The owners of Lost Cause Meadery and Oddish Wine, both headquartered in San Diego’s Bay Park neighborhood, recently closed escrow on a prized piece of vintage real estate near La Mesa Village to fulfill their next hospitality venture.
Billy Beltz and his wife, Suzanna, plan to open a 5,000-square-foot operation that puts a coffee shop, cafe, restaurant, bar, and retail wine shop under a wooden barrel-shaped ceiling that has been intact since the 1940s.
Located at 8495 La Mesa Blvd., just one block northeast of La Mesa Village, the aged building originally served as a food market and butcher shop. It eventually was turned into a secondhand children’s store, and then a bike shop, and most recently, Phillip’s Maytag Appliance Center.
“We want to keep the building as original as possible,” said Beltz, while also pointing to the storefront’s large front windows and mid-century-style awnings. “We’re keeping those as well.”
He added that the building’s interior is currently “a big open space,” which means no gutting is required.
Once city permits are secured, the couple will begin implementing the design for their yet-unnamed business. The blueprint will encompass a kitchen for preparing all-day fare, plus dining areas and a bar for serving beer, wine, mead and cider. It will also showcase a wine shop and eventually come to include an outdoor seating area.
The goal is to begin greeting customers by late 2027.
Beltz and his wife will primarily oversee the beverage program for spotlighting their small-production organic wines and assorted meads, which are crafted in Bay Park. They will also feature libations from guest producers.
The couple has earned numerous medals in international mead competitions since they started producing it nine years ago. Known otherwise as “honey wine,” mead comprises a base of fermented honey, yeast and water. Complexity is achieved with the addition of fruits, peppers and spices.
The project’s culinary component will be spearheaded by Bica, a hip cafe in San Diego’s Normal Heights neighborhood known for its European-style sandwiches and fish options.
Beltz said the partnership with Bica came naturally “because we’re friends with the owners and we like how they engage their community by hosting different events.”
With a wood-fired oven and rotisserie due to be installed, Bica’s culinary team is brainstorming over menus that will range from morning and midday fare to choices tailored for dinner. Specific dishes, however, have yet to be determined.
Beltz noted that all-day culinary hubs that seamlessly extend into evening hours are becoming increasingly popular in big cities, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.
Many of them incorporate wine shops.
He specifically chose La Mesa for the project because “we are La Mesa residents and we want to build this into our town.” He added that “It will be the largest eating and drinking establishment in the village.”
