Telefèric Barcelona has opened its first Orange County restaurant at Fashion Island, taking over the Newport Center Drive space that used to house Hopdoddy Burger Bar. The Spanish restaurant group’s ninth location worldwide brings tableside jamón carving, a live paella station and an attached market shop stocked with imported Spanish goods to the open-air shopping resort.
The Newport Beach spot opened this week at 311 Newport Center Drive, according to the Los Angeles Times, and is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Co-owner Maria Padrosa told the paper that Fashion Island feels just like Barcelona, and she described the new restaurant as being at its beginning, with plans already in place for Olé! flamenco and tapas evenings. Her brother and co-owner, Xavi Padrosa, called the Newport Beach setting unique, noting the space is more intimate than the company’s Long Beach location.
Precise timing on the opening comes from the Orange County Business Journal, which reported that Telefèric Barcelona officially opened its Fashion Island restaurant on August 20, taking over Suite 311 after the Padrosa family remodeled the former Hopdoddy Burger Bar space into an open-kitchen Spanish dining layout. The new dining room features Spanish artisan tiles, ceramics and furniture, per the Los Angeles Times, echoing design touches from the family’s restaurants back home.
A Menu Built Around Paella, Jamón and a Tennis Scholarship
The menu leans on Catalan and Basque staples, including pan con tomate, crab croquetas and gambas al ajillo with garlic-infused prawns, the Los Angeles Times reported. Made-to-order family-style paellas come with several options, including versions with poached lobster, gulf shrimp and octopus, as well as combinations built around smoked pork chop, pork belly, roasted chicken and piquillo peppers. Diners can also order Jamón Ibérico de Bellota alongside Barcelona-style gin and tonics…