New French diner and bar to appear in San Diego’s Gaslight District as part of the Palihotel under construction

In 2021, Dovetail + Co acquired the historic St. James, a 99-room full-service hotel located on Sixth Avenue in the gaslight district of downtown San Diego. Hotel The James was originally built in 1912 as an eleven-story Victorian hotel that towered over San Diego with an unobstructed view of the city. In recent years, the hotel has housed the iconic 24-hour diner Brian’s 24, which closed last summer after 14 years of operation.

In the former building of the St. James is undergoing an internal renovation to turn it into the first Palihotel branch in San Diego, part of Los Angeles parent company Palisociety’s national collection of boutique hotels and residences. The hotel will have a neat and nautical design with 122 guest rooms, a new French snack bar and restaurant, and a refurbished guest-only rooftop lounge with a daily social hour including small snacks, wine, cocktails and more.

Occupying 24 rooms of a former Brian’s restaurant in the basement, St. James French Diner combines the laid-back character of a roadside American diner with classic French bistro charm. The new 24-hour bar and restaurant will be led by Chef Casey Lane, a four-time James Beard Rising Star Foundation semi-finalist whose work in the Los Angeles restaurant industry has earned him attention and recognition in the city and beyond. Expect dishes such as steak tartare, croque madam, peppered beef fillet, traditional French omelet, Parisian-style burgers and bouillabaisse with local seafood.