Poquitos is staying put on Capitol Hill, but the Mexican restaurant is getting a new owner. After closing Monday for a handoff, the Pike/Pine favorite is reopening Tuesday under Saulo Cruz, who already co-owns nearby cocktail bar Tavern Law.
According to CHS Capitol Hill Seattle News, Cruz is acquiring the existing Poquitos operation rather than building a new concept from scratch. A company registered to Cruz now holds licenses tied to the restaurant at 1000 E Pike St., while the founding ownership group is unwinding its stake.
For diners, the clearest immediate signal is continuity: the Poquitos name, Pike/Pine location and colorful Talavera-and-wrought-iron look are all sticking around. The restaurant’s official site says Poquitos has served Mexican food with Pacific Northwest ingredients since opening in 2011 and describes it as a community-minded, gay-owned Capitol Hill business.
From Capitol Hill Cocktails To Tacos
Cruz’s first major Capitol Hill restaurant deal came last year, when he and Ken Jones took over Tavern Law. CHS previously reported that the acquisition marked a third generation of ownership for the cocktail bar, while Tavern Law’s official history traces the venue to its 2009 opening and its upstairs sister speakeasy, Needle & Thread.
Cruz’s hospitality portfolio also includes Belltown’s La Fontana Siciliana. On La Fontana’s official site, the restaurant says Cruz and Rodrigo Parisi took over after the former owner’s 2022 retirement and chose to preserve the restaurant’s character while updating its management — a playbook that may offer clues, though not promises, for Poquitos.
Poquitos Leaves A Larger Restaurant-Group Orbit
Poquitos had been part of Yes Parade, the restaurant group created by James Weimann and Deming Maclise after their 2008 launch with Bastille. Yes Parade’s history page still lists the group’s broader collection of Seattle-area and regional restaurants, while CHS reports that the group is retaining brands including Rhein Haus even as Poquitos’ Bothell and Tacoma expansions have closed in recent years.
The deal is a small but telling Capitol Hill restaurant move: instead of betting on a blank room and a brand-new name, Cruz is taking over a known dining room with a built-in neighborhood identity. The next chapter is still unwritten, but for now the neon, tacos and margaritas have a new owner.
