest in the behind the scenes of business, leads her to write frequently about Coronado businesses. You can find Alyssa walking around the ferry landing with her husband and shih-tzu terrier or enjoying a cup of coffee at one of Coronado's favorite cafes.Have a story for The Coronado Times to cover? Send news tips or story ideas to: [email protected]

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