Southport Tapas Bar Shuttering End of June, Moving to Ashland

Bull-eh-dia’s Tapas Bar is saying “Adios” to Southport Avenue and moving at the end of June to a newer, more spacious location just a couple blocks away on Ashland Avenue.

Owner Mariena Bonini will close their restaurant at 3651 N. Southport Ave. on June 29 with plans to reopen at 3656 N. Ashland Ave. in July. The new building is two stories, almost three times the size and will offer more than double the outdoor seating.

And unlike other recent moves off Southport where owners cited high rent costs, the restaurant’s business consultant—who declined to give his name—says this isn’t about rent.

The consultant says the building on Southport is 100-years-old and would need to be torn down and rebuilt if they wanted to stay, a move they even considered at one point.

“The move has nothing to do with rent,” said the consultant. “Some of the weekend nights in the current spot, the wait is about three and and half to four hours. Its incredible. But this spot on Ashland will afford more space and a bigger outside. We just got approval for a 94 cafe on Waveland, and they’ll be doing another one of Ashland. In all, there will be 140 chairs outside.”

While the restaurant will be exactly the same in terms of menu and atmosphere, Bonini is ditching their phonetic version Bull-eh-dia’s in favor of Bulerias Tapas Bar.

The new restaurant space will fit in well on Ashland as other big-name eateries flock to the same area. The Napa Valley-themed restaurant Zia’s Trattoria will soon be open at the former Centro location at 3819 N. Ashland Ave., along with Tango Sur planning to open a new bar at 3938 N. Ashland Ave.

Combined with the upcoming Bus Rapid Transit down Ashland, owners of Bulerias say they think they’re ahead of the curve.

As for the soon-to-be-vacant restaurant storefront on Southport, Bonini says she's not sure what will soon fill the space.