Wildwood Crossing and Cantina, located next to Wildwood Park in Vista at 116 Civic Center Drive, is preparing for a name change under new ownership.
The company recently announced on social media and its website that it will go in a new direction with new ownership. Once the licensing for the name is approved, new owners Alexis Aguilar, Sally Schoeffel, and Elsa Morales, along with chef Emilio Rodriguez, plan to add a few new items to the menu, spruce up the space, and eventually rename it Rancho El Agave Cantina y Cocina. The new owners are actively working on improving the decor and ambiance of the space.
“WildWood Crossing and Cantina is under new ownership,” according to the company’s website, “John, Willy, Mo, Jeanie, Dan, Mike and the gang are moving on to other things. The restaurant is not closed, we are helping the new owners make some changes. We thank all of our loyal customers and staff that made WildWood Crossing and Cantina Vista’s Best.”
While the restaurant is still open, the new ownership group has been cooking something special in the kitchen, calling their new menu makeover “drool-worthy.” From mouthwatering appetizers to delectable mains and tempting desserts, the refreshed version of the restaurant will have something for everyone. To excite customers, the restaurant has been giving fans a glimpse of the menu by posting the workshop version online. While the menu is still in progress, customers can expect sandwiches and burgers, salads and soups, tacos and burritos, enchiladas and soups, and more.
The new owners are no stranger to this building. Schoeffel, a local real estate agent with over four decades of experience in San Diego, is the original owner of the land and built the surrounding office and restaurant complex in 1980, calling it Rio Vista. She was the first person to open a restaurant in the space, called Rancho, but closed it in 1982 following a horrendous car crash in Mexico. Eventually, she found new tenants, and they opened La Paloma before Wildwood replaced it in 2017. Now, the new owners will reimagine the space with some of its previous history, such as bringing back some of the historic artwork that once hung inside the restaurant
