One of the most high-profile restaurant spaces in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter is preparing for another reinvention, this time tied to global boxing icon Canelo Álvarez. The former Blue Point Coastal Cuisine corner at Fifth Avenue and Market Street is now slated to become the flagship Gaslamp location of El Pastor De La Rica, the taco concept owned by Álvarez and his brother, Ricardo.
The massive downtown unit most recently housed Romanissimo Cucina Italiana, which recently relocated up the block to 644 Fifth Avenue after being acquired as part of a landmark deal led by Álvarez. According to a newly released statement, the original Romanissimo space was specifically selected for El Pastor De La Rica’s Gaslamp debut, positioning the project as a cornerstone of the brand’s U.S. expansion strategy.
SanDiegoVille previously reached out to representatives for El Pastor De La Rica, who confirmed Álvarez’s involvement while declining to provide details at the time. A press release now clarifies that the Gaslamp location represents the brand’s official launch in the district, following its first San Diego-area opening in Chula Vista, with long-term plans to expand to more than 100 locations nationwide.
The Chula Vista debut, which opened in December 2024 after years of anticipation, quickly became one of the South Bay’s most talked-about restaurant openings. Álvarez appeared in person to inaugurate the location, drawing hundreds of fans and turning the launch into a large-scale public event that underscored both his celebrity pull and the demand for his hospitality ventures…