Mexican restaurant Casa Gabriela to open in San Diego’s La Mesa neighborhood on January 19

January 13, 2023

The founding chef of Ocean Beach’s La Doña and San Diego’s Cohn restaurant group will introduce Casa Gabriela, a Mexican restaurant and cocktail bar, in La Mesa on January 19.

Chef Gabriela Lopez was born and raised in Tijuana to parents from the Mexican regions of Guadalajara and Nayarit. In late 2020, Chef Gabi fulfilled a decades-long dream when she partnered with San Diego-based hospitality group Social Syndicate to open La Doña Mexican Restaurant on the premises that have long housed Nati’s in Ocean Beach. Prior to joining the restaurant team, Gaby ran her own catering company and was a private chef for Mexican celebrities, including boxer Canelo Alvarez. Prior to La Doña, she consulted on menu design for Social Syndicate restaurants including Wonderland, The Local and OB Surf Lodge.

In late December, Cohn Restaurant Group closed its 9-year-old BO-beau + garden kitchen in downtown La Mesa and began a modest interior renovation to transform the space into Casa Gabriela. Casa Gabriela, which will open on January 19, will offer a menu of authentic Mexican dishes prepared according to the recipes of Chef Gabi’s family. The recipe for birria comes from her great-grandmother, who grew up in Guadalajara. Molcajete la Reina is inspired by childhood trips to San Felipe and seafood stews made after a day of fishing. Dishes traditionally belonging to other cultures will also be interpreted, such as Mexican lasagna.

Casa Gabriela’s menu highlights include tempura cauliflower with jalapeno and cilantro, roasted corn, and guajillo aioli; Homemade pork and barbacoa pancakes with black sesame seeds, fried poblano aioli and jicama green apple salad; Crispy masa gorditas with Mexican sour cream, iceberg lettuce, epazote black beans with choice of pork and colorado chili or Oaxaca rajas con queso with Negro salsa; Chef Gabi’s Molcajetes La Reyna Mariscos, a simmering cauldron filled with scallops, shrimp, octopus and garlic butter, fried poblanos, caramelized onions, chihuahua and oaxaca cheese, and chipotle sauce with roasted peppers; and La Jefa Asado with skirt steak, chorizo, paneled pollo ala bras skewers, nopales, tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, onions, cilantro, machacasa salsa, served with elote rice and fried pinto beans. The restaurant will also have a full bar with cocktails, margaritas, beer and wine.

La Mesa BO-beau Kitchen + Garden replaced celebrity chef Brian Malarkey’s Gingham and opened in late 2013. Beach location. It was recently announced that the Ocean Beach flagship branch will not be reopening and the Cohn Restaurant Group is currently considering what to do with the separate building.

Casa Gabriela is located at 8384 La Mesa Boulevard in La Mesa Village. For more information, visit cohnrestaurants.com and check out the menu below.