After 27 years on the corner of 5th Avenue and K Street in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, Rockin' Baja Lobster Coastal Cantina will soon relocate.
Inspired by road trips to the Baja Norte fishing village of Puerto Nuevo, Rick DiRienzo opened his first Rockin' Baja Lobster restaurant in 1992 at the Oceanside Marina in North San Diego County. Along with his father Joe, the family converted their former grocery into a restaurant with a menu centered around signature "Baja buckets" filled with fried and seasoned seafood.
Over the years, the restaurant concept grew in popularity and eventually led to locations throughout Southern California, as well as in Texas, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi, although only four branches remain in business. The Gaslamp Quarter branch of Rockin' Baja Lobster opened in 1996. This past spring, DiRienzo finalized a lease to take over the mostly al-fresco space that housed Tin Fish restaurant since 1998, located directly across from the San Diego Convention Center in the Gaslamp Quarter, and opened Baja Rick's with a similar menu as Rockin' Baja Lobster.
Later this month, Rockin' Baja Lobster Coastal Cantina will move two blocks up 5th Avenue to the space last occupied by Cerveza Jack's, which closed on November 19 after a little over two years in business. The reason for Rockin' Baja's relocation is a rent increase. The company plans a seamless transition into the new building and will reopen without any downtown or remodeling of the former Cerveza Jack's unit.
"Our lease expired or is expiring on December 31st and the opportunity came that I could purchase Cerveza Jacks which I did," explained Rockin' Baja Lobster founder Rick DiRienzo. "We're looking forward to the new location as it's a smaller location with less overhead, less rent and it should work out really well for everyone. We will be reopening at the Cerveza Jack's location on December 15th."
Rockin' Baja Lobster Coastal Cantina will move in mid-December to 322 Fifth Avenue in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. For more information, visit rockinbaja.com.
