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A downtown Pleasanton restaurateur who recently took over the former Frontier Spice building on Main Street is now looking to convert the Indian restaurant space into a Spanish-inspired eatery.
German Carlucci, owner of Brava Garden Eatery and the Planta Coffee House, confirmed that he acquired the former Frontier Spice space, located at 411 Main St. He said with this being his third business venture along the corridor, he hopes to bring something new and creative not just for Pleasanton residents, but for people across the Tri-Valley.
“It’s such a good location and even though it’s small, I think we can do something really nice in there,” Carlucci told the Pleasanton Weekly.
Frontier Spice first opened its doors near the corner of Main and West Angela streets in 2015, according to the former restaurant’s Yelp page. Over the past 10 years, it offered authentic Indian food with a modern twist.
But according to Carlucci, the owners of the Indian restaurant — whom he said he is really good friends with — decided they wanted to focus more on just catering, which is why they offered Carlucci their space on Main Street.
“They wanted us to take it,” he said
The Weekly reached out to Frontier Spice for comment but has not heard back from them as of time of publication.
According to Carlucci, Frontier Spice officially closed its doors at the end of March and he has since initiated the transfer of the building’s ownership into his name.
He said the new business will be named Caramba, a term loosely used to describe the feeling of astonishment or surprise in Spanish. He said the idea for the restaurant came from him and his wife spending their honeymoon in Spain and falling in love with the food during their trip.
The new restaurant will offer a more casual dining experience featuring Spanish-inspired tapas and other small plates, complemented by a selection of wines. Carlucci said his chef for the new spot is actually travelling across Spain at the moment getting inspiration for the menu.
“We are very excited for them to bring some Spanish cuisine downtown and love when our business owners expand,” Gabrielle Welk, executive director of the Pleasanton Downtown Association, told the Weekly.
Because the space was previously occupied by a restaurant, Carlucci said he is hoping the permit process with the city will be quick and easy. If everything goes right, he said he is hoping to open at the end of May.
He also said that while Caramba will have the same general ambiance and feel of his two other businesses downtown, he really wants this new space to be a place that attracts people from across the region mainly because he wants to attract more people to downtown Pleasanton.
“A prosperous downtown is good for everybody,” he said.
