TV Restaurants

Who Runs Ristorante Barolo Now? (Aptos, CA)

New owners reported

As of September 2026, patch.com reports Ristorante Barolo changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

Primary source
patch.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: Capitola-Soquel Patch reported that Booka Restaurant & Bar, run by new staff, opened in the historic Bayview Hotel in late May 2013 in the space that had housed Ristorante Barolo.

  • Season / episode Season 3, Episode 10
  • Original air date
  • Address 8041 Soquel Dr, Aptos, CA 95003
  • Current name Booka Restaurant & Bar

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What happened after Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network)?

Ristorante Barolo, an Italian restaurant inside the historic Bayview Hotel at 8041 Soquel Drive in Aptos, California, appeared on Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network) in an episode that aired May 16, 2012. As shown in the episode, the restaurant's outdated decor and an unfocused menu were holding back a business with a strong location in the landmark hotel building, and the owners were struggling to translate that location into steady sales.

Chef Robert Irvine and his team spent two days and about ten thousand dollars modernizing the dining room and streamlining the pasta and pizza offerings while keeping the restaurant's elegant, authentic Italian identity, according to Food Network's own description of the completed makeover. The goal was to give the historic space a cleaner, more contemporary feel that matched a tighter, more focused menu.

In the months after the episode aired, the restaurant reported real gains: according to a Food Network update cited by Capitola-Soquel Patch, profits at Ristorante Barolo rose 37 percent roughly three months after the show aired. Around the same time, the couple running the restaurant faced a personal health setback, according to that update, which made it harder to keep up the momentum from the renovation and to manage day-to-day operations.

By June 2013, according to Capitola-Soquel Patch, the effort to keep Ristorante Barolo going had not held, and Booka Restaurant & Bar, a California-fusion concept staffed by an entirely new team, opened in the same Bayview Hotel space in late May 2013. The Register-Pajaronian covered Booka's Memorial Day weekend soft launch, according to Patch's report. Because Booka occupies the same address under a new name and new ownership, this location is coded as a change of ownership rather than a continuation of Ristorante Barolo. No source was found indicating that Ristorante Barolo itself continued operating anywhere else after the Bayview Hotel space changed hands in 2013.

Featured on Restaurant: Impossible

Season / episode
Season 3, Episode 10
Original air date
Episode title
Ristorante Barolo
What was featured
modernization of an Italian restaurant inside a historic hotel
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Ristorante Barolo

Frequently asked questions

Is Ristorante Barolo still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, patch.com reports Ristorante Barolo changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

What happened to Ristorante Barolo after Restaurant: Impossible?

Ristorante Barolo, an Italian restaurant inside the historic Bayview Hotel at 8041 Soquel Drive in Aptos, California, appeared on Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network) in an episode that aired May 16, 2012. As of September 2026, patch.com reports Ristorante Barolo changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

What is Ristorante Barolo called now?

Now: Booka Restaurant & Bar (formerly Ristorante Barolo). As of September 2026, patch.com reports Ristorante Barolo changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

Where is Ristorante Barolo located?

8041 Soquel Dr, Aptos, CA 95003. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Restaurant: Impossible featured Ristorante Barolo?

Season 3, Episode 10 of Restaurant: Impossible, first aired May 16, 2012. The episode is titled “Ristorante Barolo”.

Who owns Ristorante Barolo now?

As of September 2026, patch.com reports Ristorante Barolo changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed. We name individual owners only where a source we cite names them.

Did the makeover last at Ristorante Barolo?

The episode first aired May 16, 2012. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 14 years later —: As of September 2026, patch.com reports Ristorante Barolo changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

Is Ristorante Barolo still using the Restaurant: Impossible menu or branding?

As shown in the episode, the restaurant's outdated decor and an unfocused menu were holding back a business with a strong location in the landmark hotel building, and the owners were struggling to translate that location into steady sales. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
8041 Soquel Dr, Aptos, CA 95003
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
None found

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Sources

  • patch.com — https://patch.com/california/capitola/restaurant-impossible-proves-true-ristorante-barolo-changes-hands
  • foodnetwork.com — https://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurants/ca/aptos/ristorante-barolo-restaurant

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Record ri-035 · last verified .