Just in time for summer, beachgoers will have a new place to enjoy a rooftop drink at sunset. The Beachwood, a three-story bar and restaurant, is set to open at the Promenade in Pacific Beach in May. “The foundation is going to be our food and our staff,” said general manager Justin Lopez. “You can get a beer or cocktail anywhere.” If the name sounds familiar, it’s not a coincidence. The management team at the Beachwood is the same as the Fleetwood bar and restaurant downtown, and Lopez said the similarities to the downtown venue start with the food. “You come to the beach and at a lot of the places it’s out of the bag, out of the fryer, basket-type food,” Lopez said. “We’re not going to bring in snobby-type food. It’s going to be fresh, from scratch bar food — everything is going to be fresh.” In addition to bar fare, Lopez said Beachwood will feature California cuisine involving seafood and comfort dishes from the Fleetwood, including a short ribs dish that he calls a pot roast on steroids. “A lot of people think Fleetwood is just this bar and nightclub,” Lopez said. “But we actually have great food and that was the gist of it.” The Beachwood also plans to distinguish itself in Pacific Beach with its service. This includes well-known bartenders from around San Diego. “We’ve hired a lot of bartenders that have established bases and followings here in San Diego,” Lopez said. “We’ve pulled from different locations here in San Diego and so we get a different crowd in every night when a bartender is working.” The Beachwood signed a 20-year lease to move into the three levels previously occupied by Hooters. Lopez said the first level will be a “Sinatraesque” dark bar with a beach lounge feel to it. “You’re going to know you’re at the beach,” Lopez said. The second level, where the main Hooters restaurant was, will house the Beachwood’s restaurant and bar, utilizing the current floor to ceiling windows to capitalize on the views. A circle bar facing the ocean and a retractable roof will also highlight the second floor. On top, the Beachwood will spruce up the previously underutilized patio. An L-shaped bar and circle booths will face the ocean, which is less than a block away. “We’re going to put a couple of beds and outdoor booths and seating out there just to look at the sunset,” Lopez said. Beachwood also has a bit more of a Pacific Beach connection. Lopez himself was general manager of Moondoggies when it first opened. “A lot of our core management team got their start in the biz here, so it’s kind of like we have our roots here,” Lopez said. “Even though PB rotates often, we’ve built our roots here.” Beachwood will be located at 4190 Mission Blvd. For more information, visit www.thebeachwood.com or e-mail [email protected].