Menlo Park chef’s eagerly anticipated Canteen, a tapas and wine bar, opens

Peppadew peppers stuffed with Sicilian tuna. Cured snapper. And a bone-in New York strip steak, sliced to share with your dining companions.

That’s a sneak peek at the menu for Canteen, which is opening this evening in Menlo Park — the first restaurant to make its debut at Springline, a mixed-use development that’s blending business and residential with a dining destination.

Canteen is the new concept from chef-owner Greg Kuzia-Carmel (Quince, Cotogna, Per Se), who has been wowing food lovers with his farm-to-table dishes and house-made pastas at his popular Camper restaurant nearby on Santa Cruz Avenue.

At Canteen, the Mediterranean inspiration comes from his travels in Spain. He said he’s hoping the menu of shareable bites, craft cocktails and curated wines will prompt Springline employees and residents and diners from throughout the Peninsula to make this their new social hub.

“My goal for Canteen was to create a space that sets the bar high for casual, but carefully executed dining, while keeping the energy of the space young, welcoming and approachable,” he said in the opening announcement.

His companion space at Springline, the Canteen Coffee Shop, has already opened on the El Camino Real side of the center with croissants, pastries, quick lunch options and Sightglass Roasters coffee.