February 01, 2021
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Santorini, a new Mediterranean restaurant from Tacodelphia owner Florian Furxhiu, will open in Wildwood in April 2021.
The owner of popular Philadelphia taco joint Tacodelphia soon will open a Mediterranean concept at the Jersey Shore, taking over the location of the shuttered Backfin Blues Bar & Grill in Wildwood.
Real estate agent and restaurateur Florian Furxhiu will open Santorini in April at 517 West Rio Grande Ave., according to Vantage Commercial and the Wild Over Wildwoods blog.
"Furxhiu plans to create a beautiful dining experience, complete with a rooftop bay view, at the former Backfin Blues Bar and Grill location," Vantage said in a news release.
Furxhiu, an Albanian immigrant, first opened Illegal Tacos on North Broad Street in Philadelphia in late 2017, riffing on the tense political climate around the time former President Donald Trump took office. The name of the business prompted several protests and a Change.org petition that led Furxhiu to pivot to Tacodelphia.
The strategic location of Santorini in Wildwood will take advantage of the ongoing Rio Grande Entrance Improvement Project, which has improved flood control infrastructure along the heavily trafficked thoroughfare.
Backfin Blues Bar & Grill opened at the location in the summer of 2016, offering an upscale casual dining environment with live entertainment at night. The restaurant closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's not yet clear whether Santorini will take over Backfin's liquor license. A logo on the Facebook page for the upcoming restaurant presents it as a BYOB.
Santorini's menu is expected to feature authentic Greek and Italian dishes with locally sourced ingredients.
