Caliente Caterers to Open Full Service Bistro in Inner Richmond

The chefs behind the newly-opened takeout and catering operation have a restaurant concept in the works.
Caliente Kitchen to Open Full Service Restaurant in Inner Richmond
Photo: Official

Caliente Caterers, the brainchild of business partners Raul Garcia-Antolin and Rogelio Lopez-Esquival, held a soft opening on May 1st at 4828 Geary Boulevard, where it debuted its authentic Mexican catering and take-out menus, but the restauranteurs have bigger plans for the space.

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Lopez-Esquival and Garcia-Antolin recently took over the Inner Richmond space that was briefly El Frijolito, and before that, Great Mongolia Nomads, and while they’re currently using it for takeout and catering services, the location will soon be the home of their full service restaurant, Caliente Kitchen.

“We’ve got so many different menus in the works,” says Garcia-Antolin, who was born and raised in a small community in Jalisco, Mexico, before moving to San Francisco. “We had to take ourselves off of GrubHub and DoorDash because they couldn’t keep up.”

Similar to the takeout options they offer now, Caliente Kitchen will serve authentic Mexican food in an upscale, bistro-like setting, and Garcia-Antolin, who has worked with a number of distinguished chefs, including Wolfgang Puck and James Beard Award winner Luciano Pellegrini, plans to change the menu on nearly a daily basis.

As for the space, Garcia-Antolin says it’s already got that amber, old school taqueria feel to it, complete with a recently refurbished bar. He plans to class it up a bit to match the quality level of the food he’ll be serving.

No opening date for Caliente Kitchen has been announced yet, but the restauranteurs hope to finalize plans within the next few months. If you want a sneak peak at what they’re up to, head down to Geary Boulevard and take a look at their takeout and catering menus (they’re open daily from 2-8pm). But try not to get too attached — when the restaurant opens, it’s guaranteed to mix it up a bit.

Sydney Rende

Sydney Rende

Sydney Rende is a freelance writer and soon-to-be graduate of Syracuse University’s MFA program in Creative Writing. Her work has been published in The New York Times Style Magazine, The Michigan Quarterly Review, The New Ohio Review online, and Carve Magazine. She lives in Southern California, where she’s completing her first short story collection and desperately trying to conform to surf culture.
Sydney Rende

Sydney Rende

Sydney Rende is a freelance writer and soon-to-be graduate of Syracuse University’s MFA program in Creative Writing. Her work has been published in The New York Times Style Magazine, The Michigan Quarterly Review, The New Ohio Review online, and Carve Magazine. She lives in Southern California, where she’s completing her first short story collection and desperately trying to conform to surf culture.

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