Growing up near Palermo, Sicily, Alberto Morreale has been cooking since age 14 and always dreamed of becoming a master chef. Alberto has now been in the restaurant industry for over 30 years and owns multiple San Diego restaurants, including Farmer's Bottega and Farmer's Table locations in La Mesa, Bay Park, Little Italy, Tijuana, and Chula Vista. In late 2020, Morreale opened Smokey & The Brisket, a motorcycle and car-themed barbecue restaurant sited in the 4,600 square-foot standalone building that last housed Lake Murray Café in La Mesa.
Morreale recently leased a 3,741 square-foot unit on the corner of La Mesa Boulevard and Palm Avenue only a few blocks from a location of his Farmer's Table restaurant for the opening of an upscale Mexican restaurant and wine bar. Tentatively dubbed Alcatraz Bar & Grill, the concept will be inspired by Baja California's Valle de Guadalupe wine country with an extensive bar selection of drinks and bourbon and a menu of modern Mexican cuisine. Morreale won't take over the space until early 2023, so the restaurant is not expected to open until the middle of next year.
Alcatraz Bar & Grill is expected to open in spring 2023 at 8301 La Mesa Boulevard in San Diego's East County city of La Mesa.
