Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Tom Ham's Lighthouse remodels and debuts new menu

Historic Harbor Island restaurant gets an overhaul.

Harbor Island landmark Tom Ham’s Lighthouse recently underwent a $3.5 million renovation by late architect Graham Downes, who reimagined the interior design and bayfront bar.

Boasting views of the San Diego Bay, the downtown skyline, and Coronado Island, Tom Ham’s is the only restaurant in the country with a fully functioning U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse.

“My father, Tom Ham, built Tom Ham’s Lighthouse in 1971,” said co-owner Susie Baumann. “This was his dream, to build a restaurant that highlighted the history of San Diego. I think he would be pleased with the outcome of this remodel. The genius of our architect Graham Downes was that he could see what an older building could be.”

The Baumann family worked closely with Downes and his team to ensure that every interior finish was updated to complement the classic early California design of the building, the press release reads.

Sponsored
Sponsored

An outdoor dining deck was added to the second floor and features infinity glass, providing unobstructed views of the San Diego Bay and the city skyline.

As guests enter Tom Ham’s Lighthouse, they will see a unique keg room, which sets the tone of the restaurant, the release continues.

A bayside wedding site was added and artist Christopher Puzio created the wedding arch with 2,000 individual aluminum rings, a new icon on the bay.

The new design also moved the upstairs bar to face the bay.

“I know my father would be proud that his three grandsons Grant, Tommy and Andy, who were instrumental in keeping his love of this City alive in the décor you will see inside – the maps on the grand stairway, the U.S. Coast Guard 1893 Fog Bell shined up and proudly placed in the lobby, Tom Ham’s valuable antique model ships, and his collection of shipheads are strategically mounted in the upstairs bar,” added Susie.

Susie, her husband Larry, and sons Grant, Tommy and Andy own and manage Tom Ham’s Lighthouse and the Bali Hai Restaurant.

Tom Ham’s Lighthouse is now open for lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch and Happy Hour.

The lunch menu includes Ballast Point Pale Ale Fish & Chips, Fried Chicken Sandwich with pickle jalapeño slaw and Crab BLT.

For dinner, choose from Pomegranate-glazed Pork Belly with Fontina polenta and Roast Corn and Shrimp Soup as starters; Lobster Bouillabaisse and Paella as main dishes and Butter Poached Pearl Potatoes with Herbs and Grilled Asparagus with preserved lemon as side dishes, among many other selections.

Tom Ham’s Lighthouse will also continue its famous Sunday brunch, with plenty of seafood, such as lobster claws and crab legs, an omelet station, pasta station, and prime rib.

Monday through Friday, from 3 to 6 p.m., Happy Hour features daily selected beers for $3 for an 8 oz. pour and $5 for a 16 oz. pour, along with $1 off all wines and $2 off all craft cocktails.

Select specially priced appetizers include Tenderloin Tips with blue cheese, bacon and arugula and Calamari with honey lime chili dipping sauce.

The new upstairs bar highlights 32 beers on tap, including “Beacon No. 9” brewed by Ballast Point in honor of Tom Ham’s Lighthouse Beacon No. 9, a working Coast Guard lighthouse.

The majority of the beers will be from established local breweries, such as Karl Strauss, Ballast Point, Stone Brewery, Green Flash, Port Brewing, the Lost Abbey and Manzanita.

Also featured are craft cocktails such as Saucy Sally with light rum, Chambord and lemon verbena and Wickie’s Salvation with Maker’s Mark, ginger liquor, blackberries and rosemary syrup.

An extensive wine list features selections by the bottle and glass.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Birding & Brews: Breakfast Edition, ZZ Ward, Doggie Street Festival & Pet Adopt-A-Thon

Events November 21-November 23, 2024
Next Article

Syrian treat maker Hakmi Sweets makes Dubai chocolate bars

Look for the counter shop inside a Mediterranean grill in El Cajon

Harbor Island landmark Tom Ham’s Lighthouse recently underwent a $3.5 million renovation by late architect Graham Downes, who reimagined the interior design and bayfront bar.

Boasting views of the San Diego Bay, the downtown skyline, and Coronado Island, Tom Ham’s is the only restaurant in the country with a fully functioning U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse.

“My father, Tom Ham, built Tom Ham’s Lighthouse in 1971,” said co-owner Susie Baumann. “This was his dream, to build a restaurant that highlighted the history of San Diego. I think he would be pleased with the outcome of this remodel. The genius of our architect Graham Downes was that he could see what an older building could be.”

The Baumann family worked closely with Downes and his team to ensure that every interior finish was updated to complement the classic early California design of the building, the press release reads.

Sponsored
Sponsored

An outdoor dining deck was added to the second floor and features infinity glass, providing unobstructed views of the San Diego Bay and the city skyline.

As guests enter Tom Ham’s Lighthouse, they will see a unique keg room, which sets the tone of the restaurant, the release continues.

A bayside wedding site was added and artist Christopher Puzio created the wedding arch with 2,000 individual aluminum rings, a new icon on the bay.

The new design also moved the upstairs bar to face the bay.

“I know my father would be proud that his three grandsons Grant, Tommy and Andy, who were instrumental in keeping his love of this City alive in the décor you will see inside – the maps on the grand stairway, the U.S. Coast Guard 1893 Fog Bell shined up and proudly placed in the lobby, Tom Ham’s valuable antique model ships, and his collection of shipheads are strategically mounted in the upstairs bar,” added Susie.

Susie, her husband Larry, and sons Grant, Tommy and Andy own and manage Tom Ham’s Lighthouse and the Bali Hai Restaurant.

Tom Ham’s Lighthouse is now open for lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch and Happy Hour.

The lunch menu includes Ballast Point Pale Ale Fish & Chips, Fried Chicken Sandwich with pickle jalapeño slaw and Crab BLT.

For dinner, choose from Pomegranate-glazed Pork Belly with Fontina polenta and Roast Corn and Shrimp Soup as starters; Lobster Bouillabaisse and Paella as main dishes and Butter Poached Pearl Potatoes with Herbs and Grilled Asparagus with preserved lemon as side dishes, among many other selections.

Tom Ham’s Lighthouse will also continue its famous Sunday brunch, with plenty of seafood, such as lobster claws and crab legs, an omelet station, pasta station, and prime rib.

Monday through Friday, from 3 to 6 p.m., Happy Hour features daily selected beers for $3 for an 8 oz. pour and $5 for a 16 oz. pour, along with $1 off all wines and $2 off all craft cocktails.

Select specially priced appetizers include Tenderloin Tips with blue cheese, bacon and arugula and Calamari with honey lime chili dipping sauce.

The new upstairs bar highlights 32 beers on tap, including “Beacon No. 9” brewed by Ballast Point in honor of Tom Ham’s Lighthouse Beacon No. 9, a working Coast Guard lighthouse.

The majority of the beers will be from established local breweries, such as Karl Strauss, Ballast Point, Stone Brewery, Green Flash, Port Brewing, the Lost Abbey and Manzanita.

Also featured are craft cocktails such as Saucy Sally with light rum, Chambord and lemon verbena and Wickie’s Salvation with Maker’s Mark, ginger liquor, blackberries and rosemary syrup.

An extensive wine list features selections by the bottle and glass.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Poway’s schools, faced with money squeeze, fined for voter mailing

$105 million bond required payback of nearly 10 times that amount
Next Article

Trump names local supporter new Border Czar

Another Brick (Suit) in the Wall
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader