An Italian-themed speakeasy and hidden restaurant called Garibaldi will open later this year within downtown San Diego's bayside InterContinental Hotel.
After the departure of Paul McCabe last spring, Jeff Josenhans took over as the food and beverage director at InterContinental Hotel San Diego, where he aims to spearhead an evolution of the onsite food and beverage program alongside Executive Chef Amy DiBiase. With an extensive background in luxury hotel operations and mixology, Josenhans brings top notch cocktail prowess in addition to being a certified cicerone and sommelier. Josenhans most recently served as Director of Banquets, Restaurants and Bar for the nearby US Grant Hotel after relocating from Stockholm, Sweden to San Diego.
Noticing that not all space on the expansive property was being utilized, Josenhans wanted to increase the food and beverage offerings at InterContinental. His first project was Layover, an outdoor lounge experience opened late last summer on the hotel's 4th floor. Coming this March is Garibaldi, a 120-seat, Italian-inspired, al-fresco speakeasy with a hidden restaurant that will make use of a third floor rooftop space currently inaccessible to guests. Garibaldi guests with reservations will whisper their reservation name and a password into a diving helmet sited in the hotel's lobby, before being whisked away to Garibaldi. The design with be inspired by the orange fish the restaurant is name after with a menu inspired by legendary Italian chef Giuseppe Garibaldi.
Expect an upscale lounge experience complimented by a menu of craft cocktails, including aged Negronis and Aperol spritz varieties. The cocktail offerings will be complimented by a shareable food menu centered around Sardinian meets Calfornian fare like charcuterie & cheese boards, antipasti, housemade pasta, and entrees featuring local seafood. Garibaldi is expected to unveil on March 12 and will operate from 5:30pm to midnight Wednesday through Friday and 3pm to midnight Saturday and Sunday.
Other dining and drinking concepts on the InterContinental property include onsite signature restaurant Vistal, California's first outpost of Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, dessert shop Gelato & Friends, and incoming The Reading Club 19th floor cocktail lounge by Consortium Holdings (Born & Raised, Morning Glory, Raised By Wolves). A tasting room from Vista's Latitude 33 Brewing was also in the works, but that project was pulled after Latitude shifted its market approach by entering into a craft beer alliance with Green Flash Brewing and Alpine Brewing late last year.
InterContinental San Diego is located at 901 Bayfront Court in downtown's Bayfront district. For more information, visit intercontinentalsandiego.com.
