Mistura, a Peruvian restaurant, opens in Paso Robles

The owner of Mama’s Meatball has opened a new Peruvian restaurant in Paso Robles: Mistura.

Nicola Allegretta has owned Mama’s Meatball, located in The Creamery in San Luis Obispo, since 2006. After selling his Avila Beach and Oceano locations in 2009 and 2010, Allegretta said he began considering branching out into a new type of restaurant that would draw on his wife Jackeline Ortiz De Zevallos-Allegretta’s Peruvian background.

“For many years, people have been asking us why we don’t open a Peruvian restaurant,” he said, noting that Peruvian cuisine is a mix of several cultures, most notably influenced by Spanish, Incan and African cuisines.

The new restaurant features a wide range of dishes, with most of the produce coming from City Farm, where Allegretta leases 16 acres, and fish and meats from all local sources. So far, the most popular dishes include ceviche, sea bass and gelato.

Allegretta used money from another property he sold to fund opening the 3,400-square-foot restaurant at 700 Clubhouse Drive in Paso Robles at the River Oaks Golf Course, he said. In all, it cost him about $120,000 to renovate the space.

Allegretta declined to disclose annual revenue for Mama’s Meatball, saying just that business was “up and down,” at the San Luis Obispo restaurant, but well enough that he felt comfortable opening the new one.

One benefit to opening Mistura, he said, is that the larger restaurant will have more space for his catering business, Haute Catering and Events, which has put a strain on the smaller Mama’s Meatball space. With the opening of the new restaurant, he will move all catering to the Paso Robles location.

“It’s going to be a fantastic opportunity for us to use as a catering headquarters,” Allegretta said, noting that the new restaurant also has a patio space that he hopes to rent out as a special events venue for weddings and parties.

Mistura opened on Black Friday and has had a steady stream of customers, Allegretta said — between 20 and 50 people each day.

Mistura Restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 4 to 9 p.m.

This story was originally published December 9, 2014 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Mistura, a Peruvian restaurant, opens in Paso Robles."