The time around New Year’s may bring celebration and hope but it’s also the time of year when businesses large and small, loved and no-so-loved, disappear quietly amidst the holiday bustle. There’s one such darkened berth inside the funky Broadway Alley — Guanaco’s Tacos has shut pulled the plug on its Capitol Hill location.
The person we reached by phone at the original University District location said things just never took off on Broadway for the El Salvador taco shop. The pupusas were bargain-priced and tummy filling but life for a restaurant can be a challenge without street frontage. Somehow, Kimchi Bistro continues to hang in there. Its partner across the breezeway, however, is dark and partly emptied.
While the closure was not announced and might seem sudden to anybody hoping to drop by for a taco, the writing has apparently been on the wall. Ownership allowed its liquor license to be discontinued this week indicating a planned end to the business.
We looked at the Broadway Alley’s “nooks and crannies” last year, by the way. In addition to Kimchi Bistro, Tacos Chukis and HaNa live on along with a frame shop, smoke shop, tattoo shop and a few more etceteras as well as Americana at the front of the building.
It’s been a tough few weeks for fans of alternative Capitol Hill tacos. Late night munchies crowd-favorite Tacos Grincos suddenly shut down on E Olive Way and will make way for Broadway Market vendor faves Kedai Makan.
Guanaco’s came to Broadway in spring 2010.
Owner Eduardo Revelo talked with CHS about the challenges of succeeding off the street in 2012: “I try to make sure new people are happy so they will tell other people and come back.”
There was a huge problem, then, with how they advertised themselves. I barely knew Tacos Chukis was there, and if I ever saw a sign Guanaco’s Tacos, I would’ve just assumed they were part of Tacos Chukis. I never knew there were actually TWO taco joints in the Broadway Alley. And my crowd loves hispanic food:-(
I really liked their pupusas, and probably ate there 10 times or so in the last year. I was usually the only customer when I did.
I really loved this place. They were so friendly, and you could get an incredibly delicious plate of food for very little money. I am so very sorry they’ve closed.
Loved Guanaco’s Tacos but honestly that building really suffers the only successful places in the building are the street level on broadway buisness’s. The signage is bad and I am shocked that they lasted this long. My advice to Taco’s Chucki’s is move you will do so much better in a different location. To those who like these shall we say hidden gem’s ya its nice to not have to wait in a line but I don’t know how anything in that mall makes it.
I liked this place a lot: it’s hard to find fried yucca in Seattle, much less pupusas or good tamales. They also had the best ensalada fresca I’ve had. I could feel it coming, though: I stopped by to find them closed today, but last week I tried to get lunch only to find that they had switched to dinner only, but not updated their website.
I wonder if they would have survived a more visible location. The one in the u-district always seemed busier.
Never ate there but love Tacos Chukis. Maybe they can snag that space. They desperately need a street level presence or they will suffer the same fate.
I loved this place. Gah!
The line formed *in the door*. Ridiculous layout.