Opening this spring in the Gaslamp Quarter space long occupied by Rockin' Baja Coastal Cantina is Hasta Mañana Cantina, an 8,000 square-foot Mexican restaurant and bar from San Diego's Verant Group.
Eric Lingenfelder, Mark Cirillo and Joe Vaught co-founded San Diego-based Verant Group in 2003. The bar and restaurant collective now operates a multitude of locations around San Diego, including Barleymash, Sandbar, The Smoking Gun, Tavern at the Beach, Spill The Beans Coffee + Bagel, and Mavericks Beach Club. In 2021, Joe Vaught branched out and purchased the 3,854 square-foot building that houses several condos and was previously occupied by The Patio on Lamont restaurant in Pacific Beach for the opening of a new location of Bay Park's Luce Bar & Kitchen, but the space remains nearly untouched.
Last December, Rockin' Baja Lobster Coastal Cantina announced it would be leaving the unit on the corner of 5th Avenue and K Street that the restaurant occupied for 27 and moving two blocks north to the space last occupied by Cerveza Jack's, which closed on November 19 after a little over two years in business.
With Rockin' Baja's departure, its former space has been taken over by the Verant Group and Trilogy Real Estate Management President Howard Greenberg, who is also a partner in Barleymash & Smoking Gun and owns more than $400,000,000 in property in downtown San Diego. For Hasta Mañana Cantina, the operating group also includes The Smoking Gun co-founders Aaron Langellier, Dave Jones and Verant Group Corporate Chef Kevin Templeton, as well as restaurant industry veteran Todd Brown of now-defunct Bub’s at the Beach.
Meaning "see you tomorrow" in Spanish, Hasta Mañana Cantina will be a 158-seat Mexican restaurant serving a menu designed by Chef Kevin Templeton that includes tacos, burritos, tortas, and "Baja coastal" cuisines made with local, sustainable seafood. From the bar, expect a focus on Mexican spirits and margaritas, as well as a devotion to local craft beer and hard beverages.
Hasta Mañana Cantina is anticipated to open in spring 2024 at 310 Fifth Avenue in San Diego's Gaslamp. For more information about Verant Group, follow Hasta Mañana Cantina on Instagram.
