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Rancho Bravo Tacos

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Coordinates:47°39′40″N122°19′35″W/ 47.6612°N 122.32643°W/47.6612; -122.32643
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Rancho Bravo Tacos
Colorful logo with an animal raising one arm and the text "Rancho Bravo Tacos"
Photograph of a restaurant exterior with outdoor seating in the foreground
Exterior of theCapitol Hillrestaurant, 2022
Map
Restaurantinformation
Established2002(2002)
Closed2023(2023)
Owner(s)Freddy Rivas
Food typeMexican
Street address211 Northeast 45th Street
CitySeattle
CountyKing
StateWashington
Postal/ZIP Code98105
CountryUnited States
Coordinates47°39′40″N122°19′35″W/ 47.6612°N 122.32643°W/47.6612; -122.32643
Websiteranchobravotacos.com

Rancho Bravo Tacoswas a small chain ofMexicanrestaurants inSeattle,in theU.S. stateofWashington.[1]Owner Freddy Rivas started the business as afood truckinKentin 2002, before relocating toWallingfordin 2007. The business also operated restaurants onCapitol Hilland in theUniversity District.Serving cuisine such astacos,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

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Rancho Bravo Tacos was aLatino-owned taqueria[2]inSeattle.The business operated onCapitol Hill,in theUniversity District,and in theWallingfordneighborhood.[3]TheMexicanrestaurant has servedtacos(includingal pastorandbeef tonguevarieties),nachos,burritos,bowls,tamales,[4]andchorizotortas.[5]Tacos come with avocado, cilantro, limesalsa,andtomatillo.[6]

The Capitol Hill restaurant, previously occupied byKFC,[1][4]offereddrive-throughservice.[7][8][9]The Wallingford location, housed in a building which previously operated as aWinchell's Donutsshop, had a smaller menu.[10]

History

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Owner Freddy Rivas initially operated the business as afood truck,starting inKentin 2002. He relocated to aWallingfordparking 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 onPine Streeton Capitol Hill, opened in March 2009.[14]Another location opened in the University District onThe Avein 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 atrans womanat 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 Healthinvestigators investigated the Capitol Hill restaurant in 2017, after multiple people got sick withgastroenteritis.[19]

The restaurant cooperated with organizers of theCapitol Hill Occupied Protest(2020), also known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ). In his 2021 bookUnmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy,Andy Ngowrote, "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

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Photograph of a restaurant interior with a counter, black and white tiling, and a menu display
Photograph of the interior of a restaurant with seating
Interior of theCapitol Hilllocation, which previously operated as aKFCrestaurant, in 2022

The business garnered a generally positive reception. However, in 2008, Jonah Spangenthal-Lee wrote inThe Stranger:

After writing a few nasty things about Wallingford's Rancho Bravo taco truck onThe Stranger'sblog, I caught plenty of flack from alleged taco connoisseurs in the area, who are insanely protective of their neighborhood taco truck... Because of Pasadita's recent slump, Rancho Bravo is no longer my least favorite taco truck in Seattle. I'd visited Rancho Bravo several times over the last year and never been very impressed. On more than one visit, my burrito was cold and limp, filled with mealy, overcooked pork; the tacos were unappealingly greasy and completely underwhelming. Much to my surprise, Rancho Bravo's food has improved of late, but it's still far from perfect.[22]

Contrastingly, Ana Sofia Knauf recommended Rancho Bravo Tacos in a 2016 "Guide to Cheap Eats on a College Student's Budget" inThe Stranger;in which she said the Capitol Hill restaurant was "more suited for a quick bite".[23]TheNot for Tourists Guide to Seattlesaid, "Locals are fanatical for the tacos."[24]Fodor'ssaid in 2017, "Pork tacos are the favorite at this humble taco truck."[25]Thrillistsaid, "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."[26]Thrillist's Chona Kasinger included the Bravo Burrito in a 2014 list of Seattle's eight best burritos.[27]

