Chef Drew Bent recently debuted his Sonoran BBQ Sandwich restaurant, Papalito, at North Park’s new wine bar called Little Thief. Collaborating with the Bottlecraft and Vino Carta teams, Papalito serves guests in the space that formerly housed Florence Ristorante on University Avenue.
SanDiegoVille first reported that Bent will bring his sister concept Papalo to San Diego’s South Park next. Once again joining forces with Bottlecraft owner Brian Jensen, Papalo will install a BBQ restaurant alongside the planned European-style pub called Bock. The newly established beer bar is in the process of restoring the former Hamilton’s site.
Reports state Papalo will serve patrons of Bock but will operate from its own separate space, unlike the Papalito and Little Thief setup.
Papalito serves gourmet BBQ sandwiches inspired by Sonoran Mexican cooking styles, and made with local produce, smoked meats, and Hokkaido Bread. Papalo will focus on elevated BBQ dishes with their signature Sonoran touch.
Bent recently teased that new BBQ specials are heading to the Papalito menu. He shares on an Instagram post, “A lot of the new menu items happen to be R&D for our Papalo location, which is coming soon to South Park!”
Bock and Papalo are expected to reveal updates to the Hamilton’s and South Park Brewing site in Early 2023. For now, find more information on the brand by following Papalito on Instagram.
