Savor Spanish Fare at Paella’s Mediterranean Fusion

For 11 years, Lamoraga was a go-to destination for traditional tapas, hearty meat dishes, and fragrant paella. It closed last April to the dismay of customers and the restaurant’s longtime chef, Juan Perez. “The owner said, ‘I’m retiring. I want to sell the building.’ I was in shock that evening,” Perez says.

Perez had been there for a decade, ascending the ranks to top chef after gaining experience at the now-closed Handsome Harry’s on Third Street South in Old Naples. He and his wife, Karina Hernandez, agreed it was the right time to open their own place, and launched Paella’s Mediterranean Fusion, a cozy 34-seat establishment on East Tamiami Trail in Naples Towne Centre South.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” he says, “to open something small to start. I wanted to focus on Spanish food and bring Mediterranean flavors to the plate.” The restaurant offers Andalusian gazpacho, basil shrimp, boquerones (white anchovies), and a variety of paellas—house mix, vegetarian, meat, and with black squid ink—dishes familiar to Lamoraga patrons.

The chef’s favorite dish is the hanger steak. “I like meat,” he says, but adds that diners will see most of their favorite dishes plus some new ones. What’s more, his whole family is involved. While the chef cooks all the food, Hernandez handles salads and desserts. Their teenage kids—along with Manny, a longtime server at Lamoraga—also pitch in. In addition to having his own business surrounded by family, Perez has found something else he treasures about his more intimate operation. “I have more contact with people,” he says. “I can see their faces, and I can see they are happy when they leave.” 

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