Observers of the comings and goings of businesses on Newport Avenue — the main commercial drag in Ocean Beach — couldn’t help but notice that just a couple weeks after OB’s winery closed and had its “last hurrah”, a brand new wine bar opened down the street.
On July 6, Gianni Buonomo Vintners had their last party on Newport Ave, and are opening a large facility in the Midway District at 3492 Pickett Street.
And in the meantime, the owner of OB’s Pizzeria Luigi (it’s a chain of pizza shops) opened Vinum Locus wine bar at 5017 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach.
From SanDiegoVille:
First opened in 2004 by native Italian Luigi Agostini, Pizzeria Luigi has come to be known as one of the top New York City-style pizza parlors in San Diego. Its locations in North Park & Golden Hill have been featured on installments of Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives on the Food Network. In 2016, a third San Diego branch of Pizzeria Luigi opened in the South County city of Imperial Beach, with an Ocean Beach location debuting in 2021.
Agostini recently took over the quaint Newport Avenue space that last housed Teitan Tattoo, sited between O.B. Smoothie Bar & Sub Express and The Black one space over from his Pizzeria Luigi location in central Ocean Beach, for a new wine bar named Vinum Locus. Translating to “wine room” in Latin, the bar has a casual design featuring bar seating and intimate, two-top tables.
Vinum Locus offers a menu centered around Old World wines, with a handful of different varieties on rotation at all times, as well as a selection of small bites. Expect dishes like warm olives with orange and rosemary; prosciutto with figs and gorgonzola dulce; crispy potatoes with garlic dill aioli; beef tartare with Calabrian chilis and chives; Sicilian meatballs with raisins and pine nuts; and a selection of meat and cheese boards served with bread, pickles, spread and nuts.
Is it a popup? I don’t see a health dept rating in the window, and did they ever post abc paperwork in the window?