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Business & Tech

Mediterranean Restaurant to Open in Montara

Mediterraneo Stop will open next to the old Caffe Lucca building.

Mediterraneo Stop, a new restaurant located off Highway One in Montara, is set to open within the next two weeks, according to new owner Modd Salim.

“I was interested in opening up a small-size Mediterranean restaurant on the coast that people from Pacifica or Half Moon Bay would be willing to drive down to,” said Salim, whose parents owned a restaurant serving Mediterranean food called Zakee Med in Amman, Jordan for 29 years.

“I wanted to continue with the same journey my parents had,” he said.

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The building is next door to the former , which has been causing some confusion. Julie Lucchesi, the owner of Caffe Lucca sold her equipment and the business to Salim.

“I wasn't expecting to have to close,” said Lucchesi, who shut down the restaurant because of personal reasons. “The restaurant had a lot to do with my father."

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"I’m happy that I ended up giving Salim the rights,” she added.

The new restaurant will serve almost all the organic drinks and snacks that were served at Caffe Lucca.

“I loved the atmosphere of Caffe Lucca – I loved and treated it like my own," said Ana Perez, who worked as a barista at Caffe Lucca before it closed and will now be working for Mediterraneo Stop. "The building is different, but I hope the same people come back."

In addition to serving coffee, the new restaurant will also serve Mediterranean food, barbeque, hot plates, wraps and fresh salads, most of which will be organic, according to Salim. As soon as the restaurant gets their beer and wine license they will also serve drinks.

 “It’s going to be a restaurant, a café and a bar at the same time,” said Salim, who is working on setting up a bar area. He says food will be reasonably priced.

“I met with locals and heard why the previous restaurant didn’t succeed; it was because they charged too much,” said Salim. “Our plates, which contain two sides, barbequed meat and a salad, will range from $9.00 to $11.00.”

Salim plans to barbeque meat from Niman Ranch on mesquite lump coals at a shed behind the restaurant. Meat in the wrap entrees will be cooked on a vertical broiler, he said, adding that the restaurant will not use any frozen meat.

Besides the bar and dining area, the restaurant has a large front patio with an ocean view that will soon be getting tents, tables and chairs for outdoor dining.

“It’s far away from fast food; it will be more of a family restaurant,” said Salim, who thought up the name of the restaurant after he thought up its logo. “I had the logo in my mind as the structure of a stop sign.”

“I had a list and ran them by friends and family – 90 percent said 'Mediterraneo Stop,'” added Salim.

There will be live events at the restaurant, but Salim said he is working on survey to see if the noise will bother the surrounding neighbors.

Mediterraneo Stop is located at 8465 Cabrillo Highway in Montara. The restaurant will be open starting at 5:30 a.m. — the same time that Caffe Lucca opened its doors each morning. Lunch will starting at 10 a.m. and the bar will be open until 2 a.m. once the restaurant gets its beer and wine license. Until then, the restaurant will be open until about 6 or 7 p.m.

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