After an 11-year hiatus, The Whaling Bar has sailed back into La Jolla at the La Valencia Hotel.
The Whaling Bar’s reimagined space retains vestiges of the old, iconic cocktail lounge with some features reimagined to draw in those nostalgic for the space as well as those looking for something new.
“We’re really excited,” said Daniel Serrato, The Whaling Bar’s general manager.
Greens, granite and florals dominate the lounge in a design and concept La Valencia collaborated on with Schoos Design and SDCM Restaurant Group.
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- Photos courtesy of The Whaling Bar.
“We completely changed the interior,” Serrato said, while retaining “cozy elements” of the original, which first opened in 1949.
The decor is firmly anchored in the bar’s original, renowned Wing Howard mural “The Whale’s Last Stand,” preserved and hung over the new booths in four pieces.
Portions of the mural will continue to be repaired by the artist’s son, Serrato said.
The Whaling Bar is also mixing old and new on the menu: The beverage list contains the familiar “The Whaler,” invented in 1965 and prepared with cognac, coffee liqueur, Shanky’s Whip and homemade ice cream; other drinks pay homage to La Jolla, including “Bishop’s Daiquiri” and “Cove Tea.”
The “bar program is … simple but takes it up a notch,” Serrato said.
For bites, they are once again offering familiar items like “Liver and Onions” and Caesar salad, but this time with different takes like twinkie-style “croutons.”
It’s old favorites “in a more modern way,” Serrato said.
To mix it up, The Whaling Bar is also offering new dishes like the rioja braised short rib bao.
The bar closed in February 2013 and La Jollans had been clamoring for its return since. This next version is now open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
