After a quarter century in business, Costa Azul bar and restaurant is permanently closing in San Diego's Coronado.
Costa Azul restaurant was originally opened on Orange Avenue in Coronado in August 1998 by husband and wife Brant & Carol Barber and Kathleen Byne, who also founded Island Pasta in Coronado in 1993. The longtime "Cheers of Coronado" was reportedly forced out of its space in 2018 after owners were not offered a new lease with the building's owner, Kleege Enterprises, which bought the land on Orange Avenue between C Avenue and 10th Street in 2017 for $22 Million. The space was eventually rented to Arizona-based Fox Restaurant Concepts and is now The Henry all-day restaurant.
In February 2020, Costa Azul reopened within the 4,500 square-foot, indoor-outdoor waterfront space that previously housed Blue Bridge Hospitality's short-lived El Roy's Tequila Bar + Kitchen (and Candela's on the Bay before that). Like the original branch, the restaurant offered an eclectic Cal-Mex-style menu with appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, tacos, and a large variety of entrees, as well as a full bar with margaritas, cocktails, spirits, domestic and local beer, sangria and wine.
"It is with a heavy heart and excitement for what the future holds that the Sarber family announces that Costa Azul will be closing and the last day of operation will be Sunday, September 15, 2024," announced the company on its Facebook page. "We have been so lucky to have been a part of this wonderful community for the past 24 years of business. Through two locations, a global pandemic and the death of our beloved Brant, Costa Azul has stood strong as a cherished place for locals and friends, old and new, to gather, connect and enjoy great food. A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful staff and regular customers, who have become family to us, for helping to make our dream come true everyday for the past 24 years. We look forward to seeing you this week and always welcome you to come visit us at Island Pasta."
Brant Sarber passed away on February 24, 2022, at his longtime home in Coronado, two days shy of his 63 birthday. He truly loved his home town of Coronado, never moving away. He always lived within four blocks of his childhood home on Tolita and the Pacific Ocean.
Visit Costa Azul one last time at 1201 First Street, Unit 115, adjacent to the Coronado Ferry Landing in San Diego's Coronado Island. For more information, visit costaazulbayfront.com.
