Filo is nearing its debut at 2706 Fifth Avenue, the prominent corner space at Fifth Avenue and Nutmeg Street that housed Barrio Star Mexican Soul Food for 15 years before the restaurant closed in late 2025. The new project comes from restaurateur Juan Carlos Gómez and the ownership group behind longtime Old Town destination El Agave Mexican Restaurant & Tequileria and North Park's Nômade Tapas & Records.
SanDiegoVille first reported in March that an entity tied to Gómez, Five Olives LLC, was taking over the former Barrio Star space after a California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control filing revealed a pending transfer of a Type 47 on-sale general liquor license. At the time, details surrounding the unnamed concept had yet to be announced. The restaurant now has a name and direction.
Filo will center on contemporary Mediterranean cooking influenced not only by the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea but also by broader European cuisine and the abundance of ingredients available in Southern California. Ownership describes the concept as inspired by the relaxed and social style of dining common throughout the Mediterranean, with food and wine intended to be shared and enjoyed at a leisurely pace.
Filo will center on contemporary Mediterranean cooking influenced not only by the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea but also by broader European cuisine and the abundance of ingredients available in Southern California. Ownership describes the concept as inspired by the relaxed and social style of dining common throughout the Mediterranean, with food and wine intended to be shared and enjoyed at a leisurely pace.
According to the restaurant's ownership, the kitchen will emphasize relatively simple, ingredient-driven preparations rather than attempting to recreate the cuisine of any single Mediterranean country. Locally sourced produce, fresh seafood and other high-quality ingredients will form the foundation of a menu intended to blend Mediterranean traditions with a distinctly California approach. The beverage program will follow a similar direction. Filo plans to offer cocktails emphasizing bright and fresh flavors alongside an extensive wine program featuring selections from both European and California producers.
Filo represents the latest evolution for Gómez, who has operated restaurants in San Diego for three decades. He opened El Agave Tequileria near the entrance to Old Town in 1996, eventually establishing the restaurant as a destination for regional Mexican cuisine and an enormous collection of tequila and mezcal that has grown to include more than 2,000 bottles. Gómez has also ventured outside Mexican cuisine over the years. He previously operated Iberico Spanish Bistro in La Jolla and, more recently, expanded into North Park with Nômade Tapas & Records.
Filo represents the latest evolution for Gómez, who has operated restaurants in San Diego for three decades. He opened El Agave Tequileria near the entrance to Old Town in 1996, eventually establishing the restaurant as a destination for regional Mexican cuisine and an enormous collection of tequila and mezcal that has grown to include more than 2,000 bottles. Gómez has also ventured outside Mexican cuisine over the years. He previously operated Iberico Spanish Bistro in La Jolla and, more recently, expanded into North Park with Nômade Tapas & Records.
Nômade opened at 3027 Adams Avenue as a music-oriented restaurant and bar built around globally influenced tapas, wine, beer and cocktails, with vinyl records forming a central part of the concept. Filo continues the group's movement into European-influenced dining while taking a different approach centered more specifically on Mediterranean food and wine.
The new restaurant also inherits one of Bankers Hill's more recognizable restaurant locations. Chef and restaurateur Isabel Cruz originally opened Barrio Star in the bright corner building in 2010. The restaurant became known for its colorful Día de los Muertos-inspired interior, margaritas and an eclectic interpretation of Mexican cuisine before permanently closing in October 2025 after approximately 15 years in business.
The new restaurant also inherits one of Bankers Hill's more recognizable restaurant locations. Chef and restaurateur Isabel Cruz originally opened Barrio Star in the bright corner building in 2010. The restaurant became known for its colorful Día de los Muertos-inspired interior, margaritas and an eclectic interpretation of Mexican cuisine before permanently closing in October 2025 after approximately 15 years in business.
The closure created a rare vacancy along a stretch of Fifth Avenue that has developed into one of the city's more notable dining corridors, positioned between downtown San Diego, Balboa Park and Hillcrest. Rather than continuing the property's longstanding Mexican identity, Filo will give the location a substantially different culinary direction, with the Mediterranean-inspired menu, European and California wines and refreshed interior establishing a new identity for the familiar space.
Filo is expected to open soon at 2706 Fifth Avenue in San Diego's Bankers Hill neighborhood. For more information, follow @eat.filo on Instagram.
Originally published on August 22, 2026.
Filo is expected to open soon at 2706 Fifth Avenue in San Diego's Bankers Hill neighborhood. For more information, follow @eat.filo on Instagram.
Originally published on August 22, 2026.
