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An oft-heard question among South Bay foodies — What’s going to happen to that Lira restaurant space in Campbell? — now has an answer
A noted Los Gatos bartender-turned-restaurateur, Jason Seele, plans to open a bar-lounge at the downtown corner of East Campbell and South Central avenues, with a hoped-for opening date in October
Seele explains the concept as a “modern, technique-driven cocktail bar centered around experimentation, creativity and the process of developing something unexpected.” Hence the intriguing business name, which has already gone up on the front door: Trial/Error
Small plates will complement the libations. “We made a deliberate decision to stay focused on what we know and do best: an ambitious cocktail program paired with creative, delicious food designed for sharing,” he said. Executive chef Manuel “Manny” Santillan is heading the kitchen
Seele brings an impressive resume to the project. A winner of numerous cocktail competitions and longtime South Bay bartender, he operated the Jack Rose Libation House, named for the cocktail favored by author John Steinbeck, who lived and wrote a half-mile from the Los Gatos site, until that property was sold for housing. For the last several years, he has owned the Los Gatos Soda Works
Lira, the much-acclaimed restaurant that made its debut Jan. 31, 2025, at this Campbell site, with a celebrity chef at the helm, closed its doors after New Year’s Eve 2026
Chef Tucker Ricchio, a San Jose native who was the season 2 winner of Gordon Ramsay’s “Next Level Chef,” and the owners parted ways less than five months into the project. The owners kept the restaurant going for another several months
Details: 368 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell
