Business Roundup: Barrel Riot to open a Rancho Bernardo tasting room

A number of changes are coming to the Rancho Bernardo and 4S Ranch restaurant scenes, with several new openings planned along with a couple of closings.

Barrel Riot is bringing its craft wines to a permanent location at The Plaza in Rancho Bernardo, taking over the space at 16765 Bernardo Center Drive that used to be The Barrel Room.

“The whole idea … is for people to have great food and a wine atmosphere experience where customers will enjoy themselves,” said CEO and owner Dan Lipsky.

Barrel Riot wine club members will get a sneak peek first, followed by a soft opening Oct. 23 or 24, with the grand opening tentatively set for Oct. 29 or 30. During the soft opening, seating will be limited so Lipsky said customers should make a reservation by emailing reservations@barrelriot.com.

Barrel Riot will be open from happy hour through evening during its first phase, with the addition of lunch hopefully by later this year as its second phase, he said.

The former software engineer said at his heart he is a “maker” — whether that is art, beer or wine. He started by making beer at his Poway home several years ago then “stumbled upon a local winery (the former Mission Cellars) near my house.”

It took a while, but Lipsky said he was able to convince the winery owner to let him try the bourbon barrel aged beers concept with wine, along with doing the same with tequila and rum wine varieties. He said the bourbon one they created turned out to be a best seller for Mission Cellars.

“I saw an opportunity there … and decided to own my own company,” Lipsky said, noting that when wines are combined with bourbon, tequila and rum they come out more spicy than traditional wines.

“This is a 5,000-year-old industry going through a renaissance, making fun, higher-end wine,” he said.

Lipsky’s turn-around process based on customer feedback is faster than that of a traditional winery because instead of taking at least two or three years, he can make changes to the formulations within four months by focusing on the fourth quarter of the production cycle. That’s because he partners with wineries in Temecula, San Diego and Napa Valley and enhances their ready wines rather than starting from the grape crushing point.

“In 2019 I  came out with my first set of (five) wines … and started to look at opportunities with tasting rooms,” he said. “By then it was early 2020 and all were shut down. So I decided to do farmers markets instead and built a speakeasy that was open air behind my house.”

After building a following through farmers markets and participating in community events such as this Saturday’s Rancho BEERnardo Festival, Lipsky said he decided to get an official tasting room.

Half of the menu will feature Barrel Riot wines as tasting flights paired with charcuterie boards.

“Spicy food will be with spicy wines, or those sweeter with sweet wines. There will also be a savory (board) for those (wines) in the middle of the road,” he said.

The remainder of the menu will feature other companies’ beers and traditional wines with appropriate food offerings.

“I don’t want people to just drink wine, but experience it,” Lipsky said.

For details, visit barrelriot.com.

As for other news on the RB restaurant front:

• Dubu, which means tofu in Korean, is coming to the former Urge American Gastropub at 16761 Bernardo Center Drive, Suite M1 in The Plaza.

Owned by San Diego Tofu Co., Dubu will specialize in soondubu (soft tofu stew) and a variety of Korean cuisine, according to co-owner Sean Kim. The tentative opening date is for late January.

• The Starbucks at 16773 Bernardo Center Drive in The Plaza at Rancho Bernardo was one of seven within the City of San Diego that closed suddenly in late September as part of a company-wide restructuring that impacted over 450 locations nationwide.

Also closed was the Starbucks at 14835 Pomerado Road in Poway near Target, in the Twin Peaks Shopping Center.

• There is also news on the restaurant front at the Rancho Bernardo Town Center.

Paris Baguette Bakery Café is making progress on opening, though a tentative date has yet to be announced. It will take up about two-thirds of the building, nearly 3,500 square feet, according to Ron Bamberger, co-owner of Boardwalk Development, the center’s asset manager.

The remaining one-third of the building, just over 1,800 square feet, will be a new Bushfire Kitchen location.

“There is one in Del Mar, Carlsbad and they have it in Orange County,” Bamberger said, adding he anticipates the Rancho Bernardo restaurant will open sometime in the first quarter of 2026.

“The community is going to be excited as both (companies) are pretty awesome,” he said.

Both restaurants will have indoor and covered outdoor seating.

In other RB Town Center news, The BXNG Club recently closed. Bamberger said there are a variety of businesses interested in the space.

“I should be able to say more in a few months,” he said.

As for the goings-on in 4S Ranch:

Miguel’s Cocina at 10514 Craftsman Way in the 4S Commons Town Center has closed. (Elizabeth Marie Himchak)According to the sign, the building has been sold and the new owner is Flecha Cantina, which is listed on the website as being owned by actor Mark Wahlberg, with locations in Huntington Beach and Las Vegas.

“Flavor, Fire, Flecha. Re-experience Modern Mexican cuisine through the eyes of Mark Wahlberg and his team of chefs and restauranteurs,” the website states. “Our menu, crafted by renowned international chefs and mixologists, blends Mexican classics with contemporary fire. Each bite is a journey, and each sip is an experience in what it means to be memorable.”

• There is a “coming soon” sign for Nick the Greek Souvlaki & Gyro House at 10550 Craftsman Way, Suite 185 in the 4S Commons Town Center. Located between The Avenue Home Collective and Mumu Sushi, the Greek restaurant will be taking the space that recently housed JoYee’s Dumpling House.

According to the company’s website, it is a fast-casual restaurant that offers authentic Greek cuisine, including gyros, souvlaki and more with “high-quality ingredients and traditional recipes.” The chain has almost 90 locations, many throughout California, including one in downtown San Diego, but also in Utah, Arizona, Texas, Kansas and Missouri.