Wolfie’s Carousel Bar

Wolfie’s Carousel Bar is a living piece of art. Born from the minds of San Diegans Mauricio and Gillian Couturier, and Abe and Ricky Aguilar—the team spent several years researching and designing the concept to fit its converted Little Italy garage space and sought to create an awe-inspiring immersive experience. Wolfie’s centerpiece is a fully functioning antiqued carousel-turned-bar with the bar top and attached bar stools revolving around a stationary central bartender workspace, hand-built with added layers of texture and patina to give the carousel an aged, vintage feel and illuminated by 400 lightbulbs. Imagery extends beyond the bounds of its moving centerpiece with pastel-colored Belle Epoque-style décor and 18th-century French paintings that reinforce the grandeur of another time, alongside digitally created murals and paintings that feel transportive (hand-painted pop culture references sprinkled throughout ensure Wolfie’s is squarely grounded in the present) with countless “Easter eggs”—a DeLorean parked by a picnic scene, hot air balloons, and UFOs hidden in the murals inviting guests to find something new each time they visit. Embarking and disembarking from the ADA-friendly bar is similar to doing the same on an escalator, as the carousel moves slowly enough to ride a wheelchair onto it.