Silicon Valley’s highly anticipated new Spanish restaurant, Vida, is open

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, like 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), whole grilled branzino and a 34-ounce Tomahawk steak priced at $110. 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-y leather booths and stools. The outdoor deck features marble tables and an additional 40 seats.

Vida is open from 4:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, and until 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Happy hour, wine dinners, live music and Spanish-inspired weekend brunch coming soon. Details:  www.vidatapasmv.com.