KETTNER EXCHANGE, LITTLE ITALY

Architect and Designer: LPGA (BlueMottiff Architecture)
General Contractor: Creative Builds
Location: Little Italy, San Diego

Kettner Exchange, the 10,000-square-foot double-decker restaurant and lounge is one of Little Italy hot spot for 2015. On the street level is a bar and a dining area with a mix of standard tables, lounge seating and communal tables behind a glass roll-up door that opens onto Kettner St.; glass panels set along Grape Street allow views into the kitchen, where an alcove with a chef’s table host custom dinners, wine and beer events. Upstairs, the indoor/outdoor layout includes another dining room with attached patio and an open-air space that holds a bar, a fire pit, a hanging bed for lounging and five cabanas, each with their own beer tap and wet bar.