Popular Capitola spot gets new owner and complete makeover
Margaritaville has a new owner, Sarah Orr, and she has completely revamped the Capitola restaurant. It was closed last December and reopened this past May. Margaritas still flow abundantly, and their food is Mexican seafood. We spoke with Orr about the kinds of changes she made, and what kind of experience patrons can expect.
GT: What’s new with the new Margaritaville?
SARAH ORR: Although we kept the name, it’s a completely different experience. Originally it was an eight-person bar, and we made it into a 25-person U-shaped bar that has ocean views. Everything we did was about embracing the ocean views. We replaced the windows with huge ocean-view windows. The ceilings were really low, so we actually changed the beams so that the ceilings were higher. Everything is completely new paint and all-new furniture. I like to call it “first-class casual.” We have an alder-wood bar. The tables are made of alder wood, as well, and have white linen napkins. What we’re trying to do with our food, service and environment is have this play between first-class and being realistic for a casual beach environment.
Have you changed the drink menu?
We changed the food and bar completely. We have all fresh ingredients. All of our juices are juiced fresh each day. Every drink is made with natural, real ingredients. That was really a focus for the bar. We have our basic margarita, which is made with Jimador, Silver and Quintero [tequila]. People can add cucumber or fresh strawberries or roasted jalapeños to make their own unique margarita.
Tell me about your menu.
It’s fresh Mexican seafood. All of our primary choices are based around sustainable seafood. I personally have a very strong passion for raw oysters. Every day, whatever the best oyster is, we offer that. So today we’re having Kusshi oysters from British Colombia. So we always have a great selection of oysters. Then we’re doing a whole fried fish. We have a shrimp Diablo dish that people really love, and baja fish tacos.
You also have a fried avocado taco.
We wanted to have a really interesting vegetarian option. Last year, before deciding to open my own restaurant, we took a cross-country road trip to try different things. We saw an avocado taco somewhere. It was like, “oh my god, that’s the taco we should have for our vegetarian option.” It’s something unique, and once I get people to try it, they love it. For some reason, it’s hard to get people to try it. I don’t know why. The whole fish is another one. It’s a great dish, but you have to convince people to step out of their comfort zone.
231 Esplanade, Capitola, 476-2263. PHOTO: NO, YOUR LOST SHAKER OF SALT IS NOT HERE Sarah Orr
