HUNTINGTON BEACH : Pool Hall, Eatery to Replace Golden Bear

After six months of searching for a new tenant to replace the briefly revived Golden Bear nightclub, the city has found a new attraction to fill the spot--a pool hall.

The Planning Commission this week unanimously approved plans for a billiards parlor and restaurant to move into the former nightclub, which closed its doors in May because it proved too noisy for an upstairs movie theater.

Some commission members said they were hesitant to support a billiard hall in the space but were convinced by owner Sal Gagliano’s promise that On the Break Grille and Sports Club will be “an upscale establishment.” The commission’s decision is binding unless appealed to the City Council.

As planned, the billiard hall and restaurant will move into an 8,000-square-foot portion of the empty club, the area that had served as the Golden Bear’s adjoining eatery. City and property management officials have yet to find a use for the remaining 5,000-square-foot area, where concerts were held.

When the nightclub opened as Peppers Golden Bear in August, 1990, it had been envisioned as a key attraction of Pierside Pavilion at Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway. The nightclub and Mann movie theaters were expected to steadily draw nighttime visitors to the four-story, $45-million complex, considered the cornerstone of the city’s downtown redevelopment project.

But because efforts to block the noise from Golden Bear concerts from its upstairs neighbor failed, the club sold its lease 11 days before the six-screen movie complex opened.

Since then, city and Pierside Pavilion officials have been looking for a restaurant to replace the club and attract enough patrons to thrive at the large, prime location.

The city Redevelopment Agency, which helped build Pierside Pavilion, touts the billiard facility as a promising amenity to fill the void, redevelopment specialist Keith Bohr said.

On the Break Grille and Sports Club is patterned after a similar establishment in Louisiana that Gagliano’s family has operated for 100 years.

The Huntington Beach version, as planned, would include 19 billiard tables and other games, a bar and an indoor/outdoor dining area serving Cajun cuisine and accommodating up to 110 people. Only patrons 21 and older will be allowed in.

“I came in prepared not to like this project,” Planning Commissioner Susan Newman said. “However, after hearing the presentation, it seems to me that market forces will determine whether it will survive. I can’t see any reason to deny it.”

Because the billiard hall is advertised as being less noisy than the nightclub, it is not expected to disrupt residents in an adjacent condominium complex, Bohr said. Condo residents never complained about nightclub noise, he added.

The parlor would open at 9 a.m., closing at midnight during the week and at 2 a.m. on weekends, the same closing hours as the Golden Bear.