New Restaurants on Orange Avenue in Coronado: The 1300 Block

"Sandwiched between the two bright, new, shiny restaurants By the Sea and Baby Grand is an old standby that has been serving up community, connection, and some of the best — if not the best — food in Coronado for years."

Clyde Van Arsdall wrote that in the Coronado Times in mid-September. He is a third-generation Coronado local, and he was describing Tavern at 1310 Orange Avenue. His line also sums up the block this fall. In 2026 two Mediterranean dining rooms opened within a few doors of each other near the Hotel del Coronado end of Orange. They share some ingredients and even a few dishes. What sets them apart is when they're open, and the gaps in their schedules fall right where Tavern has always been open.

Two Raw Bars Across Orange Avenue

By the Sea opened on August 12 on the second floor of 1300 Orange Avenue. Owners Lara and Doug Hamm live in Coronado. They modeled the menu on their travels through the French Riviera, the Greek Isles and the Amalfi Coast, and the dishes are mostly Italian and Greek. The restaurant covers 6,500 square feet and seats 245 guests, with a 24-seat curved travertine bar at its center. The Hamms' own picks are the Grilled Branzino with tahini and Castelvetrano olive tapenade, plus the caviar service. Lara calls the Seafood Tower a "must have." It feeds up to six and comes with 12 oysters, 12 shrimp, tuna tartare, scallop crudo, lobster, crab claws and caviar.

The Baby Grand is a 31-room hotel at 1315 Orange that opened to the public on Thursday, May 14. It has two places to eat and drink. Night Hawk is a Greek open-fire restaurant built into the hotel's landscaping, with booths and banquettes shaped like rock. Its cocktails use citrus, olive oil, wild herbs, sea salt and smoke, and the wine list is Greek. Fallen Empire is a hidden oyster and Champagne bar behind the lobby. Its raw bar sits along a painted bar inspired by "The Raft of the Medusa" and serves Kumamoto oysters, scallop crudos and uni tartares.

That means scallop crudo is now on two menus a few doors apart, and so is Champagne. The two rooms pour it differently. By the Sea's list includes well-known houses such as Dom Pérignon and Ruinart, and the rest of its wine program favors small, family-run producers. According to the hotel, Fallen Empire's list "leans heavily into grower champagnes, rare vintages and champagne cocktails." So you can choose between a big-name label upstairs and a small grower's bottle in a mirrored room with red mohair booths.

The Schedules Do the Sorting

With menus this close, timing is what tells the rooms apart. The hours below come from each restaurant's own website as of late September 2026.

Night Hawk is the only one of the three serving before 4 p.m., and on weekends it opens for brunch at 10. By the Sea serves dinner only. Its current menu page lists dinner, oyster and caviar, dessert and beverage menus, but no brunch. The Hamms told the Coronado Times that weekend brunch and lunch are planned. On Fridays and Saturdays, the Coronado Times reported a midnight close. The website prints "12:00pm," so call ahead if you're planning a late table.

Reservations can be confusing. In May, the Coronado Eagle & Journal reported that Fallen Empire required reservations and that Night Hawk encouraged them but took walk-ins. Both official pages now show a "Reserve A Table" link but don't say whether walk-ins are welcome. Booking ahead is the safer choice for either.

Put together, Tuesday is the night By the Sea doesn't list. Weekday lunch belongs to Night Hawk, which stays open straight through to dinner. Before 4 p.m., it's the only one of the three new rooms serving, and Fallen Empire doesn't open until 5. Tavern sits in the middle of the block through all of it.

The Addresses Under the New Names

Each of the new rooms took over a spot with a long history. By the Sea is in the space last occupied by the Boardwalk Beach Club, which opened just before the pandemic and closed soon after. Before that it was Maretalia, and before that Vigilucci's. People who've been around since the 1980s remember it as Marie Callender's. The Hamms first expected a $3 million renovation. It took four years and cost about twice that, because the roof, HVAC, kitchen, windows and doors all had to be redone. The Baby Grand's 6,000-square-foot site was once an asphalt parking lot. It now has mature plantings, gas-lit torches and statues tucked into the greenery. CH Projects, the San Diego group behind Born and Raised, Ironside Fish & Oyster and the Lafayette Hotel, developed the hotel with design studio Post Company.

Here's how the rest of the stretch looks right now, address by address:

• 1202 Orange: Double Standard, Blue Bridge Hospitality's burger spot, opened in March in the space Island Pasta left in October 2025. It serves an updated Leroy Burger.
• 1303 Orange: Earth, Wind & Sea closed here on May 31, 2025, after 20 years. Salt & Straw was announced for the address in February.
• 1305 Orange: Better Buzz Coffee.
• 1309 Orange: Stake Chophouse, upstairs.
• 1310 Orange: Tavern.
• 1330 Orange, Suite 120: Brio Recovery Studio and Wellness Market, which soft-opened September 21. Owner Michelle Williams describes it as a recovery studio, wellness market and community space.

What Tavern Added While the Neighbors Opened

Tavern is owned and run by Brooke and C.J. Becky and John Welsh, and Chef Itze Behar, who is also known for Black Radish, runs the kitchen. Instead of sitting tight while two big neighbors opened, it updated its menu. Van Arsdall reports that the Bone-In Pork Chop is back after three years. It's a center-cut chop from Salmon Creek Farms, served over parmesan risotto with broccolini and a rose of thin green-apple slices, and it takes 25 to 30 minutes to cook.

There are new dishes too. Under "Firsts," look for Hot Honey Chicken Sliders and a Classic Shrimp Cocktail with Hendrick's cocktail sauce. The Wedge Salad is back. New entrées include a 14-ounce Kobe Tajima Wagyu Ribeye, Grilled Picanha Wagyu Steak with Onion Rings, and Steak au Poivre. Regulars still order the Mary's Natural Roasted Chicken Pot Pie, served in a French lion's head bowl, and the Fresh Baked Cast Iron Cookie.

Much of Tavern's character comes from its staff. Brooke graduated from Coronado High in 2007 and C.J. in 2012. A Tavern employee who graduated in 2018 worked her way up from the host stand to behind the bar. Van Arsdall calls it "a gathering spot for those of us who grew up here." He also remembers when the building was a Wendy's in the 1980s. On a block where two dining rooms are only months old, Tavern is the one with that much history.

Still Pending on the Block

A few things on the 1300 block haven't happened yet. Salt & Straw announced 1303 Orange in February with a "this spring" target. As of late September, the company's own locations page doesn't list a Coronado shop, so call it announced, not open. By the Sea's brunch and lunch are still in the planning stage.

The next date on the calendar is A Taste of Coronado on October 7. It's the Coronado Junior Woman's Club's 17th annual tasting event, and this year it benefits Promises2Kids. The Hotel del Coronado is the presenting sponsor for the fourth year in a row, with a contribution of $8,000. Discover Coronado lists the event on October 8, so check with the organizers before you go.

For Mariko, a good Coronado evening often starts with knowing which door is open at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday. If you're hosting family from Japan, welcoming a new PCS arrival, or just want a local's take on where to book this fall, Mariko Tortolero is happy to share what she knows about the island. Let's Connect.