Takis Vartelas, owner of the UC San Diego campus favorite Santorini Island Grill, is gearing up to debut a brand-new concept called Ridge Walk Social. The bar and grill will offer healthier renditions of gastropub classics, including burgers, salads, sandwiches and rice bowls. Vartelas plans to open the restaurant in UCSD’s Rimac Annex by early March.
Ridge Walk Social will offer 4,000 square feet worth of outdoor patio seating, in addition to the 2,400 square feet of indoor space. Upstairs, the restaurant will offer a private venue for parties and events.
Vartelas has been running Santorini Island Grill on the UCSD campus for 14 years, in addition to owning other branches at UC Santa Barbara, Scripps Poway Parkway and Mira Mesa.
“Our new concept Ridge Walk Social will be upscale food at an affordable price,” Vartelas told What Now San Diego. “We’ll only have maybe one or two Greek options, so we’re keeping the brands separate.”
Once the indoor dining restrictions lighten up, Vartelas plans to host karaoke nights, trivia nights and live music performances. As Ridge Walk Social wraps up the inspection and permitting processes, Vartelas has been developing other plans to open a beer garden in the UCSD arena concessions venue.
Ridge Walk Social will be filling the space left by Home Plate and Hops & Salt in Rimac Annex.
