Casa Juani, the long-anticipated Spanish marisquería from former Frasca Food and Wine chefs Eduardo Valle Lobo and Kelly Jeun, quietly opened on Boulder’s Pearl Street in late February. The husband and wife team has turned the 901 Pearl Street address, which previously housed My Neighbor Felix, into a seafood and tapas hub with a raw bar, jamón service and a menu built for sharing.
Seafood, salted cod and jamón
The kitchen leans hard into Iberian coastal flavors, with plates like bacalao rebozado (salted cod) for $21, razor clams for $18, sea urchin for $36 and a pulpo (octopus) entrée, according to The Denver Post. Diners can also spring for a tableside jamón service featuring jamón ibérico produced by Cinco Jotas, carved to order from a leg presented on a cart for a $40 service, the paper reported. A raw bar and a lineup of shareable plates are designed to blend fine dining technique with the kind of relaxed, home-style Spanish hospitality the chefs say they grew up with.
Why the national food world noticed
Casa Juani was named among the most anticipated openings of the winter, a nod from Bon Appétit that helped push the project beyond Boulder’s usual dining crowd. The magazine pointed to Valle Lobo’s long tenure at Frasca as a key reason expectations ran high for his Spanish-focused solo venture.
From Frasca to marisquería
A Frasca assignment first brought Valle Lobo and Jeun to Boulder in 2017. After that, they spent several years honing their approach in top U.S. kitchens and spending time in Italy before returning to the idea of Spanish coastal cooking, Boulder Reporting Lab reported. Valle Lobo said the restaurant is named for his mother, Juani, and is meant to honor the home cooking that shaped his career.
The room and the ritual
The dining room is laid out to spotlight the marisquería concept, with a chef’s table, an L shaped raw bar and an intimate wine room that opens into the main dining area, according to a press release covered by Yellow Scene Magazine. Large windows and a heated patio open the space onto Pearl Street, tying the restaurant directly into the mall’s steady stream of foot traffic.
Reservations and practicals
Reservations are available online at casajuaniboulder.com and through OpenTable as the team gradually builds out service and staffing. Early service began in late February, and the chefs say they plan to expand hours and offerings as the seasons change.
How it fits on Pearl Street
Local coverage suggests Casa Juani fills a noticeable gap for chef-driven Spanish cuisine on Pearl Street and is already drawing diners from across the region, according to Westword. Whether it settles in as a neighborhood standby or more of a special occasion destination will depend on how quickly the team tightens the menu and service rhythm.
Looking ahead
“Casa Juani brings everything full circle,” Valle Lobo told Bon Appétit, describing the project as a return to his culinary roots. For now, the mix of cured ham, crisp seafood plates and a focused wine list has already added a distinct new flavor to downtown Boulder’s dining map.
