Doug Manchester to Open Restaurant in La Jolla

The Grand Del Mar will open a sister restaurant in La Jolla next month. Amaya La Jolla, located at 1205 Prospect Street, is expected to open Monday, Mar. 18. The restaurant is located in a Doug Manchester-owned property that has been under-construction for quite some time. Many have wondered what Manchester, a real estate developer, hotelier and owner of UT San Diego, had planned for the space for more than a year. 

The San Diego Reader reported in December that Manchester had spent more than $1 million on permits to develop out the property that was previously an art gallery.

Amaya La Jolla will have seating for 118 guests in its dining room and an additional 66 in its bar lounge area. Live entertainment is planned for this space as well. 

Both the menu and the atmosphere will mirror Amaya at The Grand Del Mar.

Chef Camron created a menu with some of Amaya Del Mar’s most popular dishes, including smoked king salmon with parsnip purée, brussels sprouts, bacon, apple chutney and grain mustard and slow roasted pork chop with sweet potato bread pudding and roasted apples. 

The interior will be decorated with crystal chandeliers and a rich color palette of gold, ochre and aubergine.

“We are very excited about bringing the Amaya experience to this vibrant seaside community of San Diego,” Tom Voss, president of The Grand Del Mar, stated in an announcement. “Camron Woods is perfectly suited to be Amaya La Jolla’s executive chef, and we’re pleased to announce that his replacement at Amaya at The Grand Del Mar, will be Matthew Sramek, who has worked with Camron for the last three years.”

A spokeswoman for the project said "Manchester is involved as an owner, but he’s not overseeing the day to day."