La Jolla’s Whaling Bar is back where it began
by themoneyoffice2.com@gmail.com February 17, 2024 · Food & Drink
After an 11-year absence and much anticipation, The Whaling Bar is again open for business at La Jolla’s La Valencia Hotel.
After a soft opening Feb. 15, the bar officially greeted guests Feb. 16, with many of them saying how excited they were to have it back. Some oohed and aahed as they walked in the door. One said the space still felt “intimate,” as it once did.
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And as in the bar’s former incarnation that closed in February 2013, Wing Howard’s 20-foot-long mural “The Whale’s Last Stand” hangs inside. However, while the painting was in storage, one panel sustained minor damage and will be repaired by the late artist’s son.
The reopening comes after a three-year effort to reinstate the nautical-themed Whaling Bar, which originally opened in 1949 and regularly played host to children’s author Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), novelist Raymond Chandler and Hollywood luminary Gregory Peck.
In 2021, eight years after it was replaced by an expanded Cafe La Rue, plans were announced to bring the Whaling Bar back at its original location in the La Valencia at 1132 Prospect St. The hotel issued a survey that year about the features guests would like to see and received more than 300 responses.
Based on the survey and requests from Whaling Bar loyalists, the new version has recessed booths, scattered casual seating and intimate lighting. Also back is cocktail favorite “The Whaler,” complete with cognac, coffee liqueur and homemade ice cream.
The drink menu also features offerings that pay tribute to La Jolla landmarks, such as the “Green Dragon,” a nod to the former Green Dragon artists colony; “The Jewel,” a nickname for La Jolla; the “Bishop’s Daiquiri,” for The Bishop’s School; and the “Cove Tea” for La Jolla Cove.
Restaurant group SDCM is the hotel’s operating partner for The Whaling Bar. It will lead day-to-day operations, including the cocktail and complementary bar menu, with beverage director Eric Johnson and executive chef Brian Redzikowski.
Other eating and drinking spots in the hotel will continue to be run by La Valencia.
SDCM also operates establishments such as Kettner Exchange in Little Italy, The Grass Skirt in Pacific Beach and Vin de Syrah in downtown San Diego. ◆
