A Second Round of New Venues Are On Tap Within the Historic Property
By Frank Sabatini Jr.
Just when you thought renovations at the 77-year-old Lafayette Hotel on El Cajon Boulevard hit their peak this summer, along comes a second wave of themed venues scheduled to open inside the 139-room property in the coming months.
The hotel in July unveiled a dramatic $31 million redo by its newest owner, CH Projects. The locally based hospitality group, known for creating Instagram-worthy establishments such as Born & Raised in Little Italy, Polite Provisions in North Park, Raised by Wolves in UTC, and several others, has outpaced itself at The Lafayette in terms of high design and budget.
Phase one of the project resulted in complete upgrades to the rooms as well as five new venues for eating and drinking on the property. Each venue is distinguished by separate designs showing off impressive details.
Where We’ve Been Indulging
Beginner’s Diner within the hotel captures a 1940s era, when tall milkshakes and hearty American grub ruled the day. The restaurant is open 24/7, and customers are greeted by a roomy lunch bar trimmed in shiny chrome, plus ample booths marked by old-style lamp posts.
The diner exceeds its culinary promise with gourmet twists in some cases, such as meatloaf made with Wagyu beef and breakfast hash using duck confit. Other noteworthy dishes include a mondo chicken schnitzel sandwich, a Reuben stacked with house-roasted pastrami, and crinkle-cut “disco fries” served with commendable veal gravy.
Sitting just outside the diner is The Lobby Bar, a circular construct that took over the hotel’s former conservatory area. The stunning glass dome overhead remains intact, thus adding an elegant feel to the wrought-iron lamps and detailed woodwork appointing the bar. Consider this ground zero for enjoying classic cocktails and hobnobbing with San Diego’s movers and shakers.
A stone’s throw away in the back of the hotel is the more-intimate outdoor Pool Bar, which looks out to the property’s original now-retiled swimming pool. The pool is open to the public via single-day or weekend passes that can be booked online (www.lafayettehotelsd.com). Check the site for current prices.
Quixote is the other restaurant that opened this summer. It replaced the longstanding Red Fox Steakhouse, which has since moved across the street. The transformed vibe is decidedly Gothic, which was achieved with materials and design elements reclaimed from an old decommissioned Catholic church in Mexico. Expect an Oaxacan-inspired menu flaunting dishes such as crab-corn donuts, whole grilled fish, chili-garlic shrimp tacos, and more.
The fifth venue that arose from phase one is The Gutter, a stylish cocktail bar and game room that pays homage to American industrialist Henry Frick. The millionaire’s mansion housed a personal bowling alley, hence The Gutter offers two alleys that allows bar patrons to test their bowling skills for $49.99 per game.
Up and Coming
The final phase of Lafayette’s remodel will usher in a couple more restaurants and a brand new spa, which hasn’t yet been named. But it will supposedly feature Roman or Turkish-style elements and artistic accents. A rep for the hotel said it’s due to open “sometime in 2024.”
In late January, look for the opening of Lulu’s Jungle Room. The venue will take on a vintage supper-club atmosphere complete with a shell-shaped stage for live jazz performances. This is where the old Mississippi Room stood inside the hotel back in its original glory days. And it is where Bob Hope performed many years ago. (Note: Hope was among the first overnight guests at the hotel when it opened in 1946.)
Lulu’s menu has yet to be finalized, but it will
offer a chef’s table and rum-focused drinks.
Then by the middle of next year, Le Horse will deliver a finale of upscale European elegance. The restaurant aims to capture 20th-Century fine dining from some of Europe’s fanciest hotels that were pioneered by Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz and acclaimed French chef Auguste Escoffier.
Starched table linens, roving cocktail carts, and prime rib cut table-side are expected. The arrival of Le Horse will mark the property’s seventh new food-and-drink establishment inside the hotel.
Lafayette Hotel Info
The Lafayette Hotel is located at 2223 El Cajon Blvd. in North Park. It sits on 2.5 acres of urban grounds.
Room, bar and dining reservations can be made online at www.lafayettehotelsd.com or by calling 619-296-2101.
Parking is valet-only, although street parking throughout the neighborhood can usually be found. Valet parking rates are $38 per night, and $15 for daytime visits.
Check-in time for rooms is 4 p.m. Check-out is 11 a.m., although exceptions are made.
