San Diego celebrity chef Brian Malarkey has gutted his former Herringbone restaurant in La Jolla and will soon begin remodeling it to become a French-inspired fusion restaurant & bar named Le Coq, which is now not likely to open until early 2024.
Late last year, Brian Malarkey and his business partner Christopher Puffer took back the 7,500 square-foot Herringbone restaurant in La Jolla. Malarkey opened the original Herringbone in spring 2012 before selling his entire fabric-named brand of restaurants to Hakkasan LTD in 2014. It was announced that Malarkey would be rebranding Herringbone to become Le Coq, a French bistro & steakhouse concept expected to open this summer.
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| This week inside the former Herrinbone. |
After coming to national limelight by making it to the finals of Season 3 of Bravo's hit culinary competition Top Chef, Brian Malarkety went out on his own in 2010 and opened the hugely successful flagship location of Searsucker in San Diego's Gaslamp. Malarkey's fabric-named brand of restaurants, Enlightened Hospitality, went on to open Burlap in Del Mar in 2011, Gingham in La Mesa in January 2012, Gabardine in Point Loma in Spring 2012, Herringbone in La Jolla in Spring 2012, other Searsucker locations in Scottsdale, AZ and Austin, TX, and a second Herringbone in Los Angeles in late 2013. In 2014, Malarkey and then-partner James Brennan sold their majority interest in Englighted Hospitality to Hakkasan LTD. After four years working with the company, in 2018 Malarkey announced the end of his relationship with Hakkassan Group.
In April 2021, dining and nightlife brand Tao Group Hospitality acquired Hakkasan Group and its 3 San Diego properties - Searsucker, Omnia and Herringbone. Then-shuttered Searsucker was turned into a location of Tao Group's Lavo Italian Ristorante concept. Omnia was taken over by a team of nightlife & EDM gurus that includes the founder of the Electric Daisy Carnival and rebranded into Nova nightclub. That left Herringbone as the sole remaining concept from Malarkey's Enlightened Hospitality days. Herringbone ultimately shuttered after end of service on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2022.
After the greatly-successful rebirth of the Malarkey empire with the launch of Herb & Wood in Little Italy in Spring 2016, the recently-single Malarkey has continued to grow his culinary empire over the past few years. In September 2019, Malarkey and Puffer opened the $5.5 million Animae, an upscale French-meets-Japanese and Southeast Asian fusion restaurant located in the 15,000 square-foot ground floor space at downtown San Diego's uber-luxury high rise condominium building Pacific Gate by Bosa. Malarkey also opened Herb & Sea in downtown Encinitas in fall 2019. Puffer Malarkey Holdings also operate Herb & Ranch, a multi-concept food hall in Orange County. The Herringbone rebrand concept will reportedly be Malarkey's last restaurant.
Le Coq is anticipated to open in late 2023/early 2024 at 7837 Herschel Avenue in San Diego's La Jolla neighborhood. For more information about Chef Brian Malarkey and his restaurants, visit brianmalarkey.com.
In April 2021, dining and nightlife brand Tao Group Hospitality acquired Hakkasan Group and its 3 San Diego properties - Searsucker, Omnia and Herringbone. Then-shuttered Searsucker was turned into a location of Tao Group's Lavo Italian Ristorante concept. Omnia was taken over by a team of nightlife & EDM gurus that includes the founder of the Electric Daisy Carnival and rebranded into Nova nightclub. That left Herringbone as the sole remaining concept from Malarkey's Enlightened Hospitality days. Herringbone ultimately shuttered after end of service on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2022.
After the greatly-successful rebirth of the Malarkey empire with the launch of Herb & Wood in Little Italy in Spring 2016, the recently-single Malarkey has continued to grow his culinary empire over the past few years. In September 2019, Malarkey and Puffer opened the $5.5 million Animae, an upscale French-meets-Japanese and Southeast Asian fusion restaurant located in the 15,000 square-foot ground floor space at downtown San Diego's uber-luxury high rise condominium building Pacific Gate by Bosa. Malarkey also opened Herb & Sea in downtown Encinitas in fall 2019. Puffer Malarkey Holdings also operate Herb & Ranch, a multi-concept food hall in Orange County. The Herringbone rebrand concept will reportedly be Malarkey's last restaurant.
Le Coq is anticipated to open in late 2023/early 2024 at 7837 Herschel Avenue in San Diego's La Jolla neighborhood. For more information about Chef Brian Malarkey and his restaurants, visit brianmalarkey.com.
