Team behind Cultura to debut new downtown Monterey concept in 2019.

 The reimagining of downtown Monterey will keep going strong into 2019 with word that popular Carmel hotspot Cultura Comida y Bebida will be opening a second outpost at 481 Alvarado Street, previously home to Alvarado Fish & Steak House.

“Cultura has been doing so well and the team is ready to expand. We’ve been looking at possible projects and this feels like the right one. It’s a chance to explore a different side of our team’s creativity,” says Cultura chef-partner John Cox.

“I have so many memories of spending time in downtown Monterey as a young cook,” he recalls. “There have always been a lot of great restaurants downtown, with more on the way. Alvarado Street is turning into a dining destination, and we’re excited about becoming part of this community.”

Cox is working closely with Cultura’s chef-partner Michelle Estigoy and managing partner Sarah Kabat-Marcy to develop the concept for the new Monterey restaurant. “We want to integrate into the community here. There are so many cool offerings on Alvarado. We want to add to that, not step on anyone’s toes. Like we did with Cultura in Carmel, we’re looking to bring something that’s unique to this market.”

The trio won’t say yet whether their new Monterey location will replicate the Carmel original, focus on fast-casual counter service or even move into more elevated fine dining. “We’ve had a collection of ideas, a list of ‘what ifs,’ and now we’re honing in on what exactly this restaurant will be,” explains Cox. “One thing’s for sure: It’ll be a restaurant from the Cultura team with the same commitment to service and hospitality.” He teases more news to come in January.

481 Alvarado Street—located between Toribashi ramen shop and The Bull & Bear—has been home to a number of restaurants over the years. Mi Tierra Monterey, Zocalo, Kawa Japanese Cuisine, Bistro Christine and Cabo Blue Taco Shack all called this location home before Alvarado Fish and Steak House—a spinoff of the popular Monterey Fish House—opened here in 2012. That concept shuttered quietly earlier this year and the space has remained vacant ever since.

Cox emphasizes the team’s new Monterey concept will be a long-term investment, “We’re in this for the long run. It’s a 100-year-old building, so we’re gutting it and rebuilding everything inside because it needs it. We want to do it right.” Given the uncertainties of construction, Cox cautions against committing to a specific opening date, but does hope to debut the new restaurant sometime in the spring.