Popular taco spot in Tacoma’s Sixth Avenue district has permanently closed

Known for its “about a buck” taco happy hours and vegan offerings, El Borracho Tacoma has closed its Sixth Avenue restaurant.

It is the first notable COVID-induced restaurant closure outside of downtown, which lost both Pacific Grill and The Swiss in early September.

Citing the “adverse financial effects of COVID-19,” manager Kittie Davidovich confirmed the shutter to The News Tribune in an email Friday afternoon.

The Tacoma location’s online ordering page had been disabled as of Nov. 6. Sister restaurants in Seattle — at Pike Place Market and in the Ballard neighborhood — remain open.

Davidovich said Friday morning that she was hoping to speak further with the landlord. Just before 5 p.m., she said the restaurant had indeed been forced to close its doors. The building owner had been “supportive” throughout the pandemic, she said, but meeting payroll had become problematic as revenues never recovered.

“We deeply appreciate being embraced by the Tacoma community upon our arrival in 2017 and ongoing support over the past three years,” she said by email. (The space previously housed Marrow, which closed in 2016.) “We are huge fans of this town and were honored to be deemed honorary locals by our staff and regular customers.”

In April, Davidovich told The News Tribune the initial two-week stay-at-home order was surmountable. When it became clear that indoor (and outdoor) dining would not return for weeks, the restaurant began offering takeout, including large batches of bottled margaritas. As a relatively small space, it had not yet resumed on-site dining.

It is not final call for the El Borracho restaurant group, though. Davidovich said the company hopes to return to Tacoma, perhaps as early as next year, with a “plant-based concept that will reflect the rapidly changing restaurant industry.”

She has adhered to a vegan diet for nearly 30 years.

The Sixth Avenue menu featured tacos with carnitas, beef barbacoa, cochinitas pibil, al pastor and chorizo, but it also became a well-liked destination for vegans: nachos, burritos, queso and the option for vegan black beans.

In normal times, it was also a late-night destination, serving food until 1 a.m., and was popular with hospitality workers after their shifts at nearby restaurants.

This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 6:00 PM.