Uncle Italian Creates A Comforting Refuge at UCSD

UC San Diego (UCSD) opened the brand new Uncle Italian bar and restaurant on campus early October located at the Old Student Center, replacing Soda and Swine.

The decision to establish Uncle Italian was made by Consortium Holdings, a hospitality group founded by a UC San Diego alumni, Arsalun Tafazoli. Consortium Holdings has 18 different businesses around the San Diego area, including bar El Dorado, barber shop Dover Honing Co., and Chinese Restaurant Fortunate Son.

Lauren Lemus, general manager of Consortium Holdings, explained their decision on rebranding the restaurant in a statement to The Triton.

“We are suckers for a local institution, and fawn over all the hometown slice shops named via actual uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters and carrying on big and colorful family traditions,” Lemus said.

According to Lemus, Consortium Holdings wanted to create “a place where you can sit down, relax, and get a little separation from all the stresses that the world of academia presents.”

Uncle Italian opened their doors to the public early October. They serve Italian food ranging from pasta to salads, with Detroit-style pizza and create-your-own pizza. The restaurant also accommodates vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free diets. They are open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“In our past experience with our previous concept, campus life is not as lively on the weekends as it is during the week,” Lemus said on why they are only open during the week. However, Uncle Italian is open for private events on the weekend.

The space consists of a 14-foot high bar table located on the outside patio, an interior dining area and bar with wood and gold decorations, and 24 beer taps extending from the ceiling to the central bar.

In a statement to The Triton, Will Jacobson, the chef at Uncle Italian, listed the most popular food items from the menu.

“Our most popular pizza is the mushroom pizza. Our most popular pasta is carbonara. We’ve got 24 beers on tap, so plenty of options to choose from,” Jacobson said.

Lemus also noted that their dough and sauces are made from scratch.

Jacobson did not work at Soda & Swine, but has worked for Consortium Holdings for several years at different restaurants.

“I think I’m most excited about giving the students and staff at UCSD a new dining experience that is different from the fast casual experience they’re used to. We want to create an environment for meaningful experiences [such as] having a slice and studying, having a celebratory beer at the end of the week, or just having a conversation with a stranger,” Jacobson said.

Lemus mentioned Consortium Holding’s vision was not to create a typical bar and restaurant “…but public gathering spaces that help cultivate our neighborhoods through the fostering of creativity, dialogue, questions and conversations.”

According to Uncle Italian’s Instagram page, the restaurant is currently closed until the UCSD campus reopens but can host private pizza parties for groups of more than 10 people. For anyone interested in booking a private pizza party, contact info@uncleitalian.com.

Vanessa Gaeta-Munoz is a Junior News Editor for The Triton. You can follow her @_vnsgg.

This article was updated on January 11 2022 to include information about Uncle Italian’s current hours.