Spanish Restaurant Barra Oliba Opens in Little Italy | Eater San Diego
"Slated to open Friday, November 8 (and later reported to have opened in mid-November), this Little Italy Spanish restaurant occupies a chicly compact interior on Kettner Boulevard with sidewalk tables and a streetside parklet for extra seating. The room features rich red banquette tables parallel to a marble-topped bar; behind the long bar sits a case filled with charcuterie, from jamon Iberico and mojama (salt-cured tuna loin) to dry-aged fish — kampachi and bluefin tuna — which will be used for plates of crudo and tartare. The beverage program will pour a large selection of sustainable wine sourced from all over Spain and select regions in France, along with sangria, a Spanish spritz, and small glasses of beer called caña in Spanish. The menu, which ranges from handheld pintxos to tapas and shareable mains, reflects the travels of owners Eduardo Bustamante (one of the co-owners of India Street’s Crudo Cevicheria) and Ernesto Casillas (formerly a founding partner of Zibaris Hospitality Group, which runs Mantequilla, Ziba, and Saketori-ya). Expect classics like patatas bravas, Galician-style (also described as Gallegan-style) octopus, arroz meloso — a creamy Spanish rice dish — and a variation of Basque cheesecake made with idiazabal, a sheep’s milk cheese. Chef Joshua Mayhew says he’ll also run specials featuring local seafood, from spicy lobster to fish like California sheephead procured from fishermen he got to know during his two-year tenure at Ironside in Little Italy. Other menu highlights mentioned include crudos from the raw bar, an Iberian pork chop with romesco, steamed-potato–served Gallegan-style octopus, traditional tortilla, gambas al ajillo, and desserts such as Basque cheesecake or olive oil ice cream. Casillas tells Eater that he and Bustamante are looking forward to developing more restaurants in San Diego via their newly-formed Oliba Group, and that the restaurant will start with dinner service before eventually expanding into weekend lunch. Hours reported: Wednesday to Sunday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m." - Candice Woo
