The owners of Table 926 want everyone to know that theirs is a cornerstone eatery in Pacific Beach where they can go have dinner and a bottle of wine or just spend time with friends.
“We’re a family-owned restaurant; my dad and I are partners,” said chef and co-owner Matt Richman. “We’re not a huge restaurant group. We’re not a chain. We’re small, independent. We’re just trying to have really good food at reasonable prices.”
Richman took over Table 926, at 926 Turquoise St., about 3½ years ago. The retail space, which has been a restaurant since at least the late ’70s, was previously Chateau Orleans, featuring Cajun cuisine.
Richman changed the menu and gave the bistro a new, more inclusive identity.
“We’re California cuisine with Mediterranean and Latin influences,” he said. “We have a super menu and wine list.”
The restaurateur said he’s created an entirely new dining style, which he referred to as “casual upscale.”
“It’s a place where you can wear shorts and flip-flops too but know that you’re going to get really good food and really good service,” Richman said. “We’re not pretentious,” he added. “Our employees are younger, professional. It’s a good blend.”
Table 926’s menu includes delicacies like grilled octopus, pan-roasted yellowtail, chicken or duck breast and pork chops. There are typically three or four daily specials.
Richman is a native La Jollan who graduated from La Jolla Country Day School. He went to culinary school in San Francisco and returned to San Diego to work at Pacifica Del Mar before acquiring his own local restaurant.
Richman said 926 Turquoise St. was a perfect fit for his new restaurant concept.
“We had some real estate friends, and they told us when this space became available, and we pounced on it,” he said. “It was an emerging area in north PB, and we also had a lot of different demographics that we could pull toward. You have the kids in PB, the older, retired people up on the hill, and you’ve got young professionals in Bird Rock and north PB. We try to cater to them all.”
To that end, Table 926 offers weekly specials. Happy hour is 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays are nights for locals, where guests from the PB and La Jolla areas get 15 percent off. Wednesday is date night, wherein couples are charged $65 with no corkage fee, which entitles them to a shared appetizer, two entrees and a bottle of select wine.
Thursday night at Table 926 offers half off selected wines. A weekend brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. fills out the weekly specials list, offering a full brunch menu with $15 bellini and mimosa flights, with $15 bottomless mimosas.
Table 926 is civic minded.
“We’re a neighborhood bistro, so we want to be involved in the community,” said Richman. “We do a lot of donations for local charities, whether it’s school, church or nonprofit oriented.”
And what of the restaurant’s somewhat unconventional name?
“It’s the address,” answered Richman, adding, “At the time, the hot names were restaurant objects — kitchens, tables.”
Richman said about 80 percent of his clientele comes from La Jolla and PB. He added he’s also hoping to catch the emerging trend of “neighborhoodization,” noting that “People don’t have to leave their own neighborhood to get to good restaurants and bars. We want to be that north PB focal point.” Table 926
Where: 926 Turquoise St.
Happy hour: 5 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays; locals get 15 percent off on Tuesdays
Contact: 858-539-0926, email [email protected]