Before Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens opened in 2006, Greg Koch spent quiet Sundays in the hot sun with small groups of volunteers, building the stone entry wall and the walls in the garden. He told San Diego Beer News that his favorite thing about the place came later, "simply hearing the laughter, the conversations and the conviviality in the gardens."
Twenty years later, Koch and co-founder Steve Wagner have started taking that garden back. November 13 was set as the last day of service under the Stone name at 1999 Citracado Parkway. The restaurant is reopening as Quarry Escondido, an independent business that has no connection to the Stone brand. Across town, the same months brought a new downtown taproom run by two Escondido residents and plans for a nanobrewery from a local couple. A beer scene that answered to a Japanese parent company from 2022 until this year is now run mostly by people who either built it or live here.
The Land Never Changed Hands
Koch told Axios San Diego that he and Wagner kept ownership of the Escondido real estate through both sales of the brewery, first to Sapporo and then to Firestone Walker.
That explains how the rescue happened. Sapporo bought Stone in 2022. Earlier this year it sold the Stone brand to Firestone Walker Brewing and Duvel Moortgat USA, and the Escondido properties were not part of that deal. In August, Sapporo said it would shut the bistro in November unless the right operator turned up. San Diego Magazine put the question many people were asking: who had the nerve and the money to take it on? The answer was the two people who had dreamed it up.
When the sale was announced, the founders already owned the building. They had to take over the restaurant itself, and Koch called that "extraordinarily complex." About 140 people worked at the venue, according to San Diego Beer News.
What Quarry Keeps, and What It Adjusts
According to the founders' public comments, Quarry is meant to feel familiar.
- The menu moves back toward an entrée-focused style, closer to the bistro's early years. Koch told San Diego Beer News the changes would be "slight-versus-dramatic."
- The taps. The bistro had 36 taps, all pouring Stone beers. The founders plan to use those 36 taps to "celebrate the breadth and quality of the craft brewing community." Koch told Axios that Stone beer will still be on the list.
- The setting. The one-acre beer garden and the koi ponds are reported to stay.
- The name came from an Instagram poll Koch ran. Quarry beat suggestions such as Beery McBeerface and Stoney McStoneface, plus Koch's own favorite, The Escondidian.
The first goal is to reopen for the holidays with few changes. How To Beer, citing an interview Koch gave the North County Chronicle, reported that a bigger refurbishment is planned for later. That could include a February closure to rework the front of house and the bar. If you're planning a winter birthday or a visit from out-of-town guests, check Quarry's website for updates before you go. It lists the old bistro phone number, (760) 294-7866.
It's easy to forget how unusual this place was when it opened. Koch told Axios that in 2006, "the three closest restaurants to us at the time were Applebee's, Chili's and an Olive Garden." He also recalled that MapQuest couldn't route people there correctly. San Diego Magazine notes that by 2016 the company called the venue North County's third-largest tourist attraction, behind Legoland and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
The Brewers Who Grew Up in Stone's Shadow
Stone's size had a side effect. In an October 21 San Diego Union-Tribune piece, Brandon Hernández wrote that many people wrongly believe Stone is Escondido's only brewing company, and that the city's other breweries and taprooms now have a better chance of being discovered.
Many of those businesses trace back to Stone or to Escondido itself.
| Spot | Address | Who runs it | Tie to Escondido |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backyard Brewery | 2229 Micro Place | Bill Carter | Escondido native; opened in 2022 down the hill from Stone's headquarters |
| Burgeon at the Oasis | 649 Rock Springs Road, at Escondido Feed & Pet Supply | Burgeon Beer Co., Carlsbad-based | Co-founder and head brewer Anthony Tallman worked at Stone |
| Barley & Sword Brewing | 800 West Grand Ave. | Mike Howell | Expanded from North Park; opened in Escondido in March |
| Escondido Social Taproom | 132 North Kalmia St. | Aldo Barbosa and Matthew Holden | Escondido residents; both worked at Little Miss Brewing, the brewery that had this space before |
| Made Wright Beer Co. | 136 South Juniper St. | Jake and Nicole Wright | Escondido residents for almost a decade; planned for early next year |
Each spot has its own character. Backyard leans on hop-forward beers and traditional Belgian ales. It has an English-style IPA made with Carolina Reaper peppers that, per the Union-Tribune, has become part of local lore, and an on-site homebrew shop called Wild West Homebrew Supply Co. Burgeon's Oasis is entirely outdoors and pours clean lagers and dry San Diego-style IPAs. The brewery releases two new beers every other week. Barley & Sword's taproom, "The Tavern," has faux-stone walls, a suit of armor, two patios and a stage for local bands. It brews almost only Old World styles from the U.K., Ireland, the Czech Republic, Belgium and Germany.
Carter told the Union-Tribune that Stone made all of this possible:
"By introducing so many people to the local craft beer scene, Stone helped create an environment where other breweries and beer venues could thrive."
Tallman, who learned the trade at Stone, told the same paper that it was "great to see Steve and Greg continuing its legacy."
Downtown Is Where the New Owners Live
The newest additions are the most local of all. Escondido Social Taproom opened in October, just off Grand Avenue. It pours beer, wine, hard seltzer and non-alcoholic drinks, and all of it is made in San Diego. Co-owner Holden told the Union-Tribune that "downtown Escondido, especially along Grand Avenue, is experiencing an incredible resurgence with new craft restaurants, maker spaces and small businesses coming in."
A few blocks south, the Wrights are turning a former collectibles shop on South Juniper Street into a nanobrewery. The plan is a 60-seat tasting room with maple and walnut furniture, a mural running the length of one wall, and Pilsner, amber ale, pale ale and IPAs on tap. "No gimmicks, just a nice place to hang out and have some tasty beers," Jake Wright told the Union-Tribune.
Stone was always a drive out to Citracado Parkway, south of the Escondido Auto Park. The newest taprooms are within walking distance of Grand Avenue.
December 5 Puts It All on One Street
The first big downtown night of the holiday season falls on Saturday, December 5. The Escondido Jaycees' 75th Christmas Parade starts at 6 p.m. and runs along Grand Avenue from Juniper to Orange. Grand Avenue closes to cars from Centre City Parkway to Valley Boulevard starting at noon, so plan to park off Grand and walk in.
That same day, Downtown Escondido opens two seasonal features on Maple Street.
- Ups and Downtown, a temporary roller rink on Maple Street south of Grand Avenue, runs December 5 through 27. Entry is $5, plus $5 for skate rental.
- Market on the Plaza sets up at Maple Street Plaza on December 5, 12 and 19, from noon to 8 p.m., with local makers, artists, treats and gifts.
The parade starts at Juniper, the same street where the Wrights are building their brewery. Escondido Social Taproom sits a block off the route on Kalmia. A walk from the rink to the parade to a pint of San Diego-made beer stays inside a few downtown blocks, past a taproom and a brewery-in-progress both run by Escondido residents.
Here at McAllister Homes Real Estate, we follow these openings because they shape the blocks around them. If you own a home or a rental near Grand Avenue and want to talk about what new downtown businesses mean for your property, let's connect over coffee or a pint at one of the spots above.