Flying High at Top Gun House, home of the famous HIGH-pie
By Alana Morgan
What do Tom Cruise’s famous Maverick character and mascarpone ice cream, high-flying Navy pilots and hot hand pies have in common? They’re colliding in a blockbuster-worthy burst of flavor at The Top Gun House, Home of the Famous HIGH-pie in Oceanside.
Located at the heart of Mission Pacific Hotel facing the beach and coinciding with the anticipated sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick,” The Top Gun House is grabbing the limelight once again with its own sequel of sorts — a picturesque pie shop.
FROM HISTORIC HOME TO MOTION PICTURE HISTORY TO MODERN-DAY DESSERT BAR
Originally built in 1887 by Dr. Henry Graves, a Riverside, CA resident who used the Queen Anne-style cottage as a summer vacation home, the picturesque building is now the last oceanfront Folk Victorian cottage in San Diego County. Though it surely delighted passersby throughout the decades, this historic home got its moment in the spotlight in 1986 when it served as the oceanfront “home” of Maverick’s love interest, Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood, in the original “Top Gun.”
Since the blockbuster hit, the house has been an iconic Oceanside landmark, whose forever home is now at the heart of Mission Pacific.
Having fallen into disrepair over the years, the house was painstakingly rehabilitated to historic standards by ownership group S.D. Malkin Properties, Inc., with the design support of Nicolò G. Bini at LINE architecture, and under the guidance of the Oceanside Historical Society and Save Our Heritage Organization.
Now, after its careful restoration, including bringing back the original blue exterior, complete with an outdoor porch and hanging swing, The Top Gun House has now also been reinvented as the new home of HIGH-pie.
PIE IN THE SKY: INTRODUCING HIGH-PIE
Nothing sparks American nostalgia like good, old-fashioned pie, making the retro-inspired HIGH-pie a perfect fit for this charming spot. Now open, HIGH-pie is slinging fried hand pies stuffed with seasonal fruit fillings — and even house-made mascarpone ice cream — on a stick for a tasty, portable treat for people walking down The Strand or heading to the pier-side beach just across the street.
One step into the carefully-designed pie shop sparks one’s sweet tooth thanks to tantalizing display cases and a Willy-Wonka-esque conveyor belt showcasing the day’s freshly-made pies. All HIGH-pies are naturally gluten-free and pair well with the pie shop’s hot coffee and New Orleans-style iced coffee with sweet milk.
Developed by chef, restaurateur, and hotelier Tara Lazar, who also created High/Low at Mission Pacific, HIGH-pies’ creative concept embraces both the house’s history and film nostalgia with a tasteful touch of “New Americana.”
The hot and tasty fried pies, however, are timeless.
READY TO SEE WHAT ALL THE BUZZ IS ABOUT?
VISIT TOP GUN HOUSE, HOME OF THE FAMOUS HIGH-pie
