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After a three-month shutdown, Karl Strauss Brewery Gardens in Sorrento Mesa emerges today from $1.5 million remodel with a completely new look and floor plan.

Most dramatically different is the restaurant's open design, with a single level for dining (previously a split-level space divided the area), a relocated central bar, enhanced private party space and most anticipated, a brand new front patio that gives diners a prime view of the property's iconic koi pond and Japanese gardens.

Why the remodel now? According to Melissa Dombo, creative manager for Karl Strauss, the time was right to celebrate both the company's 25th anniversary and the Sorrento Mesa location's 20th year.

"The remodel is in line with our overall brand refreshing," she said. "Our biggest physical change to the space was moving the bar to a more central location; there's now great circulation around the bar, making it a better place to hang out and socialize. One of our main goals in the remodel was to allow movement," she added.

The revamped floor plan allowed Karl Strauss to also create a larger social area in the heart of the restaurant, which now features pub-style community tables. New roll-up glass doors border the entire space, bringing the outside in and making diners feel "part of the scenery," according to Dombo. "The garden outside is too beautiful to be hidden behind a solid wall," she said.

The 8,950-square-foot space, which includes a R&D nano-brewery, has a modern loft vibe with concrete, stainless steel and reclaimed wood elements. On one wall, the "BLDG K" sign is a nod to the local Qualcomm crowd's nickname for the building which is set in the midst of the company's campus.

The menu mirrors other Karl Strauss locations, but a seasonal refresh is scheduled for May 1. Weekly cask nights on Thursdays along with Sunday brunch will continue. Among the new beers on tap is their Mosaic Session Ale, which rolls out in bottles in June.

· Karl Strauss Brewery Gardens [Official Site]

· All Eater Inside Coverage [~ESD~]

-Aimee Cebulski