Polite Provisions reopens after closure due to liquor license suspension

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Ahead of the weekend, the popular North Park craft cocktail bar, Polite Provisions, reopened for the first time in months following a state-mandated closure over liquor license violations.

The infraction was the hotspot's fifth ding by the state's Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control (ABC) since it opened more than a decade ago.

As detailed in a decision on the breach, it stemmed from failure to properly display signs related to a previous 30-day license suspension for allowing patrons to take open alcoholic beverages from the bar into its adjoining restaurant, Fortunate Son, that began in December 2022.

At the time, Polite Provisions was required to display two signs saying it had its liquor license temporarily revoked, including one in the front window of Fortunate Son. The bar was also instructed not to display other signs with an alternative reason for the closure.

However, during two separate compliance checks, ABC agents found the sign meant to be in the front window was not there. Also during one of these checks, the department says a separate sign indicating its employees would be taking a "winter break" was displayed.

Given the bar's previous disciplinary history, an administrative judge decided to suspend the bar's liquor license for 60 days, which began last November.

In a now-deleted Instagram post, Polite Provisions said it had previously dismissed its run-ins with the ABC as a result of Draconian regulation and enforcement "dating back to prohibition," but used the closure to update its practices using a more "academic approach."

" … rest assured, the system works, and we are paying a serious price for our youthful indiscretions," the post read. "We have meticulously accounted for all ABC rules and regulations, and believe we’ve been able to maintain the essence of what makes this place so special."

FOX 5/KUSI reached out to Consortium Holdings, the parent company of Fortunate Son and Polite Provisions, for comment, but did not receive response prior to publication.

The bar is one of the most popular in Consortium Holdings' portfolio of boutique hospitality establishments, garnering recognition for its experimental approach to mixology as a James Beard bar semifinalist back in 2016.