Barcelona Tapas Powerhouse Teleféric Opening First U.S. Location in Walnut Creek

Tapas fans, get pumped: one of Barcelona's most beloved tapas palaces, Teleféric, is coming stateside for the first time, opening its very first location outside of the City of Counts in Walnut Creek. The project is being spearheaded by Xavi Padrosa, the son of chef Soledad Urabayen, who's been making her acclaimed Basque-style pintxos, as well as more traditional tapas, for Barcelona crowds for over two decades. Padrosa, a Spanish native who attended college in the Bay Area and was looking to make a return, happened to meet developer Brian Hirahara, and the rest was history. Padrosa will be bringing the restaurant's 70-tapas-strong recipe trove to the West Coast, along with one of the Barcelona restaurant's chefs.

Teleféric will be housed in a newly constructed building at the northwest corner of Mount Diablo Blvd. and Main St., just across from some of downtown Walnut Creek's pricier shops (Nieman Marcus and Tiffany, among others). At 160 seats, including a 40-seat rooftop terrace, it'll be a gigantic space, and a full liquor license will allow it to serve Spanish-influenced cocktails, a variety of sangrias, and Spanish wine. The restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and in addition to the massive tapas selection, diners can expect jamón iberico, imported Spanish cheeses, and paella. The original outposts have strong ratings on Yelp and TripAdvisor, with foie gras with onion marmalade and grilled octopus among the most popular dishes.

Oakland-based Arcsine will be designing Teléferic's space, with an industrial vibe featuring an open kitchen, counter seating, and a big display for the pintxos. If all goes well, expect it in late fall of 2015.