Pub at Lake Cuyamaca
Photo Credit: Ariana Dreshler
“Might see the bald eagles! Hopeful!” reads a text from Tyson Blake, co-owner of The Pub at Lake Cuyamaca, just before I was due to road trip his way.
I knew we’d eat well. We’d hike, maybe even get on a boat. The sun would be shining and local beer would be flowing. But bald eagles in San Diego County? That seemed a stretch.
The Pub, dock
Ariana Dreshler
The Pub, officially opened last November, was founded by the team from O’Brien’s Pub, West Coast Tavern, and Nickel Beer Co.: Blake, his wife, Kristina, and Julian-based beer brewing legend Tom Nickel. An hour’s drive from downtown San Diego, it replaces the lakefront Lake Cuyamaca Restaurant and Store, which was best known for its takeout chicken pot pies.
Everyone involved, including the Lake Cuyamaca Foundation (The Pub’s landlord), agreed it was time for upgrades. Everything is cooked in-house now. This means the pot pies—which were previously made off-site—have been honorably retired. The deck was refitted with stronger materials. A local woodworker made custom tables and a new bar from reclaimed cedar. While walking across the new deck, I squint and look out, hoping one of the birds flying above the lake might be America’s mascot. No dice.
The Pub, ribs
Ariana Dreshler
I channel my mild disappointment into my beer, a Lake Cuyamaca Lager from Nickel Beer, brewed Czech-style just for The Pub. The rest of the tap list is, unsurprisingly, a showcase of local greats. The team recruited chef Colin Murray (ex–Brooklyn Girl, Cowboy Star) to create the food menu, which features upgraded pub grub (Mary’s organic turkey dip sandwich, a smoked and grilled vegetarian “yam-wich,” wagyu burgers, house-smoked wings).
A heartfelt highlight is the Big Nate, a sandwich adorned with crispy pork belly, optional lump crab, kimchi slaw, and aioli. It’s named for Nate Soroko, a beloved local beer industry worker who died unexpectedly last summer. On weekends, they do brunch and dinner entrées with “outdoors-inspired” proteins like the duck leg confit in a smoked duck jus, crispy-smoked game chicken, and trout.
The Pub, bites
Ariana Dreshler
Before heading down the mountain back to the city, we take a mile-long hike around the lake, crisscrossing the peninsula known as Fletcher Island via dirt and gravel paths. After, we board a pontoon boat to see the nearby environs, like Cuyamaca and Stonewall peaks. In the distance, a brown-and-white speck careens through the sky.
“There it is!” shouts the boat pilot. We all turn, looking west just in time. “An eagle!” we shout in unison. A bald eagle, in San Diego County. Triumph and satisfaction are ours.
