By Ailyn Parada
MJ went into business with a humble frozen yogurt shop across the street from Southwestern College that has evolved into one of San Diego County’s best multicultural delicatessens.
Move over vanilla and make space for lizano sauce, longanisa and sisig.
Hidden underneath a sign that reads It’s Yogurt Time & Deli is MJ’s Fusion Grill, one of the most creative and delicious eateries in Southern California. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that MJ’s may be among the most intriguing and exotic restaurants anywhere in the world.
MJ and his uber-talented friend Chef Kevin, a former four-star restaurant chef schooled in the cuisines of the planet, created a complicated menu rich with choices that is like a truckload of pastel Legos in a skilled artist’s hands. MJ’s is a culinary reflection of the soil it sits on, a crossroads of the borderlands and Pacific Rim influenced by naval outposts, immigration hot spots and indigenous landscapes.
It is an array of earth’s best flavors artfully blended to make something completely unique.
MJ’s symphony of savoury began as a song simple as “Happy Birthday.”
“We got the idea from our childhoods when we would go to backyard parties in diverse neighborhoods,” said MJ. “San Diego County is this crazy melting pot. So at that party at your friend’s house the parents would bring the foods they loved. On your paper plate there might be pizza, hamburgers, pancit, burritos, rice and beans, jello, orange chicken, Spam, egg rolls, teriyaki…you name it.”
MJ’s is the ultimate SoCal backyard party with food elements from Guam, Mexico, the Philippines, Hawaii, Central America, Japan, Europe and the U.S. The brilliance of MJ’s, though, is not that they brought together an international menu, it is how they brought it together. Spices and seasoning is the key. That is what welcomes newcomers to the party.
Another part of the appeal of MJ’s is familiarity. The combinant food choices are not something weird from the Belt of Orion, but comforting formats with loving twists.
“That’s part of the goal,” said MJ. “We want to make food people are comfortable with that also challenges them a little. We want to invite people into other cultures through food. There really is no better way to get to know someone new.”
Chef Kevin and MJ are refreshingly open minded to the suggestions of regulars who offer ideas about seasonings and unheard of new combinations.
“Our customers have joined in on the fun and got to thinking about recipes,” said MJ. “That’s not exactly something you will see at the typical burger joint.”
MJ’s offers one-of-a-kind food alternatives from breakfast to lunch to dinner. The hearty breakfast burrito is a revelation, a Mexican-Filipino reincarnation of the egg, bacon, and toast breakfast of heartland America. It is enough to make you want breakfast three times a day.
For 15 years MJ’s has thrilled diners with Longanisa Fries, a head-on collision of American and Filipino cuisine with a dash of Costa Rica. Formed by Chef Kevin and tweaked by MJ’s customers over time, this popular plate is a found-nowhere-else blend of Asian salad mixed with fries, eggs, proprietary house sauces and longanisa. It is the deli’s best seller and a South Bay legend.
“No doubt, longanisa fries have kept us in business,” said MJ. “They are super popular with almost everyone.”
Its 805 South Burrito and 671 Par Burrito are tasty tributes to the nearby interstate freeway and the area code of Guam. The powerhouse 805 South Burrito consists of lumpia (traditional Filipino egg rolls), fries, eggs, house sauces, seaweed sesame seeds, a meat of choice and cheese.
Even the frozen yogurt flavors are unique. Purple taro root, verdant avocado and translucent thai tea are among the island-inspired swirls that can also be swirled into brave new combinations.
Brilliant and beloved, MJ’s has nevertheless struggled in recent years to keep the lights on and the longanisa simmering. COVID almost finished them off.
“Honestly, I don’t even know how we made it this far,” MJ said. “We should’ve closed a long time ago, but we’re still grinding.”
Running a restaurant requires an enormous amount of dedication and often keeps MJ and Chef Kevin anchored to their post. MJ said he regretted missing a Bonitafest ceremony in 2021 when he and Chef Kevin were honored for their pioneering contributions to the culture of San Diego County.
Their customers are glad for their resilience.
Kevin Bonilla, who said he considers himself a regular, is a diehard fan.
“Best place to eat, period,” he said. “First time I came here it blew my taste buds.”
Megan Carrillo, a brand new customer, concurred.
“I was stationed in Guam, so having some of the food from over there was nostalgic,” she said. “Wasn’t sure I would ever find Chamorro food again.”
MJ’s is food for the pallet and the soul that comes in flavors most people never knew existed. It’s a funky fusion funhouse that will make you feel at home.
Photo Courtesy of Mj’s Fusion
