A stunning new Spanish tapas restaurant has made its debut in downtown Mountain View.

One of the winter’s most hotly anticipated openings, Vida opened Feb. 3 in the former Xanh restaurant space at 110 Castro St. in the city’s business district. For this venture, co-owners Gianni Chiloiro and Angelo Sannino — the Italian duo behind Doppio Zero (Concord, Mountain View, San Francisco), which is known for making some of the world’s best pizza — set their sights on the other side of the Mediterranean, with a focus on tapas, such as lamb meatballs, Spanish tortilla and Galician grilled octopus, and craft cocktails of the gin persuasion.

While small bites are the stars — there are 15 by our count — Vida’s menu also offers large plates, including three types of paella (one with wild mushrooms and “Secreto” pork loin) and a whole grilled branzino. For dessert, Basque cheesecake, of course.

The 5,300-square-foot space seats about 120 inside, where local architect Oswaldo Mesia has redesigned the space with a horseshoe bar and lounge and caramel leather booths and stools. The outdoor deck features marble tables and an additional 40 seats.Details >> Vida is open from 4:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, and until 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; www.vidatapasmv.com. Happy hour, wine dinners, live music and Spanish-inspired weekend brunch coming soon.

St. John’s brings soul food favorites to Livermore

It’s a boon for down-home, Southern comfort food lovers that Livermore just welcomed St. John’s Soul Food. This family-run affair has chef Christine Burks at the helm, drawing on her background in Southern homestyle cooking and Cajun cuisine and the culinary knowledge of her late husband, John.

“We’re bringing the South and cultural foods to the Bay Area,” Burks says. “Gumbo, oxtails, fried chicken and fried fish mixed with a barbecue flair and more. We’re also offering Sunday brunch options of chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits and our family’s homemade biscuits and syrup.”

Sides abound, from mac and cheese to greens and black-eyed peas, and for dessert there’s sweet potato pie and 7 Up cake. With a saintly name that graces a New Orleans neighborhood, it’s no surprise that NOLA-style po’boys — both seafood and meat-centric — are also on the menu.

“Visiting, you will see our influences of New Orleans and Monroe, Louisiana,” Burks says.

Details >> Open noon-8 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday at 1524 N. Vasco Road, Livermore; order online at stjohnsoulfood.com.

San Francisco’s Joyride Pizza heads East — and South

Joyride Pizza, the famous pizzeria with four locations in San Francisco, is expanding its reach to Berkeley and Daly City, thanks to a partnership with Gilman Brewing Company.

If you’re unfamiliar with the wildly popular Detroit-style pies — Joyride currently has the No. 1 trending pizza reel on Instagram, with 18.1 million views — know this: Owners and brothers Jesse Jacobs and Joshua Jacobs are crossing the Bay Bridge like crispy, caramelized cheese stretching across a thick, rectangular crust with two new outposts. One is inside the Berkeley brewery at 912 Gilman St. and the other at the Daly City taproom, 2001 Junipero Serra Blvd., Suite 180.

The brothers searched for a year and a half to find the right locations for their pies outside of San Francisco. Gilman founder Sean Wells said he couldn’t be more excited: “We’re kindred spirits who love motorcycles, great beer and tasty pizza.”

Among those pies: Zoe ’Roni Pepperoni, Green Goddess, Sweet Heat Pineapple and Eat Your Veggies, alongside vegan pizzas and pizzas with gluten-free crust. Also look for cheesecake and fresh-baked knots in garlic or cinnamon-sugar.

Online delivery apps will soon offer Joyride Pizza in the East Bay and Peninsula, too, with the option to add cans of Gilman beers to orders.

Details >> www.joyridepizza.com

Send restaurant tips to jyadegaran@bayareanewsgroup.com and lzavoral@bayareanewsgroup.com.