Home of the Famous HIGH-Pie 

If you’ve seen the movie, Top Gun (1986), you’ve undoubtedly seen one of its inanimate stars – “The Top Gun House” – a blue seaside historic cottage on a palm tree lined street in Oceanside, California. Built 135 years ago in 1887, this house was initially a vacation home for Dr. Henry Graves and his family before it was sold in 1905. Paramount Pictures rented the house in 1985 for two weeks and used it as the home of Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Blackwood, played by Kelly McGillis. Since Top Gun’s release in 1986, the house became a favorite landmark for both Oceanside residents and visitors.

Home of the Famous HIGH-Pie 

The long anticipated Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, opens in theatres on May 27, 2022. With the sequel’s debut, the San Diego area locations featured in the original movie are worth revisiting, especially the Top Gun House in Oceanside. The Graves House (a.k.a. the Top Gun House) is the last oceanfront Queen Anne / Folk Victorian cottage in San Diego County. In 2020, the house was restored and relocated less than a quarter mile from its original site. In its new location, the historic cottage became an architectural focal point for the courtyard patio at Mission Pacific, a new luxury boutique hotel. With a grand opening on May 20, 2022, HIGH-Pie is a dessert eatery that is worth a visit the next time you’re in north San Diego County. We had a chance to visit HIGH-Pie during the soft opening week on May 13, 2022 – let’s check it out!

Know Before You Go

• HIGH-Pie is located at 216 N. Pacific Street in Oceanside, CA 92054. (The website says 250 N. Pacific St. Alternate address: Mission Pacific Hotel 201 N. Myers St.)
• Open 12:00 – 8:00 PM Wednesday – Monday (closed Tuesday)

• Apple & Cherry HIGH-Pies sold individually or in boxes of 3, 12, or 24
• HIGH-Pie A La Mode (mini pie a-la-mode, filled with house-made mascarpone ice cream, fried, and then baked to order; served on a popsicle stick)
• Dipping sauces available (Government Cheese, Charlie’s Chocolate, Sea Salt Caramel, or Lemon Curd)
• Beverages include hot coffee, Apple Kombucha, Fizzy Cherry Pop/Cider, and a New Orleans style iced coffee with sweet milk called ‘Buzz the Tower’
• Gluten-free options available upon request
• Merchandise – shirts and hats

Top Gun House Gets a New Lease on Life

Facing the ocean as it has since 1887, the Top Gun House is now home of the famous HIGH-Pie dessert shop and welcomes guests with pots of red geraniums sitting on the porch steps. The cottage is painted a soft blue with white trim with a deep red door and exudes a nostalgic blend of seaside cottage and retro Americana. Once inside, your eyes are greeted by an eclectic blend of seaside nautical décor, kitschy vintage gnomes in bathing suits, Victorian tea sets, exquisite needlepoint designs, and historic aircraft touches. Images from Top Gun are featured inside the front entryway.

After more than a year of product development and preview tastings, HIGH-Pie makes its brick-and-mortar debut at The Top Gun House in May 2022. Developed by chef and restauranter Tara Lazar, F10 Hospitality has three restaurants, two bars, a catering company, a hotel, and now HIGH-Pie. This opening marks the completion of San Diego County’s newest beachfront destination on Pacific Drive in Oceanside.

HIGH-Pie is named after its signature creation – a made-to-order, crispy, golden hand-pie filled with a sweet fruit compote sourced from local fruit farms. HIGH-Pie flavors include cherry and apple and can be ordered with a choice of dipping sauces. With a nod to its historic home, HIGH-Pie packaging has a 1950s military design with vintage fonts / styles and an Americana red, white, and blue color palette.

Graves House / Top Gun House History

Originally located at 102 N. Pacific Street at the corner of Seagaze Drive in Oceanside, California, the Graves House was built in 1887 by Dr. Henry Graves as a vacation home. According to the Oceanside Historical Society, Dr. Graves was a resident of Riverside. This 500-square-foot oceanfront cottage was his family’s vacation home where they would spend their summers for nearly two decades. The house was sold to Charles Burlock in 1905. Angeline Morgan later acquired the home and owned it for over 40 years. In the 1980s, the city of Oceanside purchased the house to protect it from demolition. After being used as a filming location, the house remained mostly boarded up for over 30 years.

The Graves House is recognized by San Diego’s Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) as the “last best” existing such house in San Diego County. The house is best known by most people as the “Top Gun House” because of its prominent role in the movie of the same name. Scenes between Tom Cruise (Maverick) and Kelly McGillis (Charlie) were filmed here in 1985 and the popular movie was released on May 16, 1986. 

Fast forward to 2018 and Scott Malkin, founder of S.D. Malkin Properties and “Top Gun” fan, who made sure to include the historic property as part of the development deal for the 2.75-acre oceanfront property, which became the sites of the Seabird Resort and the Mission Pacific Hotel. In 2019, the home was hoisted up and moved a few blocks away to make room for the hotel’s construction. 

“With the consultation of the Oceanside Historical Society and Save Our Heritage Organisation, S.D. Malkin Properties spent nearly $1 million restoring the home to its original design with a new chimney, refreshed roof and re-creation of its ornate gingerbread filigree along the roofline and porches.”

Los Angeles Times (May 8, 2022)

On May 21, 2020, the Graves House moved 0.2 miles up the street from its original location to 216 N. Pacific Street north of Mission Avenue – surrounded by the new Mission Pacific Hotel (a luxury boutique hotel that is part of the Hyatt collection). 

Nearly two years from being officially relocated, HIGH-Pie had a soft launch in mid-May and has its grand opening on May 20, 2022.

Tips for a Memorable Visit

• Enjoy the ocean view from the Top Gun House. Covered tables grace the patio outside the seaside cottage and there is additional seating in the Mission Pacific Hotel courtyard.
• Consider stopping by HIGH-Pie near dusk so you can savor your dessert with a spectacular sunset over the Pacific. 
• Take a photo with the red sport bike motorcycle like Maverick’s rode in Top Gun.
• Admire the details of the beautifully renovated Top Gun House – outside and inside. 

The Top Gun House is one of several locations in San Diego County featured in Top Gun. The next time you’re in San Diego, consider seeing them for yourself!

What is your favorite Top Gun scene? Are you a fan of hand pies? If so, what flavors?
Looking forward to hearing from you in the comments!
Like & Follow my Facebook page for mini posts.

Comments welcome and shares appreciated. Find me on Facebook to discuss this post and more. Subscribe for email notifications when new posts publish. Please feel free to leave me a message with suggestions for future blog posts – I love hearing your ideas! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”