The yet-to-be named, 120-seat restaurant will be located on the ground floor of a residential tower just steps away from the renowned La Jolla Playhouse. The forthcoming eatery will offer a distinct menu featuring coastal Southern Italian cuisine, blending traditional Sicilian flavors with seasonal Southern California ingredients. The restaurant will highlight fresh, locally sourced seafood and house-made pasta, bread, and gelato.Ìý
The space, designed by the architectural firm Bells + Whistles, will include an open kitchen with 2,600 square feet of indoor dining and 1,400 square feet of outdoor patio seating. In collaboration with the La Jolla Playhouse, the restaurant will offer pre-show prix-fixe dining options and remain open for post-show cocktails, positioning itself as a hub for theatergoers and food enthusiasts alike.
The space, designed by the architectural firm Bells + Whistles, will include an open kitchen with 2,600 square feet of indoor dining and 1,400 square feet of outdoor patio seating. In collaboration with the La Jolla Playhouse, the restaurant will offer pre-show prix-fixe dining options and remain open for post-show cocktails, positioning itself as a hub for theatergoers and food enthusiasts alike.
Accursio Lota is originally from the small agricultural town Menfi on the Italian island of Sicily. He first entered the epicurean spotlight when at age 18 he was chosen to represent his school at a national culinary competition. He then went on to work with famed Chef Sergio Mei at the Four Seasons in Milan. Accursio moved to California when he was 22 to work at the Biltmore Four Seasons in Santa Barbara, where at one point he catered a fundraiser for then-Presidential candidate Barrack Obama at Oprah Winfrey's home.
The first restaurant Accursio cooked at in San Diego was at The Marine Room in La Jolla. In 2012, Accusio and his wife, Corinne Goria, started an underground fine dining restaurant club called Limone, where they designed pop-up events with themes related to the seasons. In November 2012, Accursio became the Executive Chef at Solare, where he has since received numerous awards and accolades including winning the 6th edition of the Barilla Pasta World Championship in 2017.
Chef Lota and Corinne Goria's new restaurant will be operated under their Lotaria Restaurant Group, which has earned a reputation for excellence through their flagship North Park eatery. Cori Trattoria Pastificio has been recognized as one of San Diego's top Italian restaurants, with multiple years of high honors from Italy's primary food & wine publishing group, Gambero Rosso. Chef Lota's new project at UC San Diego promises to continue this tradition of quality and innovation in a vibrant new location.
Lotaria Restaurant Group's incoming UCSD restaurant is expected to open in summer 2025 on the base floor of a residential tower with the Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood of University of California San Diego campus in La Jolla.Ìý
Originally published on October 23, 2024.Ìý
