Gema, a highly acclaimed Mexican gastronomy spot in San Clemente by restarauteur Sarah Resendiz and executive chef Juan Pablo Cruz, has closed after a little more than three years in operation. The restaurant originally opened in 2022 to rave reviews.
The El Camino Real restaurant reportedly closed “about two months ago,” according to a neighbor. As of Tuesday, Oct. 7, the restaurant’s signage and decor remained in place, with “for lease” signs in the window.
The future of Gema (pronounced hema) remains unknown; it’s unclear whether or not the concept will move elsewhere or cease entirely. Messages and phone calls to the owner went unanswered as of publication time.
Owned by Resendiz, a local restaurateur who rebranded her previous restaurant, Tamarindo, into the innovative dining spot, made a splash shortly after arriving on the scene. “Here’s a chile relleno unlike anything else in Orange County,” wrote food critic Brad Johnson about Gema in 2022. “In fact, here’s a Mexican restaurant unlike anything else in Orange County.”
Cruz, who previously worked in the lauded kitchen of Pujol, offered a menu of creative and, more importantly, delicious fare.
Highlights during a 2024 visit included an infladita — an inflated pocket of blue corn masa encasing green chorizo, poblano rajas, cheese foam and arbol salsa — and smoked octopus with tomatillo jam and cambray potatoes. For desert, the menu featured cinnamon fritters with a side of cinnamon ice cream, maria crumble and candied hibiscus.
“What I’m doing is a bit quirky, but I’m a bit quirky too,” Cruz said in a 2023 interview.
No word yet on what, if anything, will replace the vacant restaurant space.