Hillcrest's popular Uptown Tavern has been sold to a longtime former-manager of nearby Urban Mo's Bar & Grill.
Founding owner David Cohen with partners from San Diego's Verant Group, who also previously owned West Coast Tavern in North Park before selling it to The Observatory group, sold Uptown Tavern to Michael Saltsman, who managed Hillcrest's Urban Mo's for three decades, along with his business partner Scott Borden of ETC Adventures LLC. Escrow closed yesterday on the transaction and Saltsman and Borden have taken control of Uptown Tavern.
Uptown Tavern opened at 1236 University Avenue in Hillcrest in Summer 2012. Designed by interior design master Michael Soriano, the restaurant and bar offers indoor and outdoor seating, with about 7,000 square-feet of space. The kitchen offers an array of comfort food by chef Lety McKenzie and the bar has a full liquor license. New owners do not plan to make any substantial changes in the near future, although they have indicated that they intend to source more of the produce from local farmers.
Former Uptown Tavern owner David Cohen, along with industry veterans Eric Lingenfelder & Mark Cirillo of the Verant Group, are currently in the process of building a gigantic bar and restaurant where PB Bar & Grill once sat at 860 Garnet Avenue in San Diego's Pacific Beach neighborhood.
For more information on Uptown Tavern, visit uptowntavernsd.com.
