Rancho Bravo Tacos Explained

Rancho Bravo Tacos
Logo Alt:Colorful logo with an animal raising one arm and the text "Rancho Bravo Tacos"
Image Alt:Photograph of a restaurant exterior with outdoor seating in the foreground
Current-Owner:Freddy Rivas
Food-Type:Mexican
Street-Address:211 Northeast 45th Street
City:Seattle
County:King
State:Washington
Zip:98105
Country:United States
Coordinates:47.6612°N -122.3264°W
Other-Label:-->

Rancho Bravo Tacos was a small chain of Mexican restaurants in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.[1] Owner Freddy Rivas started the business as a food truck in Kent in 2002, before relocating to Wallingford in 2007. The business also operated restaurants on Capitol Hill and in the University District. Serving cuisine such as tacos, nachos, burritos, tamales, and tortas, the business garnered a generally positive reception as an inexpensive and late night option for diners, with the tacos and burritos receiving the most praise.

Description

Rancho Bravo Tacos was a Latino-owned taqueria[2] in Seattle. The business operated on Capitol Hill, in the University District, and in the Wallingford neighborhood.[3] The Mexican restaurant has served tacos (including al pastor and beef tongue varieties), nachos, burritos, bowls, tamales,[4] and chorizo tortas.[5] Tacos come with avocado, cilantro, lime salsa, and tomatillo.[6]

The Capitol Hill restaurant, previously occupied by KFC, offered drive-through service.[7] [8] [9] The Wallingford location, housed in a building which previously operated as a Winchell's Donuts shop, had a smaller menu.[10]

History

Owner Freddy Rivas initially operated the business as a food truck, starting in Kent in 2002. He relocated to a Wallingford parking lot in May 2007.[11] [12] Rivas was an "outspoken opponent" to a 2011 proposal that would permit on-street food trucks in Seattle.[13] A brick-and-mortar location, at a former KFC on Pine Street on Capitol Hill, opened in March 2009.[14] Another location opened in the University District on The Ave in 2017.[15] [16]

A food truck by breakfast restaurant chain Patty's Eggiest operated in the Walingford location's parking lot as of 2017.[17] An assault on a trans woman at the Capitol Hill location in 2017 prompted the business to change its surveillance policy. A post on social media said, "out of respect for personal privacy we have had a policy of not monitoring the dining area. In light of recent events we will now change that policy."[18] King County Public Health investigators investigated the Capitol Hill restaurant in 2017, after multiple people got sick with gastroenteritis.[19]

The restaurant cooperated with organizers of the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (2020), also known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ). In his 2021 book Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy, Andy Ngo wrote, "The security team's operating base was in the open-air eating section of the Rancho Bravo Tacos restaurant, where they had set up a large tent. The business seemingly allowed or tolerated CHAZ security to set up camp there in exchange for peace."[20]

In 2023, Rivas closed the Capitol Hill location, which became the Mexican restaurant Teto's Cantina.[21]

Reception

The business garnered a generally positive reception. However, in 2008, Jonah Spangenthal-Lee wrote in The Stranger: Contrastingly, Ana Sofia Knauf recommended Rancho Bravo Tacos in a 2016 "Guide to Cheap Eats on a College Student's Budget" in The Stranger; in which she said the Capitol Hill restaurant was "more suited for a quick bite".[22] The Not for Tourists Guide to Seattle said, "Locals are fanatical for the tacos."[23] Fodor's said in 2017, "Pork tacos are the favorite at this humble taco truck."[24] Thrillist said, "Tried and true, the Cap Hill Rancho Bravos never fail to satisfy after a late night of weekend drinking. Open until 3am on Friday and Saturday, Rancho's Bravo Burrito is the perfect thing to combat the closing time spins."[25] Thrillist's Chona Kasinger included the Bravo Burrito in a 2014 list of Seattle's eight best burritos.[26]

