The Top Gun House Is Now a Stylish Restaurant—See Inside

Restoring the bungalow-style cottage was a labor of love. First, it had to be relocated two blocks from its original site, at Pacific Street and Seagaze Drive, to a temporary work site for structural repair before finding its new home in the hotel’s courtyard overlooking the Oceanside Pier. Among the projects were restoring the wood cladding and front windows, dismantling the original chimney, and rebuilding it with the same historic bricks, and bringing back gingerbread details. Both porches had also been damaged and were restored.

Once at the hotel, the exterior was painted white and sky blue, with a red door to look like it had in Top Gun. Movie memorabilia was arranged throughout the interiors, modernized by Nicolò G. Bini at Line Architecture, whose past projects include Cara Delevingne’s home. Bini worked closely with the Oceanside Historical Society and Save Our Heritage Organization. A whitewashed background (particularly the fireplace, built-ins, panels, and moldings) is punched up with framed Victorian-era art along with needlepoint upholstery from artist Mary Lou Marks of Round Top, Texas. Her work can be seen on bar stools and the fireplace, where a faux cow’s head is mounted above and, instead of wooden logs, there are plush fiber versions within. Vintage furnishings, octopus-themed wallpaper, and vertical blue-and-white stripes surrounding the bar add further visual interest.

As yet another nod to Top Gun, a refurbished Yamaha Kawasaki Ninja ZX900 motorcycle just like Cruise’s in the movie is an Instagram-perfect prop for guests.