In a sea of taco trucks and sushi shops, John Merklinger hopes to bring something new to Pacific Beach: Grumpy’s Meat Pies. The New Zealand-inspired restaurant will open within the next few weeks at 1146 Garnet Ave.
Merklinger launched a similar concept in Leucadia last year called Coastal Eatery, and received positive feedback from well-traveled surfers who longed for the savory, crispy meat pies of the Southern Hemisphere.
“This dish is so common there, and it’s not easy to find around here,” Merklinger told What Now San Diego.
“They have more meat pie stands than we have taco stands. So, we’re going to keep the easygoing beach theme, inspired by San Diego and New Zealand surf culture.”
As for the shop’s title, “Grumpy’s” is part of Merklinger’s family history. He hopes to pay homage to his granddad, who opened a Virginia Beach restaurant of the same name in 1938. The meat pie spin-off will honor the grumpy old man within us all.
“It’s like the seven dwarves, but I didn’t want to get sued by Disney,” Merklinger joked. “We already have a ‘Get Off My Lawn’ sign, and we’ll have a board for people to write their favorite old man sayings.”
Grumpy’s menu will stay similar to the Coastal Eatery’s, featuring breakfast pies with egg and cheese, along with other fan favorites: steak and cheese, lamb, chicken curry and chicken portabello. Grumpy’s opts for organic, hormone-free ingredients to use in their signature handmade meat pies.
Seth Pite of Franco Realty Group represented Grumpy’s in the leasing process, in addition to representing another new local business down the street called Ho Stevie!, a surf retailer that What Now San Diego reported on in January.
