Set to open this month, Union Kitchen and Tap Gaslamp is the newest venture for proprietor Eric Leitstein. His popular Encinitas restaurant of the same name has been a staple since 2011. The new restaurant, located at 333 5th Avenue in the Gaslamp District, has significantly more square footage than its counterpart to the north. Union Kitchen and Tap Gaslamp features a patio and two huge garage-style doors that open at street level.
Armed with an entertainment license, Union Kitchen and Tap Gaslamp will host live music, pairing dinners and more. The space includes two main bars, a charcuterie station, a rolling craft cocktail cart and a separate private dining area which seats 70 with an additional adjacent bar.
In order to form a more perfect Union, Leitstein handpicked the culinary team to include Executive Chef Sean Langlais, formerly of Oceanaire (and previously attached to the now-defunct Roosterfish project), Executive Sous Chef Jimmy Tessier from Las Vegas and Sous Chef Luis, formerly of Searsucker. If Tessier seems familiar it’s because he was on Food Network’s hit show, Chopped.
Leitstein of OMG Restaurant Group (an acronym representing his children, Olivia, Mason and Gavin) claimed the space once occupied by Donovan’s Prime Seafood at 333 5th Avenue in December of 2013 and the new restaurant opens later this month.
For more information about Union Kitchen and Tap Gaslamp, please visit gaslampunion.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
