{"id":73894,"date":"2026-08-21T17:43:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/73894\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T17:43:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:43:16","slug":"teleferic-barcelona-brings-spanish-tapas-to-newport-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/73894\/","title":{"rendered":"Telef\u00e8ric Barcelona brings Spanish tapas to Newport Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When business partners and siblings Xavi and Maria Padrosa were searching for the next location of their restaurant, Telef\u00e8ric Barcelona, they were struck with how much Orange County\u2019s coastal breeze and Mediterranean climate reminded them of home.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we were looking for locations in California, we started in Northern California, but it made a lot of sense to go South,\u201d Maria said. \u201cIn Southern California, we fell in love with Fashion Island. It feels just like Barcelona.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Telef\u00e8ric <\/p>\n

Telef\u00e8ric Barcelona opens at Fashion Island, bringing the Barcelona-born tapas restaurant group to Newport Beach. <\/p>\n

(Courtesy of Telef\u00e8ric Barcelona)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Telef\u00e8ric Barcelona restaurant group story begins with Xavi and Maria\u2019s Basque Country-born parents, Soledad Urabayen and Romon Padrosa. <\/p>\n

In 1992, the couple opened a popular neighborhood restaurant, Sant Cugat, just outside of Barcelona. A small toy cable car, or \u201ctelef\u00e8ric\u201d in Catalan, hung in the restaurant, making its way back and forth above the dining room. <\/p>\n

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\u2019s legacy to the states. In 2016, Telef\u00e8ric Barcelona opened in Walnut Creek followed by locations in Palo Alto and Los Gatos. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have the sea, you have the vibe, it is very, very unique,\u201d Xavi said.<\/p>\n

\"Telef\u00e8ric <\/p>\n

Telef\u00e8ric Barcelona is open now at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, the first Orange County location.<\/p>\n

(Steven Aquilino)<\/p>\n

The menu features Spanish delicacies like jam\u00f3n ib\u00e9rico de bellota, a 38-month-cured Iberian acorn-fed ham alongside Barcelona-style gin and tonics. <\/p>\n

Guest can look forward to signature tapas \u2014 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. <\/p>\n

Gambas al Ajillo, or garlic-infused prawns, are served head-on in olive oil and lemon threads, with basil oil poured table side. <\/p>\n

Made-to-order, family-style paellas are the star with aldente rice, crunchy at the pan\u2019s edge and topped with options like poached lobster, gulf shrimp and tender octopus, or smoked pork chop, pork belly, roasted chicken and Piquillo peppers.<\/p>\n

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 jam\u00f3n and Spanish wine. <\/p>\n

\u201cPart of our success is bringing something different to the palate, to the culture and bringing Spain to you,\u201d Xavi said.<\/p>\n

The market stocks Telef\u00e8ric Barcelona brand ingredients and paella kits that come with everything needed to make paella at home, including a traditional pan.<\/p>\n

\"Pork <\/p>\n

Pork Paella served at Telef\u00e8ric Barcelona in Newport Beach. <\/p>\n

(Cris Palomar)<\/p>\n

Telef\u00e8ric Barcelona has Ol\u00e9! Flamenco and Tapas evenings planned. <\/p>\n

Maria said the team is looking forward to giving Orange County a taste of Spain.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery new restaurant we open is a new story, a new beginning,\u201d Maria said. \u201cWe are just beginning in Newport Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Telef\u00e8ric 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. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When business partners and siblings Xavi and Maria Padrosa were searching for the next location of their restaurant,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73895,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[92,28483,28482,28484,3392,28480,28486,28481,17626,28485,9815,16063,28479,8482,28487,28478],"class_list":["post-73894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-barcelona","tag-barcelona","tag-family-style-paella","tag-fashion-island","tag-guest","tag-location","tag-maria-padrosa","tag-menu","tag-newport-beach","tag-olive-oil","tag-pan","tag-part","tag-restaurant","tag-sibling-xavi","tag-space","tag-taste","tag-teleferic-barcelona"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}