San Diego’s An’s Gelato plans Oceanside expansion inside the historic Top Gun House near the pier

A landmark storefront is preparing for its next tenant

An’s Gelato, a San Diego-based gelato operator known for themed shop concepts, is preparing to open an Oceanside outpost inside the historic cottage popularly called the “Top Gun House.” The company has announced that its newest “experience” is scheduled to open this summer inside the building, which sits in the Mission Pacific Hotel complex near the Oceanside Pier.

The Oceanside site has been closely watched since early 2026, when its previous dessert tenant ended operations in the cottage. High-Pie, a hand-pie shop that opened in the house in 2022, announced it would remain in the cottage through January 4, 2026, marking a clear transition point for the high-profile retail space.

Why the location matters: tourism, preservation, and a small footprint

The cottage is an 1880s-era Folk Victorian/Queen Anne-style structure historically known as the Graves House. It gained a second identity through its appearance in the 1986 film “Top Gun,” where it was used as the on-screen home of a key character. During the development of Oceanside’s two-hotel oceanfront project, the building was relocated from its earlier position and restored as a public-facing attraction within the Mission Pacific courtyard area.

Because of its modest interior size—often described as roughly 500 square feet—the building has consistently favored limited-menu, high-throughput service. Since reopening to the public in 2022, it has operated as a dessert venue with heavy visitor traffic driven by film recognition, proximity to the pier, and its integration into a resort campus.

What is known about An’s Gelato’s Oceanside plan

An’s Gelato’s public materials identify the Top Gun House as the next location for the brand, with an opening window stated as summer. The company operates multiple locations across San Diego County, including its original North Park shop and additional outposts in Del Mar, Petco Park, and Ocean Beach, each framed around a different storefront theme.

Beyond the summer timeframe, detailed operational information for the Oceanside shop—such as an exact opening date, hours, menu format, seating approach, or staffing levels—has not been publicly finalized in the materials reviewed by the sandiego.news newsroom.

What changes for Oceanside’s dessert corridor

The shift from hand pies to gelato keeps the cottage aligned with a grab-and-go model while changing the product category and potentially the customer flow during warm-weather peak visitation. The move also places An’s Gelato into a competitive downtown Oceanside landscape where gelato is already available within walking distance.

• The previous tenant in the cottage ended service on January 4, 2026.
• An’s Gelato has announced a summer opening inside the same building.
• The Top Gun House remains a preserved historic structure and a high-traffic tourism stop near the pier.

The Oceanside opening continues a pattern of adaptive reuse at one of San Diego County’s most recognizable small storefronts, where preservation and commerce have been intertwined since the building’s 2022 reopening.