Beaumont’s Neighborhood Eatery celebrates 20 years in Bird Rock

BIRD ROCK – Restaurateurs David and Megan Heine just celebrated the 20th anniversary of their popular neighborhood restaurant, Beaumont’s in Bird Rock.

The couple’s other restaurant, Brockton Villa at 1235 Coast Boulevard overlooking La Jolla Cove, pre-dated Beaumont’s by a decade. Brockton turned 35 this year.

Established in Bird Rock at 5662 La Jolla Blvd in 2005, Beaumont’s has been a central meeting hub for locals to gather for food, handmade cocktails, and top-rated entertainment. Beaumont’s menu features numerous American and Mexican standards, including burgers, fish tacos, carnitas lettuce wraps, salads, breakfast bowls, and burritos, French and avocado toast, and pancakes, among other items.

The eatery continues to be a central meeting hot spot in Bird Rock with its casual yet contemporary atmosphere, nightly happy hour, and expansive dinner menu. The establishment has a full bar and hosts live music, adding to its laid-back vibe.

Megan Heine is from the family that pioneered the Pannikin chain of flagship county coffeehouses, which began in La Jolla in 1968. Pannikin was known for roasting its coffee in-house and as a community gathering spot with a laid-back atmosphere.

The original La Jolla Pannikin is now under new ownership and management. It moved to 7530 Fay Ave., changing its name to The Flower Pot Cafe and Bakery.

Megan Heine talked about their early days breaking away from the Pannikin chain, noting they took over Brockton Villa to “run it independent of my family.”

She added that Beaumont’s was created 15 years later, “at a time when we really wanted to expand and were looking around for another location.” As the Heines reside in Bird Rock, Beaumont’s site, which previously housed Galoka Indian restaurant, was a find.

Both eateries are decidedly different from one another. Heine pointed out that Brockton is more breakfast- and lunch-oriented, while Beaumont’s is more dinner- and night-focused.

“The clientele is quite different from each other, with some crossover,” Heine said, adding Brockton is more tourist-oriented, being in La Jolla Village where she noted “regulars come year after year” with many visitors coming through on walking tours departing from tour buses.

Beaumont’s, on the other hand, is a neighborhood eatery where it’s not uncommon to see customers coming three times a week, said Heine. “(Customers) like the music – it’s a huge draw.”

Of the attention the Heines have received during their 20th anniversary celebration at Beaumont’s, Heine noted, “We’ve had so much love come at us.”

She credited their live music as a likely reason for the Bird Rock restaurant’s continuing popularity. “There really aren’t many places that have live music in San Diego, let alone in La Jolla,” she said.

Heine cited loyal staff as another reason why Beaumont’s and Brockton Villa have survived and thrived.

“Our staff at each location is very loyal and very long-term,” she said. “We’ve had people who’ve been with us at Beaumont’s for all 20 years, and 34 years at Brockton. The low turnover makes it nice for guests.

“We have generations of people who frequent Beaumont’s who met here, got married, and had kids, and now their kids have come to work for us.”

How has it been for the Heines dealing with all the issues associated with not just one but two restaurants?

“Dave and I try not to take ourselves too seriously as this business is just nuts,” joked Heine, noting they are both serious about “our food and our cocktail program.”

More importantly, she added, Beaumont’s owners and staff “just want to make people laugh, have fun. We try to make things fun and approachable.”

She said that Beaumont’s recent week-long anniversary celebration was a blast. “It was so fun, and we did a lot of preparation to get everything ready for our big party. Every night was spent with different groups of people coming in. We had stand-up comedy, a DJ, and two live bands.

“We did our bluegrass brunch. We decorated with a lot of old memorabilia. It was fun to put all that out there for people to see and reminisce about. We love it. Dave and I were just on cloud 9 all week. It was really special,” she said.

Beaumont’s is open Mondays to Wednesdays from 4 to 9 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays 4 p.m. to midnight; Saturdays 10 a.m. to midnight; and Sundays 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Asked about their future, Megan Heine said: “We don’t have any plans to stop doing anything. Food is our top priority, along with our guests and our staff… It’s been fun – and it’s going to keep being fun.”