By late afternoon, sunlight glances off the terracotta tiles along Scholars Drive, the faint hum of surf folding into the sound of silverware being set in a new dining room. Inside Dora Ristorante, Chef Accursio Lota adjusts a linen napkin, checks a plate’s edge, and smiles — the quiet confidence of someone returning to familiar soil, this time under the California sun.
Named for his grandmother, Dora is Lota’s most personal project yet — a 3,800-square-foot love letter to the southern coast of Italy, built with the neighborhood warmth and ingredient-driven precision that defined his North Park restaurant, Cori Pastificio Trattoria. The new space sits just steps from the La Jolla Playhouse, where theatre lights and dinner service now share the same rhythm.
“So much of my cooking is rooted in the smells and sounds of my Nonna’s home,” Lota says. “La Jolla has that same kind of energy — close to the sea, full of creativity — so opening Dora here feels like picking up a thread from home.”
A Scene Set by the Sea
Designed by Bells + Whistles — the San Diego studio known for Campfire, Jeune et Jolie, and Animae — Dora’s interior carries a nostalgic, cinematic glow. There’s a Campari-red bar that anchors the room, vintage tilework that recalls Sicilian summer kitchens, and sunlight pooling over marble tables that spill onto a breezy patio. The air smells faintly of citrus and olive oil, while conversation hums like a matinee crowd waiting for the curtain to rise.
General Manager Steven Schwob (Trust Restaurant Group, Marisi) runs the dining room with the precision of a stage manager — a nod to the restaurant’s theatrical neighborhood. “Dinner here is meant to feel alive,” he says, glancing toward the open kitchen. “It’s performance, but it’s also deeply personal.”
The Menu: A Coastal Reimagining
Chef Lota, with Chef de Cuisine Luis Esteva (Kettner Exchange, Nolita Hall), crafts a menu that threads together Sicily’s seafaring traditions and California’s produce-rich markets. The result is both evocative and modern — handmade pastas and Mediterranean seafood framed by local seasonality.
Dinner might begin with arancini ai porcini e tartufo, truffle-laced rice spheres oozing with mozzarella, followed by ravioli with foraged mushrooms in sage butter or gnocchi folded with truffled sausage and basil juice. Lota’s World Champ Pasta — his Barilla competition-winning seafood carbonara — pairs bigoli with yellowtail carpaccio and caviar, a dish that hums with quiet bravado.
There’s cous cous di pesce, a nod to Trapani’s Moorish influence, layered with mussels, clams, and prawns simmered in lobster broth. The whole grilled branzino arrives fragrant with herb salad and tomato oil, and dessert ends on a lyrical note with routa della nonna — a crisp pastry filled with ricotta, pomegranate, and candied orange.
“Every dish carries a memory,” Lota says. “But the ingredients — those belong to California now.”
Bar and Atmosphere
At the bar, mixologist Mark Young (Born & Raised, Lou Lou’s Jungle Room) leans into Mediterranean botanicals, amaros, and citrus. There’s a rotating house “cello” program, digestifs poured tableside, and a wine list curated by sommelier Federico Cavalleri that bridges Italian coastal terroir with West Coast vineyards.
It’s an experience that invites lingering — aperitivo hour from 4 to 5 p.m., dinner rolling into golden light, the theatre crowd drifting in with the evening breeze.
A Taste of Home, A Stage for the Future
For Lota and Goria, Dora is both evolution and echo — an expansion of Cori’s handmade ethos, now told through the lens of La Jolla’s coastal theatre district. Beneath its polished design lies something elemental: the persistence of memory, flavor, and place.
In a city that often trades roots for novelty, Dora feels like the opposite — a return to authenticity that doesn’t shy from modernity. Here, dinner isn’t just a meal; it’s a story performed nightly, where pasta, people, and light share the same stage.
If you want to dine at Dora Ristorante, visit doralajolla.com
Location: 9165 Scholars Drive, La Jolla
Dinner: Tuesday–Sunday 5–9 p.m. | Lunch: Friday–Sunday 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. | Aperitivo: Tuesday–Thursday 4–5 p.m.
Photo credits: Photos courtesy of Dora Ristorante
