1500 Mt Diablo Blvd, Walnut Creek

The long awaited opening of the Spanish pintxos and tapas restaurant Teleferic Barcelona in downtown Walnut Creek is near and last night I was able to get a preview a few days before they open this Sunday, January 17th.

Entering from Mt. Diablo, a staircase and elevator ensconced in brick and lit by Edison vintage bulbs hanging from varying heights lead to the second floor where the restaurant is located. At left is the outdoor dining area and bar with views of Neiman Marcus and downtown Walnut Creek while at right is the main restaurant area. Everything looks incredible including the architectural details such as the distressed metallic walls (which is also visible outside), interior design, not to mention the food, which was off the hook delicious. I’m not sure how ethical it is to eat foie mousse but as this is one of their signature specialties it was insanely good. If you’re a blue cheese fan you won’t want to miss trying the Spanish Valdeón (from León) blue cheese for dessert. As someone who usually sticks with French Roquefort, Valdeón is now my new favorite!

If you ever had dim sum then you’ll be comfortable with the pintxo (skewer in Basque) carts as they roll from table to table offering small bites on skewers or small plates. To keep track of what is ordered from the Pintxo cart a Santo Domingo metal can is left on your table where you can deposit the skewers which are then used to calculate what was ordered. There is also a paella cart that comes by with a giant paella pan if you order paella.

Finally, don’t forget to look up as one of two cable cars glide over your head as you can see in the photo below. This is a signature element of all Teleferic restaurants that you don’t want to miss. There are plenty of photos after the jump that show off all the great elements, check it out!

The history of Teleferic:

Plenty more photos of the inside after the jump…

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