Barra Oliba Making Debut in Little Italy Next Month

A brand new seed oil-free restaurant called Barra Oliba is getting ready to open in Little Italy at 1980 Kettner Blvd.

The new restaurant will replace La Taqueria Tijuana on the ground floor of the Instrata Apartments. This is the latest concept from Ernesto Casillas , a founding partner of Tijuana’s Zibaris Hospitality Group, and his business partner, Eduardo Bustamante , who previously helped open India Street’s Crudo Cevicheria & Oyster Bar. The duo are now ready to open Barra Oliba, with Casillas telling What Now San Diego that they hope to open the new concept around the end of August 2024 .

Casillas and Bustamante have decided to open this new concept for two reasons. First, there is a limited availability of authentic Spanish food in San Diego. Casillas tells What Now that while the city has plenty of diversity within its culinary scene, he believes it lacks Spanish flavor, so customers can expect plenty of delicious tapas and other Spanish dishes, such as paella, Spanish rice dishes, pulpo a fiera, tortilla de patatas, and more. The other reason, and possibly more importantly, is because the two want to open a health-conscious restaurant that lacks common seed oils, which are known to cause inflammation and other health issues.

“I believe that the health department industry and gastronomy, in general, should be more health conscious with what we are serving people,” Casillas tells What Now San Diego. “It’s always a great time to focus on this because certain ingredients are bad for your health; they are inflammatory, and if I know that from my research, I’m not going to serve my customers that. I’m going to give them a nice but also honest experience. Now is the right time because we have the technology and the information, and I think people are becoming more conscious about this subject, especially ultra-processed foods.”

Keep up with What Now San Diego’s restaurant, retail, and real estate scoop by subscribing to our newsletter , liking us on Facebook , and following us on Twitter . Opening a restaurant? Browse our Preferred Partners .