Chef Russ Bendel and partners are opening their fifth OC restaurant, Bloom Restaurant + Bar, on Dec. 2 in San Juan Capistrano.
Owned alongside with chef Jared Cook, beverage director Gabe Whorley and operations VP Kyle Simpson, Bloom is located across from Mission San Juan Capistrano in the Ferris Kelly building, which was the original City Hall in 1930.
“It was always a dream to be in San Juan Capistrano and this was our favorite possibility but a historic building presents challenges,” Bendel, the 2018 Business Journal Restaurateur of the Year, said of choosing a site in South County for his next restaurant.
The restaurant can house 87 seats in its 2,400-square foot space including 22 in the bar area, and counts 40 total employees. Irvine-based Steiner Studios added new design features to the historic site while also maintaining some of the building’s original architectural components.
Bloom will begin as a dinner-only operation but will start serving weekend brunch next year. Chef Cook created the location’s new American bistro dishes and chef de cuisine Holly Hart will oversee the kitchen.
Bendel’s other local eateries include Vine in San Clemente, Ironwood in Laguna Hills, Newport Beach’s Olea and Sapphire (& The Pantry) in Laguna Beach.
