La Mesa Village Slated to Become the North Park of East County
Just a hop, skip, and a jump from Vine Ripe lies "The Village", La Mesa's sleepy downtown, which aside from a few eateries & boutique businesses, is dominated by antique shops and real estate offices...but not for long! It's slated to transform into a mini North Park, and the plans are already well underway. New coffee houses, breweries, cafes, restaurants, and hangouts are beginning to dot the BLVD, & the businesses that have already been announced are just the tip of the iceberg. A swanky brewery "beercade" with self-service taps has already opened its doors, and additional grand openings will be soon to follow.
Coin Haus
A brewery and beercade called CoinHaus has already opened, which offers self-service beer & wine taps alongside traditional stand-up arcade games...all of which can be paid for with the swipe of a wrist - a preloaded payment band that looks like a watch.
Farmer's Table is a farm-to-table concept that will be taking over the location that San Phillipo's occupied for 30 some-odd years, which closed its doors for the final time at the end of June. We were all sad to see our neighborhood staple go, but the owner simply felt that she was getting on in age and wanted to enjoy a simple, quiet retirement.
The new spot will strive to let the natural flavors in food be dominant, and keep dishes simple, fresh, healthy, but still delicious. They will also serve beer and wine.
Fourpenny House is another restaurant & brewery coming to the Village this fall. It will specialize in bread, beer, and spirits. They will "feature a rotating seasonal menu using fresh ingredients at the prime of their flavor". And they will have such delectable offering as "charcuterie and cheeses, savory entrees like pizzas and sandwiches, and dessert".
BLVD Noodles This one is a bit mysterious, it has occupied a space in the heart of the Village for at least six months - I believe that they got held up by the insane procedure of getting a building permit, but they seem to have finally commenced construction. It is rumored to be Asian fusion cuisine.
9/14/16 UPDATE: Construction has been a whirlwind, they say they'll be open in few weeks!
Public Square Coffee House is taking over the location that Cosmo's was in. I don't know a lot about what their specific angle will be, but I do know that their facebook and instagram accounts have some pretty awesome photos of the work they're doing with the space.
9/14/16 UPDATE: Public Square will also be opening very soon, in fact, they're having an unofficial soft opening til 4pm today!
BLVD8/Surf Rider Pizza Cafe & Bakery - Right next to Johnny B's, where Don Keating's Auto Repair was, will soon be under construction for a retail/residential building that will house Surf Rider Pizza Cafe and Bakery on the ground level, and an 8-unit condo complex on the upper levels, to be called BLVD 8.
Surf Rider Pizza has a location on Abbott Street in OB, and serves pizza and sandwiches, among other dishes, and a variety of baked goods.
