A Mexican wine bar is headed for San Francisco's Central Richmond, and it's taking over a Clement Street space that's belonged to the same Russian restaurant for 15 years. Taller Pepe comes from Snail Bar chef de cuisine Steven Bravo and general manager and beverage director Carlos Camacho, who plan to pour wines alongside California cooking with deep Mexican roots.
According to The San Francisco Standard, Taller Pepe will take over 2229 Clement St., currently home to Red Tavern, the 15-year-old Russian restaurant at that address. Red Tavern's owner, Diana Shpak, has said the restaurant may move to a new location, per the Standard's report. Bravo and Camacho expect to close on the property October 27 and open their bar in spring 2027, after a renovation.
A Name Built From Two Family Nicknames
The bar's name, Taller Pepe, translates to “Pepe's Workshop” — and Pepe wasn't a random choice. The Standard attributes the family story to Gomez: Pepe was his great-grandfather's name and Camacho's father's nickname, a detail that ties the project's identity directly to the founders, both of whom are Mexican American.
That personal thread runs through the kitchen philosophy, too. Gomez has said that food is ultimately identity, framing the approach simply: “We cook California cuisine with a really heavy Mexican backbone,” he told the Standard. The planned menu leans into that mix with dishes like mole dashi and a quesadilla topped with locally made Queens kimchi, crème fraîche, and Boursin.
From Garde Manger to Chef de Cuisine
The Standard's account of Gomez's path runs through Snail Bar, a Michelin Guide-listed restaurant. It says Gomez started there as a garde manger before advancing to chef de cuisine, moved to the Bay Area in 2021 after working at Hock + Hoof in Los Angeles, and joined Snail Bar after spotting an Instagram post about the restaurant. During the pandemic, Gomez also started farming in Santa Rosa, picking peppers — early groundwork, perhaps, for the Mexican flavors he now builds menus around. At a previous pop-up, Gomez prepared carne asada- and bacon-wrapped hot dogs topped with avocado aioli.
Camacho's résumé runs through wine rather than the kitchen. He managed Brentwood's Imperiale Beer Project for five years and worked as an independent wine consultant before joining Snail Bar. At Taller Pepe, he'll select bottles ranging from Rhône-Alpes' Romain des Grottes to Oakland's Offshore Wines, according to the same account.
Planned Hours and a Sold-Out Preview
Taller Pepe plans to offer a reduced food menu Tuesday through Thursday, with full dinner service Friday through Monday. At a New Year's dinner pop-up at Ordinaire, Bravo and Camacho tested the concept, and the event sold out, a preview the Standard's report points to as early proof of demand.
Inspiration From Detroit, Paris and Berkeley
Bravo and Camacho say they're inspired by Bar Chenin in Detroit, the Paris Mexican wine bar Tarantula, and Berkeley's Bar Panisse. Bar Chenin, a 10-seat biodynamic wine cave inside downtown Detroit's Siren Hotel, pours natural wines from France, Italy and Switzerland alongside snacks and house-made ice cream, according to Eater Detroit. Bar Panisse, the 50-seat, no-reservations bar that opened next door to Chez Panisse on Shattuck Avenue in December, serves wine by the glass along with cocktails, beer, cider and small plates under chef Amelia Telc, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Those reference points line up with how Bravo and Camacho frame their own ambitions for Taller Pepe. They see the wine bar as a way to advance San Francisco's progressive Mexican food scene and position it as a contribution to the Bay Area's modern Mexican dining landscape. “We just want to keep pushing things forward,” Gomez said, according to the Standard's report.
For now, Clement Street diners can follow the project's Instagram account.
