SLO restaurant Sidecar is set to open in a new creekside spot. Take a look inside

San Luis Obispo restaurant and bar Sidecar Cocktail Co. is adding a distillery and moving to a new, larger location.

It’s making space for a Asian-style noodle house that’s on the horizon.

Sidecar, which has been located at 1127 Broad St. since 2011, is preparing to move about a block down the road to 1040 Broad St., the former home of Metro Brewing Co.

Restaurant owner Josh Christensen said that there is no official opening date, but he is expecting to open within three weeks — hopefully sooner.

Sidecar was originally slated to open in its new location in mid-June, but Christensen said his recovery from a 2018 car crash and challenges with renovating the new space delayed the process.

Christensen said that there is no official opening date for Sidecar, but he is expecting to open within three weeks — hopefully sooner.

“When we inherited that building we knew we were in for an entire aesthetic remodel,” Christensen said. “At every turn there were more challenges than we originally thought.”

Mold and a corroded gas pipe caused significant delays, he said.

“Now that we’re here and we’ve conquered all of these challenges the excitement is back again,” Christensen said.

New location for Sidecar has back patio, brick basement

According to Christensen, Sidecar’s new spot has a back patio over looking San Luis Obispo Creek and a basement with an additional bar.

During the remodel phase, workers discovered a brick wall in the basement area.

“We didn’t realize that the bottom floor was all of this rad, original brick,” Christensen said. “I think it’s a part of the building I’m most excited for the community to see.”

Christensen said nostalgia for the time when 1040 Broad St. was occupied by Grappolo Italian restaurant and filled with jazz bands played a part in the decision to move.

“Since those days the feeling and aesthetic of that building has changed,” Christensen said. “I think a lot of that warmth has come back (with Sidecar).”

Since Sidecar’s new building was previously used by a brewery, Christensen said he was able to take over the manufacturing use permit, making some modifications to transition from beer to spirit manufacturing.

The cocktail bar will primarily distill gin, Christensen said, adding that Sidecar will begin the distilling process right away.

Within a month or two of opening at the new location, Sidecar will have products to sell, he said.

When will Sidecar reopen?

On Feb. 8, Sidecar announced via Instagram that it cleared inspections and is waiting on paperwork from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to be processed.

Once that paperwork is processed, Christensen said, the current Sidecar location will close. He anticipates that it will take three days to re-open in the new space.

Christensen said he will increase the staff size slightly after the move.

What’s moving into SLO restaurant’s old spot?

As for Sidecar’s current location, Christensen said he and his brother, Jeremy, are planning to open Crybaby Noodle House.

Crybaby Noodle House will feature a variety of Asian noodle dishes, as well as Asian beer, cocktail and sake selections, Josh Christensen said. Sidecar’s executive chef will oversee the new location and the noodle house.

Christensen said he and his brother were inspired by a noodle bar in their hometown of San Diego and have been considering the idea for a few years. He said he anticipates that remodeling the old Sidecar location into Crybaby will take four to six weeks, as it will mainly be a surface remodel.

“We want to have fun with it,” Christensen said. “We’re just going to be doing noodles and hopefully, we’ll do it well.”

Although Christensen had leased the space right next to Sidecar’s current location in anticipation of possible expansion, he said there are no current plans for that space. He’s looking for people interested in leasing it.

This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 5:00 AM.