The sister restaurant of Mimoza in Downtown San Diego will open in October with Turkish pizza, kebabs and other homemade specialties.

Reviving a long-empty La Jolla restaurant space, Mediterranean eatery Mavi is set to open at 7536 Fay Ave in October.

Mavi will be a sister restaurant to the family-run Mimoza (named for the yellow flower associated with International Women’s Day), a Mediterranean spot opened three years ago in Downtown San Diego.

Mavi will have a menu similar to Mimoza’s, said Selin Bashelvaci, who owns the restaurants with her mother, Devrim, though there will be some differences.

Bashelvaci is working now to finalize the offerings, she said, but there will be an oven at Mavi for Turkish pizza, which Mimoza does not have.

The menu will also feature kebabs, bread, charcuterie boards and a full bar.

“Everything’s homemade,” Bashelvaci said.

Bashelvaci is also planning a speakeasy in the rear of the restaurant.

The owners looked to open a restaurant in La Jolla because “we wanted something more local,” Bashelvaci said.

“There’s a lot of tourist crowds Downtown,” she said, “and a lot of local people don’t come to Downtown a lot.”

“We wanted to introduce our food to a more local crowd.”

La Jolla was also a fitting spot as Bashelvaci is a UC San Diego graduate. “I love La Jolla,” she said. “It was pretty easy to decide.”

“Mavi” means “blue” in Turkish, a nod to the ocean and a word Bashelvaci has adored for a restaurant for some time.

Bashelvaci also hopes to have live music – blues, naturally: her favorite genre.