Transport To Another World Via Convoy’s New Speakeasy

It’s already one of San Diego’s most well-traveled thoroughfares for eating, but will Convoy Street become a drinking destination too? Craft beer hubs, including Common Theory and O’Briens, are contributing to the neighborhood’s beverage culture while craft cocktails are being admirably represented by Crab Hut, SOHO, and Hive, but Common Theory owners Cristian Liang and Joon Lee, who are approaching the fourth anniversary of their Kearny Mesa eatery, are aiming to amp up the area’s cocktail scene with their next project, a new speakeasy dubbed Realm of the 52 Remedies,

Located adjacent to their Convoy restaurant, the bar will be fronted by an apothecary from the future, a sleek white space stacked with glass jars filled with exotic creatures and mysterious elixirs that will serve as a waiting room for the reservations-suggested speakeasy.

Liang and Lee say they want to bring something never-before-seen into the neighborhood, and are working with Bluemotif Architecture (Kettner Exchange, The Crack Shack) and acclaimed designer Michael Soriano on the project. Soriano, who has focused his creative eye on venues ranging from Queenstown Public House to Vin de Syrah and Malahat Spirits Co., is known for his dramatic entryways. In his design, guests will enter through an elaborate, interactive shrine, transporting them into a 1920s-era speakeasy with elements that reflect the owners’ Asian heritage.

Scheduled to debut in late July, the 2,400-square-foot space will include a cocoon-like lotus-shaped booth among its seating options. A dragon painted on the ceiling will hover above suspended cloud sculptures while a smoking incense burner adds special effect to walls illustrated in a dreamy mountainscape. Hanging lights crafted from dumpling steamer baskets will illuminate a chinoiserie-wallpapered hallway.

12 featured cocktails, named after signs of the zodiac, will incorporate both Asian ingredients and spirits. Four premium seats at the 12-seat carved jade bar will have their own dedicated bartender who will host a special cocktail experience. There will be some food offered, including small plates and snacks.