July 17, 2023Fresh off the reopening of The Lafayette Hotel, Consortium Holdings hospitality company was forced by the County of San Diego Department of Health to temporarily shutter Ironside Fish & Oyster in Little Italy over this past weekend.
Consortium Holdings opened Ironside Fish & Oyster in
early 2014 in the 4,500 square-foot 1920s-era Little Italy warehouse that was previously occupied by a wrought-iron gate-maker named Ironside. The raw bar, bakery and local seafood-focused restaurant was the first partnership project between Consortium Holdings and previous Corporate Chef Jason McLeod, who once received two Michelin stars while the executive chef of RIA in Chicago’s 5-Star Elysian Hotel.
Ironside was forced to close on July 15 after the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health Food and Housed Division found multiple violations, including major hot and cold water issues; premises, vermin-proofing and personal/cleaning items out of compliance, and issues regarding floors, walls and ceilings. The company eventually replaced the hot water heater and was reportedly allowed to reopen on July 17.
This is far from the first issue Consortium Holdings has had with licensing authorities. Last December, the company's
Polite Provisions cocktail bar was shuttered following a liquor license suspension. While the bar played it out on its social media as merely a "winter break", Polite Provisions liquor license was suspended for 30 days for "allowing patrons to leave with open alcoholic beverage containers.". This was not the first suspension for the longtime Normal Heights destination, actually the fourth. The latest was in 2020 when Polite's liquor license was suspended for violation of Section 25177 of the CA ABC rules, which deals with the “sale of distilled spirits in package which has been refilled.” Polite Provisions' neighboring American-Chinese restaurant Fortunate Son also
had its liquor license temporarily suspended in November 2022.
Consortium Holdings reopened San Diego's 77-year-old The Lafayette Hotel, Swim Club & Bungalows this past July 12 following a nine month closure and $31 million renovation. The company remains busy with several additional concepts in the works, including an incoming bar & restaurant under development in North Park called
Leila. The company is also in the process of
revamping Starlite Bar & Restaurant in San Diego's Middletown neighborhood, is opening a new bar & restaurant as part of its
La Avenida Inn in Coronado, and is building a bakery, commissary kitchen and eatery in the shopping plaza at 3401 Adams Avenue in Normal Heights.
Ironside Fish & Oyster is located at 1654 India Street in San Diego's Little Italy. For more information, visit
ironsidefishandoyster.com.
