The upcoming gelato shop will take over the approximately 500-square-foot Graves House space previously occupied by High-Pie, the whimsical hand-pie concept that operated there from 2022 until its closure earlier this year. The new outpost from the team behind An’s Dry Cleaning Gelato is expected to open as early as May, bringing small-batch Italian-style gelato to one of the most photographed food locations in North County San Diego.
While the company has not yet revealed the official theme of the Oceanside shop, the concept is widely expected to incorporate nods to the building’s pop-culture legacy. Given An’s track record of tailoring each location’s identity to the history of the space it occupies, a playful aviation or Top Gun-inspired motif - potentially including specialty flavors referencing characters, aircraft, or famous scenes from the film - would be a fitting evolution for the seaside cottage.
An’s Gelato has become one of the region’s most talked-about dessert brands since launching in North Park. The original shop, cleverly named An’s Dry Cleaning Gelato, built a national reputation for its inventive flavors and whimsical naming conventions tied to the former uses of the spaces it occupies. The brand was named the #1 ice cream shop in America by USA Today in 2024, catapulting the company into national prominence and bringing long lines to its San Diego locations.
Each An’s Gelato shop carries a different concept. The North Park flagship draws inspiration from the former dry cleaner that once occupied the building, with gelato flavors named after fabrics. The company later opened An’s Hatmakers inside Del Mar Plaza and a Petco Park stand called Petco Park’s An’s Athletic Field Services Gelato, referencing the ballpark setting. Last year, the team debuted An’s Electronics Repair in Ocean Beach, themed around the building’s former life as a cellphone repair shop.
The company was founded by David Aguilera, Travis Bailey, Kris Warren and Jimmy Blalock, and has earned national recognition from outlets including Forbes, Zagat and Lonely Planet for its small-batch gelato made using traditional Italian techniques. Aguilera has developed hundreds of flavors over the past several years, ranging from classic pistachio and stracciatella to more experimental combinations incorporating local collaborations and unexpected ingredients.
The Oceanside location will occupy one of the most distinctive spaces in San Diego County. Built in the late 1880s, the Graves House is a compact Victorian cottage that once served as a seaside residence before being immortalized in Top Gun as the home of Charlie Blackwood, the astrophysicist played by Kelly McGillis. The cottage was carefully restored and relocated several years ago as part of the redevelopment of Oceanside’s beachfront district surrounding the Mission Pacific Hotel.
The building later became home to High-Pie, a dessert concept created by hospitality group F10 Creative, which operates several restaurants in Palm Springs. High-Pie featured a rotating selection of sweet and savory hand pies displayed on a conveyor belt and decorated the tiny interior with Top Gun memorabilia. Despite its popularity with visitors, the business announced late last year that it would close its Oceanside location, leaving the historic cottage available for a new operator.
The transition comes amid continued transformation along Oceanside’s North Pacific Street corridor, which has rapidly evolved into one of North County’s most high-profile dining districts. Just steps away from the Top Gun House sits Valle, the Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant from chef Roberto Alcocer that has helped elevate Oceanside’s culinary reputation nationally.
With millions of visitors passing through the Oceanside Pier area each year, the location offers An’s Gelato one of the most visible storefronts in the region. If the company follows its established formula, the Oceanside shop will likely feature a small menu of rotating seasonal gelato flavors served from traditional Italian pozzetti cases, along with a theme tied to the building’s history and surroundings.
An’s Gelato’s new Oceanside location will be situated inside the historic Top Gun House at 250 North Pacific Street near the Oceanside Pier in San Diego's North County. The shop is currently expected to open as early as May 2026, though an official opening date has not yet been announced.
For more information about the company and its existing locations, visit ansgelato.com.
Originally published on March 14, 2026.