In her 2014 list of five "delicious and cheap" tacos in Seattle, Jenny Kuglin of Seattle Refined wrote, "This is a food truck that you should definitely stop at if you're driving through Wallingford." In 2017, Megan Hill of Eater Seattle described Rancho Bravo Tacos as a "late-night drunk food favorite". Bree Coven included the business in The Seattle Times 2019 recommendations for inexpensive date nights, or "where to go in Seattle for $20 or less per person".[27] Allecia Vermillion included the restaurant in Seattle Metropolitans 2022 overview of recommended eateries in Wallingford.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: April 27, 2009 . Rancho Bravo: Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Greenwood and more! . October 18, 2022 . . en-US . 0745-9696 . 9198928 . The Seattle Times Company.
  2. Book: DK Eyewitness Top 10 Seattle . July 19, 2022 . Penguin . 978-0-7440-6941-9 . en . October 18, 2022 . October 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221018034721/https://books.google.com/books?id=UTlxEAAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PT154&dq=%22rancho+bravo+tacos%22&hl=en . live.
  3. Web site: September 21, 2021 . Latinx-Owned Businesses & Restaurants in Seattle You Can Support Right Now . October 26, 2022 . . en . October 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221026105602/https://komonews.com/seattle-refined/latinx-owned-businesses-restaurants-in-seattle-you-can-support-right-now . live .
  4. Web site: 21 July 2015 . Cheap Eats goes Mexican at Rancho Bravo on Capitol Hill . October 26, 2022 . . en-US . October 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221026112640/https://www.king5.com/article/news/cheap-eats-goes-mexican-at-rancho-bravo-on-capitol-hill/281-307818017 . live .
  5. Web site: Kauffman . Jonathan . May 12, 2009 . Moving Beyond the Burrito . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210415044605/https://www.seattleweekly.com/food/moving-beyond-the-burrito/ . April 15, 2021 . October 18, 2022 . Seattle Weekly . Sound Publishing . en-US . 0898-0845 . 17527271.
  6. Web site: Kuglin . Jenny . February 20, 2014 . 5 delicious and cheap tacos in Seattle . October 26, 2022 . Seattle Refined . en . October 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221026150305/https://seattlerefined.com/eat-drink/5-delicious-and-cheap-tacos-in-seattle . live .
  7. Web site: Rancho Bravo Tacos . October 18, 2022 . . 1931-2792 . en-US . October 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221018034722/https://www.seattlemet.com/restaurants/rancho-bravo-tacos-wallingford . live.
  8. Web site: Torres . Giovanni . Utley . Macy . January 4, 2016 . Open & Shut: This week in restaurant openings and closings . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221018034722/https://seattlerefined.com/eat-drink/open-shut-this-week-in-restaurant-openings-and-closing . October 18, 2022 . October 18, 2022 . Seattle Refined . en.
  9. Web site: Hill . Megan . May 26, 2015 . Seattle Passport's Summer Drink Specials; Padre Island Pop-Up Rescheduled . October 26, 2022 . . . en . January 11, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230111223236/https://seattle.eater.com/2015/5/26/8661553/seattle-passports-summer-drink-specials-padre-island-pop-up . live .
  10. Web site: Vermillion . Allecia . July 14, 2022 . Where to Eat in Wallingford . October 26, 2022 . Seattle Metropolitan . en-US . October 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221026141617/https://www.seattlemet.com/eat-and-drink/best-restaurants-in-wallingford-seattle . live .
  11. News: Vermillion . Allecia . April 18, 2011 . Seattle Food Trucks Go Brick and Mortar . October 26, 2022 . Seattle Magazine . en-US . October 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221026112638/https://seattlemag.com/seattle-food-trucks-go-brick-and-mortar/ . live .
  12. News: Dizon . Kristin . August 24, 2007 . Viva Rancho Bravo! Silver taco truck quickly makes its mark in Wallingford . 19 . Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  13. News: Wogan . J.B. . July 18, 2011 . Street-food fight in council's lap . B1 . . dead . November 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724090823/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com:80/html/localnews/2015644709_streetfood18m.html . July 24, 2011.
  14. News: Leson . Nancy . Spencer . Aaron . April 27, 2009 . Rancho Bravo: Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Greenwood and more! . The Seattle Times . November 27, 2022.
  15. Web site: Hill . Megan . January 12, 2017 . Ba Bar, Rachel's Ginger Beer Headed to U Village . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221018034724/https://seattle.eater.com/2017/1/12/14176952/ba-bar-rachels-ginger-beer-rancho-bravo-liams . October 18, 2022 . October 18, 2022 . Eater Seattle . en.
  16. News: Vermillion . Allecia . December 30, 2016 . Rancho Bravo Opens Next Week in the University District . en-US . Seattle Metropolitan . live . October 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221026112642/https://www.seattlemet.com/eat-and-drink/2016/12/rancho-bravo-opens-next-week-in-the-university-district . October 26, 2022.
  17. Web site: Hill . Megan . December 5, 2017 . All the Seattle Restaurants Openings To Know From Early 2017 . October 18, 2022 . Eater Seattle . en . October 22, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211022202429/https://seattle.eater.com/2017/12/5/16738624/seattle-restaurant-openings-spring-summer-2017 . live.
  18. Web site: Forster . Tim . September 22, 2017 . Anti-Trans Attack in Capitol Hill Restaurant Not Caught On Tape . October 18, 2022 . Eater Seattle . en . July 9, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220709043025/https://seattle.eater.com/2017/9/22/16352266/transphobic-violence-attack-rancho-bravo-capitol-hill . live.
  19. Web site: 27 April 2017 . 4 sickened after eating at Rancho Bravo Tacos on Capitol Hill . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221018034725/https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/4-sickened-after-eating-at-rancho-bravo-tacos-on-capitol-hill/281-434644682 . October 18, 2022 . October 18, 2022 . . en-US.
  20. Book: Ngo, Andy . Andy Ngo

