Coming Soon

Superba Snack Bar Hits Venice in July

Jason Neroni
Jason Neroni Photo: Tatiana Arbogast

Despite its still skeletal status on Rose Avenue, Superba Snack Bar announces that it’s looking forward to an opening date in July, at which point it will load Venice up with the playful handmade pastas, house-smoked meats, and porchetta sandwiches of former Osteria La Buca chef Jason Neroni, who is teamed up here with Pitfifre Pizza co-owner Paul Hibler. The duo were smart to tap Alexander Gonzalez, a five-year vet of Grant Achatz’ Alinea in Chicago, to juggle the flow and put on the charm as general manager of Superba, as well. So, what will this team be introducing this summer?

Neroni’s menu will be broken down into sections like “salumi and charcuterie,” which should be somewhat self-explanatory to anyone who’s eaten in L.A. in the last two years, and “From Our Backyards,” which shows off his eye for greens and veggies. The restaurant strives to be a casual drop-in kind of place for weekend brunch, and daily lunch and dinner, with morning dishes including eggs scrambled with chives, crab meat and asparagus, and a bialy with salmon pastrami and caviar cream cheese.

Mid-day eats will include Neroni’s pork belly cubano and a burger on a bao bun, while the chef will infuse, smoke, and generally wild out on pastas using his extruder. Wine and beer, under sommelier Bonnie Graves, will be a strictly Cali affair, with a list limited to no more than ten reds and ten whites, plus only Southland beers, including surprisingly devastating beer sangrias made with Belgian white, Prosecco, chardonnay, and apricot juice.

The space, overseen by the firm responsible for Coolhaus’ brick-and-mortar, known as Design, Bitches, will have an open kitchen, communal tables, and a street-side patio linking to the restaurant by a wide bench. A press release also tells us this design duo is using ponchos and blankets purchased from the Venice boardwalk as well as pool tiles, in an attempt to symbolize the diversity of the Venetian population, many of whom will probably stick to Jodi Maroni, Hinano, and The Whaler despite Superba’s best efforts to flatter the locals. Maybe yoga mats and strollers should have a shelf here, too?

Superba Snack Bar, 533 Rose Ave. Venice.

Superba Snack Bar Hits Venice in July