Bacari Brings LA Venetian Wine-Bar and House-Made Pastas to North Park

Bacari, the Los Angeles–born Venetian wine-bar concept owned by brothers Robert and Danny Kronfli with executive chef and co-owner Lior Hillel, opened its first San Diego County location in North Park on February 9, 2026. The arrival fills a long-standing hole in the neighborhood dining scene and returns life to a long-vacant, two-story French Quarter–inspired building on 30th Street that once housed Urban Solace.

The 4,000-square-foot space includes a 1,000-square-foot plant-drenched patio, two full bars and a newly activated upstairs dining room with a small wrap-around balcony overlooking 30th Street. The building’s Old World, European-inspired design is blended with New World touches and Mexican-inspired tile and stonework; San Diego Magazine describes interiors as layered with vintage rugs and patterned upholstery. A photograph by Howard Lipin shows Robert Kronfli, Lior Hillel and Danny Kronfli on site ahead of opening.

Bacari began in Los Angeles in 2008, inspired by Venetian wine bars, and North Park represents the concept’s ninth location and its first outside Los Angeles. Executive chef Lior Hillel is credited as ex-Jean Georges. Owner Robert Kronfli said of scouting locations, “When I get out of a car, most of the time, within five to 10 minutes, I can feel whether it’s going to be a target market for us or not. [I got it here] right away.”

Service at Bacari centers on shareable Mediterranean-Italian small plates, house-baked items and house-made cocktails. WhatNow reports the North Park restaurant will serve dinner daily with brunch on weekends. San Diego Magazine teases the sensory payoff of the reopened space: “But come Feb. 9, it’ll be filled once again with the scents of sauteed garlic and fresh-baked bread, and the sounds of laughter and sloshing wine.”

Menu material provided by Bacari’s eatwithbacari listings gives a sense of pricing and dishes readers can expect. Small-plate and brunch examples include ricotta & beet gnocchi, hand-made with chèvre fondue and chimichurri for 15 dollars; bacari fries with the chef’s “bcn” sauce and fried egg for 13.5 dollars; brussels sprouts with pomegranate molasses and creme fraiche for 15.5 dollars; bacari burger open faced with grass-fed beef and fried egg for 15 dollars; and breakfast items such as bacari pancakes and house-baked brioche French toast for 13 dollars. The site also advertises a 90 minute open bar option for 32 dollars per person for house wines, sangria and bacari beer, or 37 dollars per person to include well liquor cocktails; the listing includes strict enforcement language: “guests stating they will not be participating and are caught drinking will be charged. we reserve the right to end the open bar at any point.” It also states, “entire party must participate. one designated driver allowed. time starts when first round of drinks is served. please drink responsibly.”

Bacari’s North Park opening revives a much-missed corner of 30th Street and brings an LA-rooted wine-bar vibe to the neighborhood. The owners plan further expansion in San Diego County with a Carlsbad location slated for late summer or early fall in the former Paon Restaurant and Wine Bar space, and they are scouting a third spot likely in Encinitas, Leucadia or possibly Little Italy. For diners, this means a new destination for shareable plates, patio dining and a beverage program that nods to Venice while fitting North Park’s eclectic streetscape.