A beautiful new Mediterranean restaurant and terrace in Swansea Marina is gearing up to open to the public. Loli's Mediterranean is the sister eatery of popular independent Spanish restaurant, El Pescador, and is set to launch on June 30, 2023.
Owner of El Pescador and Loli's Mediterranean, Juan Hernandez said the idea for the new restaurant came more than a year ago, after El Pescador customers began to request a wider range of Mediterranean dishes be added to the menu. Realising how popular Greek, Italian, North African and dishes from other Mediterranean countries were, and wanting to offer what his regular customers desired, Juan decided to start adding extra dishes to the El Pescador menu and exploring whether another restaurant would be just as popular as his first one.
Loli's Mediterranean is named after Juan's beloved mother, Loli, who taught him to cook many years ago at their home in Gran Canaria. After growing up on the beautiful Spanish island, Juan moved to Swansea 20 years ago to learn English and soon fell in love with the city. He now considers Swansea his home but loves sharing meals from his childhood and home country with his restaurant customers.
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"We were looking at the market for a new restaurant and realised how much interest there is in Swansea for a Mediterranean restaurant. There are so many options with Mediterranean meals and there's real benefits of a Mediterranean diet on everyone's health," Juan said. "Our customers at El Pescador had been asking for more Mediterranean dishes so we started experimenting a year ago."
"Loli is my mum, she taught me to cook. I learnt all the family recipes, cooking runs in my family!" he added.
Loli's has been designed to have a relaxing atmosphere "with a touch of luxury" and appears elegant and spacious. On the menu at Loli's Mediterranean you'll find charcuterie boards, cheese boards, benejena (deep fried aubergine), Spanish honey glazed roasted chorizo and Italian bruschetta, as well as a long list of different pizzas, paella and main meals, including grilled chicken cacciatore, roast squash with ciammotta stew and lamb shank with portobello mushrooms. Loli's will also have an extensive drinks list including some gorgeous cocktails.
Loli's Mediterranean launches on Friday, June 30, and will be open from Wednesdays to Sundays from 1.30pm each day. In the near future, Juan plans to expand the restaurant's opening hours to include mornings, with a special breakfast menu available.
He thanked everyone who had been involved in the "long journey" of bringing his idea for a second restaurant to life. "They've all been amazing," he said. He also thanked all his local suppliers for their continued support.
Loli's Mediterranean can be found at Unit 7 Trawler Road (next to El Pescador) in the Maritime Quarter in Swansea
