Nolita Hall Restaurant – Little Italy

Deploying an elevated, yet comfortable community style beer hall was the driver behind Nolita Hall, the newest addition to Little Italy’s hospitality scene. The old warehouse turned retail/office space was completely gutted for this endeavor. By exposing the redwood framing and concrete walls, the history of the building harmoniously merges with the more modern interior.

In an effort to blur the lines between interior and exterior, the west facing facade was designed to fully open up using twelve and thirteen foot tall quad-fold doors. Starting from the northern end of the space, a 60-foot skylight waterfalls down the south facade and ends in a 15-foot counter-weighted window, which raises effortlessly from the street facing bar top. These large apertures wash the interior with natural light throughout the day and allow guests to watch the planes flying into San Diego from the comfort of custom designed seats. Additionally, the original interior columns of the old warehouse were removed, to allow for uninterrupted sight-lines throughout the space.

At the bar, an occasional flipping noise can be heard from the large split-flap menu board that lets you know the origins of the next arriving plane. A fireplace lounge provides a comfortable place to sit and enjoy a drink with friends by the fire, while a recreational zone towards the north end of Nolita Hall contains two shuffleboard courts and two large screens for watching the game. The kitchen window overlooks the entire restaurant, allowing guests to see the cooks doing what they do best in front of the the wood-fired pizza oven.

Long rows of communal tables run the length of the interior, further enhancing the concept of a modern beer hall, flanked with marble accents. From the large details to the smaller ones – striated wood features, brass accents, and mesh textures – Nolita Hall is a comfortable and unique European style beer hall, in the heart of North Little Italy.