Calvo Loco opens in Exmouth
Popular Exeter tapas restaurant Calvo Loco is opening a second site in Exmouth following a £70,000 investment.
The restaurant, which has built a loyal following at its original site, is taking over the former Wine Hub at 32 The Strand in the town and opens later this month. The new restaurant has created six new jobs so far, with more on the horizon.
The expansion follows significant growth for the business, with revenue at the Exeter restaurant, which opened seven years ago, doubling over the past two years. The original restaurant is regularly fully booked and is currently trading at a turnover of more than £700,000 a year.
Owner Mikey Betts said Exmouth had been a natural choice for the second Calvo Loco, with customers already travelling from the town and surrounding area to visit the Exeter restaurant. He also has a commitment to using local suppliers.
He said: “We’re really particular about where our ingredients come from. If the best version of something comes from Spain, we’ll source it from Spain. If we can get something just as good or better here in Devon, particularly fresh produce, meat or seafood, we’ll use local suppliers. It’s about choosing the best ingredient for the dish rather than sourcing from somewhere simply because it sounds good on a menu.”
He continued: “Exmouth has a brilliant mix of local residents and visitors, a growing food and drink scene and a real buzz throughout the summer, while still having a strong year-round community. When the opportunity came up for a site right in the heart of the town, we felt it was too good to pass up.
“It’s significantly bigger than Exeter, which gives us the opportunity to take everything people love about Calvo Loco - great tapas, cocktails, music and a lively, informal atmosphere - and see what we can do with it on a larger scale.
“We don’t want Exmouth to feel like a copy of Exeter. We want it to have the same Calvo Loco personality but become its own restaurant and a genuine part of the Exmouth community.”
Spanish taps with a Devon twist
Calvo Loco - which means ‘crazy bald man’, a name inherited from its previous owner - specialises in authentic Spanish-inspired tapas. The Exmouth restaurant’s coastal location will play a particular role in the menu, with locally sourced seafood expected to feature regularly on the specials board.
Existing suppliers include Baily & Sons butchers in Torquay and Kingfisher at Brixham Fish Market, while the team also hopes to develop new relationships with Exmouth producers and businesses.
“It would be crazy to open a Spanish restaurant this close to the Devon coast and not make the most of the seafood available to us,” said Mikey.
“The Spanish side gives us the flavours, techniques and specialist ingredients that make the food authentic, while Devon gives us access to brilliant fresh produce, meat and particularly seafood.
“The idea is Spanish cooking with the best ingredients we can get our hands on, whether they’ve travelled from Andalucía or a few miles down the Devon coast.”
Calvo Loco favourites, including patatas bravas, gambas al ajillo, meatballs and aubergine fritters, will all feature in Exmouth, alongside new specials. The team is also developing whole fish and sharing dishes, including a surf and turf platter of picanha steak and grilled octopus.
A new set-price Taste of Spain experience is also planned, allowing diners to leave the choice of tapas to the kitchen, with optional wine pairings and sherry flights.
New jobs created
Six jobs have already been created at the Exmouth restaurant, with further recruitment expected as the business grows.
The new kitchen will be led by chefs Kayne Smale and Winston Fearnley, with several members of the existing Calvo Loco team also working across the two restaurants.
Mikey said: “Calvo Loco is all about great food without any of the formality. It’s lively and a little bit chaotic in the best possible way – tables full of tapas, cocktails flowing, good music playing and a real buzz around the room.
“We want people to come in for a quick bite and end up staying for the evening.”
Despite Exmouth’s popularity with tourists, the business says developing a loyal year-round local following will be central to the new restaurant’s success.
Mikey added: “We’d much rather become somebody’s favourite neighbourhood restaurant that they visit throughout the year than somewhere that’s only busy for a few months every summer.
“If, a year from now, we have Exmouth regulars who know the team, the team know them and people think of Calvo Loco as one of their favourite places in town, we’ll consider that a success.”
The new 40-cover restaurant will initially welcome walk-ins from 20 August, ahead of an official launch on 27 August, with bookings opening from 28 August.
Calvo Loco Exmouth will initially open Wednesday to Sunday from midday until late, with the potential to extend to seven days a week. Plans for outdoor seating are also being developed, subject to licensing approval.
