Mention camping in San Diego, and North Park is unlikely to come to mind—until now. The Bivouac Adventure Lodge will open on Friday, March 1 on 30th Street, directly adjacent to Bivouac Ciderworks.
The glamping-themed general store, coffee shop, and cider bar centers around a circular skylight, designed by architect Kristi Beyers to feel like a yurt, according to owner Lara Worm. Interior designer Rachel Larraine Crawford at Tiger Veil utilized Parisian inspiration for the exterior and melded Mexican and African accents inside, using recycled elements like wood reclaimed from the Hotel Del Coronado’s recent renovation and art created by local women artists such as Stefani Bales, Holly DeCecco, and Heidi Hawkinson of H2 Finishes.
Bivouac’s two locations, while technically separate businesses, allow Worm to significantly expand her cider production up to five times Bivouac’s previous output. She estimates that, once fully operational, they’ll be able to pump out 5,000 barrels annually, with more tanks, increased cold storage space, and more experimental and small-batch flavors.
Plus, she adds, guests can expect two different experiences at each space. The original location, which she refers to as “Bivouac 1.0,” remains a full-service restaurant with a rustic vibe. The Adventure Lodge, which spans a total of 5,733 square feet, offers a more refined aesthetic with a relaxed atmosphere where people can work, meet, and hang out. The space will host guided cider tastings, bringing in ciders from around the globe in an experience similar to an urban wine tasting. Worm hopes to eventually have the largest cider list in the United States.
Betting it all on cider in the heart of craft beer country might seem crazy, Worm admits. But when the two dance studios next to her original location became available, she couldn’t pass it up. Using upscale grocery store and café chain Dean & DeLuca’s multi-concept approach as inspiration, she knew she, too, would need multiple concepts to make the space profitable. The main circular area acts as a lounge, where people can grab coffee, shop at the general store, pop some bottles, or peruse the tap list at the cider bar.
Eventually, a lucky few will also get to enter the speakeasy that Worm says she’ll one day open in a very limited capacity. The speakeasy, dubbed Salon D’Eau de Vie, will feature Worm’s other beverage obsession: brandy. “Everyone in San Diego has a speakeasy,” she says, but hers will be as exclusive as they get, with no photography allowed and entry strictly limited.
“People can see it’s there—they just can’t get in,” she adds, grinning. But she allowed SDM to take a peek and drink in the vintage National Geographic wallpaper, purple velvet chaise, custom brandy locker, and scallop-backed bar stools in a space that only fits 12 people. The paintings on the walls come from local artists in the vein of Gertrude Stein’s Paris salon of the 1920s, which Worm explains launched the modern art movement—something she hopes to replicate in San Diego. “It’s San Diego’s impression of Impressionists,” she says.
But for as many directions as the space explores, the primary focus is still cider. “Cider is as approachable as beer and as refined as wine,” Worm says. “I really want everyone to find their place here.”
It’s a lot for Worm to bite off. But walking through each concept under the single roof, I can’t think of any other place in the city quite like it. If she can pull it off, she may very well put San Diego cider and hospitality on a national map.
