An 11,500-square-foot bar and restaurant on the east side of the Mission Valley shopping center has had its Celtic thematic wiped clean and replaced with the trademark Brazilian flair of local company, Novo Brazil Brewing. But in designing their fifth and largest location – Novo Brazil’s first outside of the South Bay – the Chula Vista-based company’s owners decided to go beyond their homeland’s colorful aesthetic and lean heavily into something else that has proven popular at its other locations – sports!
Novo Mission Valley features an 8,000 square-foot, 352-seat dining room supplemented by a 64-tap, 40-seat indoor-outdoor bar segueing to a 3,500-square-foot fire-pit-equipped patio that can serve an additional 237 patrons. All of the venue’s furniture was handcrafted in Brazil and the menu of Brazilian-inspired dishes (empanadas, croquettes, steaks, yucca fries) and sports-bar fare (burgers, wings, burritos, nachos) is the same as the one offered at the company’s locations in Imperial Beach and Chula Vista’s Otay Ranch Town Center. As for game-spectating amenities, they are anything but business as usual.
The new location sports more than 100 feet of 1.5-millimeter pixel pitch LED video walls along with 25 JBL speakers providing surround sound. There are also a 20-foot screen and a pair of 10-foot screens for high-profile events, as well as an 18-by-four-foot video wall above the bar and a 20-foot screen on the patio. Additionally, moving lights and CO2 blasts are set up to go off when home runs are hit, baskets are made and touchdowns are scored.
Just like our other locations in the South Bay, we want Mission Valley to be a family-friendly community gathering point for San Diego State fans, Padres fans, Wave fans and fans of any team. We love supporting our local sports teams and we relish the opportunity to provide a next-level fan experience for watching their games on TV.”
Tiago Carneiro, Founder, Novo Brazil Brewing
Carneiro notes that friends and colleagues have shared that Novo’s Mission Valley location has what it takes to potentially be the next Seau’s. Opened by San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau, that sports-centric bar and eatery, with its 60 television screens and 150-square-foot projection screen, was a popular spot for sports enthusiasts from 1996 to 2012. Though long gone, its memory lives on, particularly with Gen Xers and Millennials.
“Many kids of the 1990s may have children of their own now, so we hope we can provide a similar experience – along with nostalgia – to both old and new generations.,” says Carneiro. “Even if you’re attending an event at Snapdragon down the road or at one of San Diego’s other great venues, we invite you to come by for pre-and post-game celebrations.”
The new location’s focus on sports is in keeping with the company’s overall direction. Over the past two years, Carneiro has formed partnerships for Novo Brazil and its hard-kombucha arm, Nova Easy Kombucha, to produce and serve beverages in an official capacity with the San Diego Wave Fútbol Club, SDSU Men’s basketball team and Snapdragon Stadium. The latter is roughly seven minutes away and includes Nova-branded bars.
When asked if Novo Brazil is on the lookout for sites for future venues, Carneiro shares that he would like to someday open a location somewhere in San Diego’s North County. Like Novo Mission Valley, he says it will help to allow the company to bring alegria (translation: happiness) to a larger audience.
Novo Mission Valley is expected to open Thursday, January 11, and its hours of operation will be noon to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday and noon to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday hours will be different based on the start times of sporting events, most notably NFL football games.
Novo Brazil Brewing’s new location is located at 1640 Camino del Rio North, #341, in Mission Valley