Rendering of the East Village bar. | Swagyu Burger Bar Its new bar and restaurant opens Tuesday across from Petco Park A local burger brand is expanding again in earnest, starting with an East Village location across from Petco Park that opens Tuesday, October 1 just in time to see the Padres play either the Mets or Braves in game one of the NL wild-card series. Swagyu Burger Bar replaces R Place, the two-year-old sports bar on 10th Avenue facing the ballpark’s East Village gate. To give fans a spot to cheer on the Padres, Swagyu owner Steve Brown will be operating a temporary pop-up in the space that’ll run for as long as the Padres are in the playoffs and hopefully beyond, hosting watch parties for all home and away games. The pop-up’s menu will include the chef’s signature smash burger, featuring all Japanese wagyu and variations such as the El Swagador topped with pork belly and smoked onions along with Japanese wagyu tallow fries and a full cocktail list. Swagyu Burger Chef Steve Brown. When baseball season ends, Brown and his team will conduct a complete remodel of the site with plans to reopen in early February. The East Village restaurant and cocktail bar will be extending its menu to include wagyu short rib fried rice, ravioli with wagyu bolognese, and skewers of Japanese and Australian wagyu. Brown currently has six fast-casual iterations of Swagyu Burger in Southern California, including Westfield UTC, Newport Beach, Poway, and an outpost in Little Italy that also includes a butcher shop. Swagyu Burger Bar A rendering of the East Village dining room. A more upscale version opened in La Mesa earlier this year, and by the end of November Brown will be launching a Swagyu Burger Bar in the Mexican resort town of Mazatlan in Mexico. He says he’s also planning to bring back the higher-end steakhouse version of Swagyu that will be more similar to his previous restaurant in Pacific Beach. Swagyu Burger Bar Pop-Up Menu