A highly anticipated development underway in the heart of San Juan Capistrano will include a new eatery, according to the Orange County Business Journal. Forster Restaurant will be part of a larger mixed-use project at 31872 Camino Capistrano.
Plans received approval from the city’s Design Review Committee in early July. The 3.17-acre site will feature a 4,294-square-foot restaurant with a dining patio and bar, alongside new apartments, a 3,500-square-foot clubhouse, resort-style pool, and a 3,100-square-foot fitness center.
The project is spearheaded by Dan Almquist of Almquist Development & Investment, records show. It’s the same developer behind the nearby River Street Marketplace, Rodeo 39 Public Market in Stanton, Rodeo X in Ontario, and Rodeo 72 Public Market in Riverside.
Named Forster, it pays homage to the land’s heritage; the site was once home to a property built by Marco Forster, which operated as the Las Rosas Hotel and Restaurant. The property was originally slated for a 102-room Kimpton Hotel, which was approved by City Council in 2016 but later stalled due to a lawsuit, and then it switched hands to an Almquist subsidiary.
