The name Reunion Kitchen + Drink couldn’t be more well-suited for the polished, modern comfort-food spot that recently opened after much anticipation on Cabrillo Boulevard. It’s as if the reincarnation of this space, which was previously occupied by East Beach Grill for more than three decades, is reuniting that once-beloved casual restaurant with updated hopes of what it can be for many years to come.
Reunion is nestled on the beachside ground floor of the City of Santa Barbara’s Cabrillo Pavilion, which just underwent a four-year, $20 million renovation. That project is why East Beach Grill’s lease was not renewed at the end of 2017. The former proprietor, Francisco Aguilera — who worked there for 33 years, bought it in 2008, and also owns the burger and ice cream joints on Stearns Wharf — was not able to reach a deal with the city to continue operating there post-renovation.
The city initially awarded the contract in 2019 to the owners of The Beachcomber in Newport Beach’s Crystal Cove, who were developing the space under the name La Sirena. But when that deal fell through amid lawsuits in 2021, Scott and Rosemary McIntosh stepped in to open their third Reunion Kitchen + Drink, a small but successful chain with restaurants in Anaheim Hills and Laguna Beach.