OB Gets Its First ‘Roman’ Restaurant — Elvira in Former Bo-Beau’s on West Pt. Loma

Times of San Diego has announced the opening of the first “Roman” eatery in Ocean Beach: Elvira in the former  Bo-Beau’s at 4996 West Pt Loma Blvd.

The restaurant, which opened Nov. 19, is meant to carry on the Roman legacy of Niccolò Angius’s great-grandmother, Elvira Lippi. Angius is one of the trio of restaurateurs behind Point Loma Heights’ Cesarina Ristorante and Elvira. The other two are chef Cesarina Mezzoni and Giuseppe Capasso.

Mezzoni again will serve as chef, while Ignazio Tagliavia, a native of Palermo, Sicily, will oversee  Elvira’s pizza program.

Here’s the Times of SD report:

The eatery aims to personify the late Italian matriarch with everything from its menu, which tells a story about the Roman approach to food, to what the owners describe as a “Nonna chic” design that suggests the warmth of Lippi’s own home.

“My great-grandmother, Elvira, was a quintessential Roman whose tenacity and unwavering passion for life have been our guiding inspirations,” Angius said. “She taught me how exceptional food and down-to-earth hospitality have a remarkable ability to serve as a conduit for love and unity, and I’m proud to carry on that ethos at her namesake restaurant.”

Elvira’s menus include antipasto della casa, with cured meats, cheeses, house-made jams and Italian-imported provisions, pastas, from cacio e pepe to bucatini all’Amatriciana and heartier second-course entrées.

The owners call Elvira’s wood-fired pizzas the centerpiece of the dinner menu. Red sauce pizzas range from quintessential classics like?Margherita?to meatier renditions like?Diavola, while the white-based selection includes the veggie-forward?Ortolana?with fresh mozzarella, mushroom, peas, zucchini blossoms and basil.

The building has been renovated. Italian architecture/interior design firm Limes Architetti helped shape the top-to-bottom makeover.

The decor includes custom built-ins with an array of second-hand treasures sourced from Italian flea markets. Hand-painted ceramic artwork dots the walls alongside rows of family portraits in mismatched frames.

Elvira even has a theatrical touch planned. A private dining room, dubbed “Cucina di La Nonna” for small parties of up to eight, will allow guests to immerse themselves in Lippi’s mealtime rituals, complete with performers playing the part of Nonna Elvira hosting her family to a home-cooked meal.

The restaurant will begin accepting reservations for the experience in 2024.

Elvira is open Monday, Thursday & Friday, 4 to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 9:30 p.m.