In her 2014 list of five "delicious and cheap" tacos in Seattle, Jenny Kuglin ofSeattle Refinedwrote, "This is a food truck that you should definitely stop at if you're driving through Wallingford."[6]In 2017, Megan Hill ofEater Seattledescribed Rancho Bravo Tacos as a "late-night drunk food favorite".[15]Bree Coven included the business inThe Seattle Times'2019 recommendations for inexpensive date nights, or "where to go in Seattle for $20 or less per person".[28]Allecia Vermillion included the restaurant inSeattle Metropolitan's 2022 overview of recommended eateries in Wallingford.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Rancho Bravo: Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Greenwood and more!".The Seattle Times.The Seattle Times Company.April 27, 2009.ISSN0745-9696.OCLC9198928.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  2. ^DK Eyewitness Top 10 Seattle.Penguin. July 19, 2022.ISBN978-0-7440-6941-9.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2022.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  3. ^"Latinx-Owned Businesses & Restaurants in Seattle You Can Support Right Now".KOMO-TV.September 21, 2021.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2022.RetrievedOctober 26,2022.
  4. ^ab"Cheap Eats goes Mexican at Rancho Bravo on Capitol Hill".KING-TV.July 21, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2022.RetrievedOctober 26,2022.
  5. ^Kauffman, Jonathan (May 12, 2009)."Moving Beyond the Burrito".Seattle Weekly.Sound Publishing.ISSN0898-0845.OCLC17527271.Archivedfrom the original on April 15, 2021.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  6. ^abKuglin, Jenny (February 20, 2014)."5 delicious and cheap tacos in Seattle".Seattle Refined.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2022.RetrievedOctober 26,2022.
  7. ^"Rancho Bravo Tacos".Seattle Metropolitan.ISSN1931-2792.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2022.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  8. ^Torres, Giovanni; Utley, Macy (January 4, 2016)."Open & Shut: This week in restaurant openings and closings".Seattle Refined.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2022.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  9. ^Hill, Megan (May 26, 2015)."Seattle Passport's Summer Drink Specials; Padre Island Pop-Up Rescheduled".Eater Seattle.Vox Media.Archivedfrom the original on January 11, 2023.RetrievedOctober 26,2022.
  10. ^abVermillion, Allecia (July 14, 2022)."Where to Eat in Wallingford".Seattle Metropolitan.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2022.RetrievedOctober 26,2022.
  11. ^Vermillion, Allecia (April 18, 2011)."Seattle Food Trucks Go Brick and Mortar".Seattle Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2022.RetrievedOctober 26,2022.
  12. ^Dizon, Kristin (August 24, 2007). "Viva Rancho Bravo! Silver taco truck quickly makes its mark in Wallingford".Seattle Post-Intelligencer.p. 19.
  13. ^Wogan, J.B. (July 18, 2011)."Street-food fight in council's lap".The Seattle Times.p. B1. Archived fromthe originalon July 24, 2011.RetrievedNovember 27,2022.
  14. ^Leson, Nancy; Spencer, Aaron (April 27, 2009)."Rancho Bravo: Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Greenwood and more!".The Seattle Times.RetrievedNovember 27,2022.
  15. ^abHill, Megan (January 12, 2017)."Ba Bar, Rachel's Ginger Beer Headed to U Village".Eater Seattle.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2022.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  16. ^Vermillion, Allecia (December 30, 2016)."Rancho Bravo Opens Next Week in the University District".Seattle Metropolitan.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2022.RetrievedOctober 26,2022.
  17. ^Hill, Megan (December 5, 2017)."All the Seattle Restaurants Openings To Know From Early 2017".Eater Seattle.Archivedfrom the original on October 22, 2021.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  18. ^Forster, Tim (September 22, 2017)."Anti-Trans Attack in Capitol Hill Restaurant Not Caught On Tape".Eater Seattle.Archivedfrom the original on July 9, 2022.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  19. ^"4 sickened after eating at Rancho Bravo Tacos on Capitol Hill".KING 5 News.April 27, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2022.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  20. ^Ngo, Andy(February 2, 2021).Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy.Center Street.ISBN978-1-5460-5956-1.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2022.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  21. ^Cheadle, Harry (June 8, 2022)."Seattle's Bar and Restaurant Closures, March 2024".Eater Seattle.Archivedfrom the original on February 4, 2024.RetrievedApril 11,2024.
  22. ^Spangenthal-Lee, Jonah (July 24, 2008)."Truckin'".The Stranger.ISSN1935-9004.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2022.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  23. ^Knauf, Ana Sofia (September 21, 2016)."The Guide to Cheap Eats on a College Student's Budget".The Stranger.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2022.RetrievedOctober 26,2022.
  24. ^Not for Tourists Guide to Seattle:*Not For Tourists Guide to Seattle.Simon & Schuster.May 6, 2014.ISBN978-1-62873-587-1.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2022.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.*Not For Tourists Guide to Seattle 2016.Simon & Schuster. November 24, 2015.ISBN978-1-5107-0025-3.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2022.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.*Not For Tourists Guide to Seattle 2017.Simon & Schuster. October 18, 2016.ISBN978-1-5107-1063-4.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2022.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  25. ^Fodor's Seattle.Fodor's.July 25, 2017.ISBN978-0-14-754683-8.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2022.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  26. ^"Rancho Bravo Tacos".Thrillist.Vox Media. October 5, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2022.RetrievedOctober 26,2022.
  27. ^Kasinger, Chona (October 29, 2014)."The 8 best burritos in Seattle".Thrillist.Archivedfrom the original on September 9, 2015.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  28. ^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".The Seattle Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2022.RetrievedOctober 26,2022.
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