Craft Brewery Landmark Saved as Stone Founders Return to Escondido |
Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens will reopen as Quarry Escondido |
One of Escondido's most beloved gathering places is getting a second act, and now it has a new name.
Stone Brewing co-founders Greg Koch and Steve Wagner are taking back the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens at 1999 Citracado Parkway and will reopen it as an independent restaurant called Quarry Escondido.
For a spot many locals feared was gone for good, it is about as happy an ending as anyone could have hoped for.
What's happening and when
The bistro will serve its last guests under the Stone name on Nov. 13.
After that, it will close while California's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control reviews the required license change.
Koch has said he is aiming to reopen before the holidays, though no firm date has been announced.
The new name came out of a poll Koch ran on Instagram, where Quarry Escondido beat playful fan suggestions and even Koch's own favorite, The Escondidian.
How the founders got it back
Stone has changed hands twice in recent years.
Sapporo bought the company in 2022, and earlier this year the Stone brand was sold to Firestone Walker Brewing Co. and Duvel Moortgat USA.
Firestone Walker moved West Coast production to Paso Robles, and the Escondido restaurant was not part of that sale.
Through it all, Koch and Wagner kept ownership of the Escondido real estate.
Once it became clear the site was not included in the deal, the two began making plans to carry it forward themselves.
It is a full-circle moment for the pair, who launched Stone in 1996 with their first keg of Stone Pale Ale.
Koch has said opening such an ambitious destination in Escondido back in 2006 was a big risk at the time. |
 Illustrative stock photo of a koi pond garden, not the Escondido property. Photo by Mahesh Mohan on Pexels. |
What will stay and what will change
The founders plan to preserve much of what makes the property special while improving the guest experience.
The setting is hard to replicate: a full-service restaurant and walled gardens with tiered patios around a granite koi pond and waterfall.
The biggest change will be on tap.
The location currently pours 36 Stone beers, and the new restaurant plans a broader beer program celebrating the wider craft brewing community.
Koch and Wagner are also exploring options for the adjacent brewery building.
Why it matters to Escondido
When the bistro opened in 2006, there were few places like it anywhere, let alone in inland North County.
Over two decades it has hosted weddings, proposals, birthdays and countless after-work pints.
Koch has recalled welcoming guests ranging from Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich to actor Wil Wheaton, but it is the everyday regulars who made the gardens a local institution.
The rescue also stands out at a tough moment for the industry, as numerous breweries across San Diego and California close or downsize.
When the news broke, fans flooded social media with relief, with some saying they were in tears of joy.
Koch has said the place will always be a big part of him, and that his favorite thing is simply listening to the laughter and clinking glasses from the edge of the room.
In announcing the plan, he told longtime guests the team looks forward to welcoming them back.
What to do now
If you want one more visit under the Stone name, plan to go before Nov. 13.
Stone's Liberty Station location and its taprooms in Little Italy and Oceanside remain open in the meantime.
Watch for Quarry Escondido's reopening date, and Escondido Buzz will share it as soon as it is official. |
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