When business partners and siblings Xavi and Maria Padrosa were searching for the next location of their restaurant, Telefèric Barcelona, they were struck with how much Orange County’s coastal breeze and Mediterranean climate reminded them of home.
“When we were looking for locations in California, we started in Northern California, but it made a lot of sense to go South,” Maria said. “In Southern California, we fell in love with Fashion Island. It feels just like Barcelona.”
Telefèric Barcelona opens at Fashion Island, bringing the Barcelona-born tapas restaurant group to Newport Beach.
(Courtesy of Telefèric Barcelona)
The family-owned, Spanish restaurant that promises a taste of Barcelona without the need for a passport, opened its first Orange County location this month at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. The new location is part of a growing network of nine restaurants worldwide, including two original locations still thriving in Barcelona.
The Telefèric Barcelona restaurant group story begins with Xavi and Maria’s Basque Country-born parents, Soledad Urabayen and Romon Padrosa.
In 1992, the couple opened a popular neighborhood restaurant, Sant Cugat, just outside of Barcelona. A small toy cable car, or “telefèric” in Catalan, hung in the restaurant, making its way back and forth above the dining room.
The cable car was a vacation gift from Switzerland for the Padrosa children but soon became the namesake of the growing restaurant group. When Xavi came to the U.S. on a tennis scholarship, he imaged bringing his family’s legacy to the states. In 2016, Telefèric Barcelona opened in Walnut Creek followed by locations in Palo Alto and Los Gatos.
The Fashion Island restaurant is more intimate than the locationthe in nearby Long Beach, but the space brings all the style siblings have made synonymous with the brand. Hand-glazed tile, ceramics and furniture from Spanish artisans decorate the space and an open kitchen and paella station make food the focus.
“You have the sea, you have the vibe, it is very, very unique,” Xavi said.
Telefèric Barcelona is open now at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, the first Orange County location.
(Steven Aquilino)
The menu features Spanish delicacies like jamón ibérico de bellota, a 38-month-cured Iberian acorn-fed ham alongside Barcelona-style gin and tonics.
Guest can look forward to signature tapas — pan con tomato, a crunchy, toasted bread topped with grated tomato, olive oil and chorizo butter or crab croquetas finished with a slice of tuna sashimi and dollop of spicy aioli.
Gambas al Ajillo, or garlic-infused prawns, are served head-on in olive oil and lemon threads, with basil oil poured table side.
Made-to-order, family-style paellas are the star with aldente rice, crunchy at the pan’s edge and topped with options like poached lobster, gulf shrimp and tender octopus, or smoked pork chop, pork belly, roasted chicken and Piquillo peppers.
Along with the dinner menu, the restaurant also features a corner dedicated to Spanish market goods. At El Merkat, guests can shop imported olive oils, tinned seafood, hand-carved jamón and Spanish wine.
“Part of our success is bringing something different to the palate, to the culture and bringing Spain to you,” Xavi said.
The market stocks Telefèric Barcelona brand ingredients and paella kits that come with everything needed to make paella at home, including a traditional pan.
Pork Paella served at Telefèric Barcelona in Newport Beach.
(Cris Palomar)
Telefèric Barcelona has Olé! Flamenco and Tapas evenings planned.
Maria said the team is looking forward to giving Orange County a taste of Spain.
“Every new restaurant we open is a new story, a new beginning,” Maria said. “We are just beginning in Newport Beach.”
Telefèric Barcelona is located at 311 Newport Center Drive in Newport Beach and open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.