Grand Restaurant Group (Bellamy’s, Nick & G’s, Cork & Knife, DiCicco’s) has officially opened NÓMADA in Carlsbad at 6996 El Camino Real, marking the first concept launched by newly appointed Chef Partner Alex Carballo alongside Chief Operating Officer Gianina Pickens.
Inspired by Chef Carballo’s Sinaloan heritage and extensive travels throughout Mexico’s coastal and agricultural regions, NÓMADA presents a regional approach to Mexican cuisine grounded in tradition and technique.
The opening also represents a meaningful milestone for Pickens as she leads the family-owned hospitality group into its next chapter. Building on more than fifty years of restaurant history—from her grandfather Nicola DiCicco’s Italian eateries to today’s multi-concept portfolio—Pickens sees NÓMADA as a natural evolution for the group.
“NÓMADA marks a really special moment for us,” says Pickens in a statement. “It honors the legacy my family has built while bringing Chef Alex’s regional point of view to the table. It’s an exciting next chapter for Grand Restaurant Group.”
THE MENU
Led by Chef Partner Alex Carballo (Fox Point Farms, Valentina, The Fishery, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens), NÓMADA’s menu highlights regional Mexican cooking with a focus on coastal seafood, wood-fired techniques, locally sourced produce and purveyors, and preparations cooked without industrial seed oils. Drawing inspiration from Sinaloa, Yucatán, Baja, and central Mexico, the menu balances raw bar offerings, antojitos, tacos, and composed entrées—rooted in tradition while reflecting Southern California’s coastal sensibility.
Menu highlights include:
- Housemade flour tortillas from the wood-fired oven, served with jalapeño honey butter
- Birria Chimichanga Bites with chile-braised beef, salsa macha aioli, and consommé
- Wood-Fired Oysters baked with hoja santa and smoked cotija
- Raw Bar & Chilled Seafood including daily oysters, ceviches, crudo tostadas, Pacific prawns, and chocolate clams
- À La Carte Tacos featuring Baja fish, carnitas, carne asada, pulpo, pollo doradito, and quesabirria
- Duck Mole Taco Trio with duck confit, mole negro, and duck skin chicharrón
- Whole Roasted Local Line-Caught Fish, marinated with citrus, herbs, and spices
- Cochinita Pibil, Yucatán-style pork wrapped in banana leaf and slow-roasted
- Regional Classics such as chicken mole, chiles en nogada, chili relleno, pozole, and birria
On Fridays and Saturdays, NÓMADA offers a late-night oyster bar experience with live music.
Led by Grand Restaurant Group’s newly appointed Beverage Director Sean Ward (RMD Group, Nolita Hall, Duck Dive, OB Surf Lodge), the bar program at NÓMADA extends the restaurant’s spirit of exploration, drawing inspiration from Mexico and across Latin and South America. Cocktails are built around agave spirits, pisco, cachaça, rum, and regional liqueurs, with each drink referencing a specific culture, city, or tradition—mirroring the restaurant’s culinary journey.
Signature cocktails include:
- Ranchero Paloma (Jalisco) – ranchero reposado, cinnamon, grapefruit, lime, and squirt
- Pisco Sour (Peru) – pisco, white vermouth, macadamia orgeat, green apple, lemon, and Peruvian bitters
- Clerico (Uruguay) – gin, amontillado sherry, elderflower, cucumber, green apple, and soda
- Chicha Morada (Peru) – a non-alcoholic take on the traditional purple corn drink with pineapple, apple, and warm spices
- Granizados – frozen cocktails inspired by coastal Latin flavors, including espresso martini and rum-based variations
- Debutante – mezcal, rosé vermouth, manzanilla sherry, raspberry-thyme shrub, and lemon
- Playa – coconut-infused cachaça with dry vermouth, banana liqueur, and cranberry bitters
The program also includes a curated selection of agave spirits and a beer lineup featuring Mexican imports and local San Diego breweries. The wine list highlights producers from Valle de Guadalupe alongside selections from Latin America, California, and Europe.
The 5,600-square-foot restaurant seats up to 240 guests and unfolds across several distinct indoor and outdoor spaces, offering flexibility for private events and group gatherings. Guests enter through a lush patio with bar seating, fire pits, and an outdoor bar, then pass through a courtyard into the main interior.
Inside, a central bar anchors the space with views of the wood-fired oven, oyster bar, and chef’s counter. A stage supports live music, DJs, and recurring salsa and Latin dance programming, while the expansive dining room offers varied seating—from booths to communal tables and sunken, semi-private dining areas—framed by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the surrounding canyon. Throughout the space, matte ceramics, warm woods, woven textures, and an earthy, sun-washed palette draw inspiration from Mexico’s natural landscapes and artisan traditions.
