According to San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality inspection records, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens at 2816 Historic Decatur Road in Point Loma was ordered closed on Thursday, October 15, following a routine inspection that identified a major vermin violation, a minor food-holding temperature violation and a sanitation deficiency involving nonfood-contact surfaces.
The closure was temporary. County records show inspectors returned the following day, October 16, when the restaurant received a score of 97 and an A grade during a routine inspection. A separate reinspection that day recorded no violations, indicating that the establishment had satisfied the requirements necessary to complete the follow-up inspection process.
The county's records do not specify in the publicly provided inspection summary what type of vermin was involved, where evidence of the infestation was discovered or the precise conditions that prompted inspectors to order the restaurant closed. The designation of a major vermin violation, however, is significant because such conditions can present a substantial food safety concern and may warrant immediate closure until the underlying problem is corrected.
The October 15 inspection also identified a minor violation involving food-holding temperatures, which generally concerns whether foods requiring temperature control are being maintained at appropriate hot or cold temperatures. Inspectors additionally cited the cleanliness of nonfood-contact surfaces, a category that can include shelving, equipment exteriors and other surfaces that do not ordinarily come into direct contact with food.
Although the October 16 inspection resulted in a passing grade of 97, it still documented minor holding-temperature and nonfood-contact surface cleanliness violations. The separate reinspection conducted that same day listed no violations. County records therefore establish that the restaurant was ordered closed on October 15 and subsequently completed inspections on October 16, although the publicly available summary does not specify the exact time operations were authorized to resume.
The shutdown was not the restaurant's first encounter with county inspectors over food safety issues in recent months. On July 22, Stone Liberty Station received a score of 95 and an A grade despite being cited for a major food-holding temperature violation and a personal cleanliness violation. A subsequent reinspection on July 31 recorded no violations.
Earlier that month, a July 8 routine inspection resulted in a score of 97 and an A grade, with deficiencies involving equipment and utensil storage, ventilation and lighting, and plumbing. A July 16 reinspection recorded no violations.
The October closure stands out from those earlier inspections because it resulted in an immediate order to cease operations rather than merely documenting violations while allowing the establishment to continue serving customers. The restaurant's July inspections resulted in passing grades, while the October 15 inspection records list no numerical score or letter grade because the establishment was ordered closed.
Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens at Liberty Station is one of San Diego's most prominent brewery restaurants, occupying a sprawling space within the historic former Naval Training Center in Point Loma. The approximately 23,500-square-foot restaurant and beer garden opened in 2013, transforming a former military dining facility into an expansive hospitality destination featuring indoor and outdoor seating, landscaped gardens, bars and a brewery operation.
The restaurant has long been a major attraction within Liberty Station, drawing residents and visitors to one of San Diego's most recognizable redevelopment districts. Its expansive beer gardens, contemporary American menu and selection of Stone beers helped make it a flagship hospitality property for a company that spent decades helping establish San Diego as an international craft beer destination.
The health department's closure comes at an especially turbulent moment for Stone Brewing, whose ownership and operations have changed dramatically over the past four years.
Founded in 1996 by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner, Stone became nationally known for aggressively hopped beers, irreverent marketing and a fiercely independent identity built partly around opposition to corporate beer conglomerates. That reputation was fundamentally altered in 2022 when the founders sold the company to Japanese brewing giant Sapporo in a transaction valued at approximately $165 million.
In April 2026, Sapporo announced another major restructuring, selling the Stone Brewing brand, beer portfolio and several hospitality operations to Firestone Walker Brewing Company and its parent, Duvel USA. The transaction included Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens at Liberty Station, along with taprooms in downtown San Diego, Oceanside and Pasadena.
Stone's sprawling Escondido brewery and original World Bistro & Gardens were excluded from that transaction, leaving Sapporo responsible for facilities that were no longer central to its American brewing strategy. The company subsequently announced plans to wind down its Escondido operations, with approximately 220 jobs expected to be eliminated.
The original Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido is scheduled to close under its existing operator on November 13, but in a remarkable development announced earlier this month, Stone founders Koch and Wagner revealed plans to take over the restaurant and gardens and reopen them as an independent hospitality business under a new name.
The founders' unexpected return has generated considerable enthusiasm throughout San Diego's craft beer community, although the future of the adjoining Escondido brewery remains uncertain. Koch and Wagner are not reacquiring the Stone Brewing brand, which will continue under Firestone Walker and Duvel USA ownership.
That makes the Liberty Station restaurant particularly important to Stone's continuing physical presence in San Diego. With the Escondido production campus being dismantled and the original restaurant preparing to transition away from the Stone name, Liberty Station represents one of the brand's most significant remaining hospitality operations in the city where it was founded.
The October 15 health department shutdown is unrelated to those corporate ownership changes, and there is no evidence in the inspection records connecting the violations to the company's restructuring. Nevertheless, the incident adds another unwelcome development to a period already marked by major changes for one of San Diego's most influential craft beer brands.
For customers, the most important distinction is that the county ordered the restaurant closed on October 15, but records from October 16 show that the establishment subsequently received a passing A grade and completed a reinspection with no violations. The public inspection summary does not establish that the vermin problem was longstanding or that any customers became ill.
The incident nevertheless highlights the seriousness with which county health officials treat vermin-related food safety violations, particularly at large, high-volume restaurants serving substantial numbers of customers.
Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens - Liberty Station is located at 2816 Historic Decatur Road in San Diego's Liberty Station neighborhood. Additional information about restaurant inspection results is available through the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality.
Originally published on October 16, 2026.
