An Icon Returns

We're delighted to welcome back the iconic Whaling Bar to La Valencia Hotel in early 2024 in partnership with San Diego's acclaimed SDCM restaurant group.

The nautical themed-cocktail lounge opened in 1949 and regularly played host to star-studded parties and notable regulars, including Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), novelist Raymond Chandler (The Long Goodbye, The Big Sleep), and Hollywood luminary and founder of the La Jolla Playhouse's famed summer theatre, Gregory Peck. It has been closed for a decade (since 2013), but its significance to the La Jolla community has endured. The new iteration of The Whaling Bar features a design driven by the La Valencia team, complete with the beloved original 1940s-era Wing Howard paintings. As the operating partner, SDCM restaurant group will lead day-to-day operations of The Whaling Bar including the development of a cocktail menu and complimentary bar menu by its award-winning team that counts Bar Director Eric Johnson and Executive Chef Brian Redzikowski.