Opening next week in the space that last housed Two Paddles Fish & Grill in San Diego's Hillcrest neighborhood is Cocina Calavera, a health conscious Mexican bar & restaurant.
Cocina Calavera is founded by Joshua Evans, a Bakersfield native who once lived in Tijuana for three years to learn about preparing traditional Baja Mexican cuisine. Prior to opening Cocina Calavera, Evans was the general manager of Sweetfin Poke in La Jolla before being laid off due to the coronavirus pandemic. Josh decided to turn lemons into lemonade and followed his dream of opening a health-focused Mexican restaurant.
Cocina Calavera is grounded in operating morally-driven business, and during the pandemic will offer its team of employees such benefits as complimentary gym memberships, cell phone reimbursement, student loan repayment assistance, paid vacation, and for full time employees - four 10-hour work days with 3 days off. The restaurant will soft open on Monday, August 3, with a menu of Mexican-inspired appetizers, enchiladas, tacos, burritos, fajitas and entrees, including vegan and vegetarian options. From the bar, there will be draft beer, ciders, hard kombucha, micheladas, hard pressed juices, and cocktails made with fermented spirits. The restaurant has about 30 seats outdoors to accommodate diners during the pandemic.
Cocina Calavera is located at 3923 4th Avenue in San Diego's Hillcrest. For more information, visit cocinacalavera.com and check out the menu below.
