The Gaslamp Quarter space long occupied by Rockin' Baja Coastal Cantina is being taken over by San Diego's Verant Group, which operates other downtown hotspots like Barleymash and The Smoking Gun.
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.
Rockin' Baja Lobster Coastal Cantina recently 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 at the end of the year, the space at 310 Fifth Avenue will be 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. The 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 Bub’s.
Opening in the former Rockin' Baja space is a new Mexican tacos and tequila restaurant and bar concept called Hasta Mañana Cantina. The 158-seat restaurant will offer an array of tacos, Mexican dishes, and a full bar with a focus on margaritas.
Hasta Mañana Cantina is anticipated to open by summer 2024 at 310 Fifth Avenue in San Diego's Gaslamp. For more information about Verant Group, visit verantgroup.com.