    . Andy Ngo . Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy . February 2, 2021 . Center Street . 978-1-5460-5956-1 . en . October 18, 2022 . October 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221018035705/https://books.google.com/books?id=5xrRDwAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PT37&dq=%22rancho+bravo+tacos%22&hl=en . live.

  21. Web site: Cheadle . Harry . 2022-06-08 . Seattle's Bar and Restaurant Closures, March 2024 . 2024-04-11 . Eater Seattle . en . February 4, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240204033206/https://seattle.eater.com/24057319/seattles-bar-and-restaurant-closures-2024 . live .
  22. Web site: Knauf . Ana Sofia . September 21, 2016 . The Guide to Cheap Eats on a College Student's Budget . October 26, 2022 . The Stranger . en . October 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221026114743/https://www.thestranger.com/back-to-school-2016/2016/09/21/24565987/the-guide-to-cheap-eats-on-a-college-students-budget . live .
  23. Not for Tourists Guide to Seattle: *Book: Not For Tourists Guide to Seattle . May 6, 2014 . . 978-1-62873-587-1 . en . October 18, 2022 . October 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221018035706/https://books.google.com/books?id=iN3-DQAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PT163&dq=%22rancho+bravo+tacos%22&hl=en . live. *Book: Not For Tourists Guide to Seattle 2016 . November 24, 2015 . Simon & Schuster . 978-1-5107-0025-3 . en . October 18, 2022 . October 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221018035706/https://books.google.com/books?id=Jf4PCwAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PR148&dq=%22rancho+bravo+tacos%22&hl=en . live. *Book: Not For Tourists Guide to Seattle 2017 . October 18, 2016 . Simon & Schuster . 978-1-5107-1063-4 . en . October 18, 2022 . October 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221018035706/https://books.google.com/books?id=HG-CDwAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=RA1-PR67&dq=%22rancho+bravo+tacos%22&hl=en . live.
  24. Book: Fodor's Seattle . July 25, 2017 . . 978-0-14-754683-8 . en . October 18, 2022 . October 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221018035707/https://books.google.com/books?id=6dqkDQAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PT118&dq=%22rancho+bravo+tacos%22&hl=en . live.
  25. Web site: Rancho Bravo Tacos . October 26, 2022 . . October 5, 2017 . Vox Media . en . October 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221026110628/https://www.thrillist.com/venue/eat/seattle/restaurants/rancho-bravo-tacos . live .
  26. Web site: Kasinger . Chona . October 29, 2014 . The 8 best burritos in Seattle . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150909225814/https://www.thrillist.com/eat/seattle/best-burritos-in-seattle . September 9, 2015 . October 18, 2022 . Thrillist . en.
  27. Web site: Kasinger . Chona . August 16, 2019 . Date night on the cheap: Where to go in Seattle for $20 or less per person Produced by Seattle Times Marketing . October 26, 2022 . The Seattle Times . en-US . October 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221026111119/https://www.seattletimes.com/explore/shop-northwest/date-night-on-the-cheap-where-to-go-in-seattle-for-20-or-less-per-person/ . live .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Rancho Bravo Tacos".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.