New Tacoma-area Latin fusion restaurant opens. Try the yellow-corn empanadas
The mood was buoyant on the corner of North 51st and Pearl streets in Ruston on the afternoon of July 10 as a diverse crowd of about 30 people gathered around a red, white and gold balloon arch in the doorway of Welcome Restaurant.
In a complementary white dress and red heels, co-owner Paty Pinedo was all smiles. July 10 marked the official end of an 18-month adventure that, we can all hope, is the beginning of a more compassionate, fun, delicious journey.
“It’s finally here!” Pinedo told the crowd. “I’m very, very glad to bring Latin food to this part of town.”
It might seem incongruous that a Latin restaurant would call itself “Welcome” instead of, say, “Bienvenidos.” Consider instead the logo: Inside the first three letters are the American flag; the middle two show the vibrant gold, blue and red of Colombia, and the last two the green, white and red of Mexico. The motto elaborates: sabor sin fronteras, or flavor without borders.
The food, in fact, tells a nuanced — and relatable, in these United States of America — story, one that feels awfully anguished right now. As Pinedo mentioned in her heartfelt speech before cutting the ribbon provided by the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, her heritage might lie in Mexico, but she is proudly an American citizen.
“Tacoma has been home to us,” she told TNT Diner earlier this year.
“People ask, ‘Well, how come Colombian food?’” said Pinedo. Her answer is simple: “My team!”
Her partners — “the backbone to our business” — include her husband, German Espitia, and Juan Agudelo, who have infused their Colombian roots into the concept. Her sister, Diana, was helping as a server while her brother was also in the kitchen, and their parents relished the moment.
The menu is broken into three sections, with intersectional twists to traditional dishes. Every table is decorated with a star-bud vase holding philodendron cuttings and an American flag. The long windowsill is likewise lined with the flags of North and South American countries, including the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru and Bolivia. On the walls hang wood-framed paintings of scenes from here to there.
WHAT TO EAT AT WELCOME RESTAURANT IN TACOMA
A signature is the salchipapas, a hearty collection of potatoes and sausage with origins in Peru but modern popularity throughout South America and the Caribbean, with myriad additions of meats, sauces and peppers. At Welcome, said Pinedo, “This is probably the only plate where you combine all three” of the restaurant’s culinary inspirations.
La Toxica, for instance, starts with hot queso and spicy salsa verde; then hunks of potato, little bites of pork belly and thin slices of sausage; and finally a scoop of fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, serrano and jalapeno peppers. Other house versions feature birria and smoked ribs. One pays homage to a bacon cheeseburger. You also can build your own, choosing among seven proteins and 10 toppings.
Definitely order the crispy, yellow-corn empanadas and homemade arepitas (or a full-sized arepa) with chicharron, chorizo, cheese or, in another nod to shared tastes, a creamy, cheesy pollo. The patacones playeros (green plantains) are paired with guacamole and a warm hogao — finely chopped onions and tomatoes that reminded me, in a more savory way, of the comfort of warm, textural, made-from-scratch applesauce. Other Colombian favorites include picada (a heap of meat and potatoes with salsa criolla), bandeja paisa (a big platter of beef, crispy pork belly, sweet plantains, sausage, rice, beans, an arepa and fried egg), and chuleta valluna (pork milanesa).
From the Mexican side, there are tacos and quesadillas with asada, carnitas and birria. Do ask for a side of salsa verde and the bright-orange habanero. Other mains range from sancocho, a Central American and Caribbean stew with corn-on-the-cob, starches and chicken or beef, to chicharrón in salsa verde.
There are also Buffalo-style wings, hefty burgers on brioche buns, including one with a whole jalapeno, and stuffed arepas served like tacos.
From the bar, chill out with a Colombian or Mexican cerveza, as well as house cocktails: a perfectly balanced mojito, margaritas and more, such as the Playa Azul with rum, coconut cream, curacao and Sprite. Made-to-order house juices, blended with water or milk, include passionfruit, soursop, blackberry and mango.
For dessert, or a midday snack: muffins, banana bread, churros and arroz con leche.
The building, which is owned by the family behind Indochine Asian Dining Lounge in downtown Tacoma, had been used primarily as storage until Pinedo and her family leased it almost two years ago. It was last home to the Ruston Inn, which closed in 2012 after four decades of late nights, some rowdy, according to local news reports and a community blog post commemorating its final days. At Welcome’s grand opening, Patty Minnie, who hosts a Ruston walking tour with Tacoma History Comes Alive, said its history as a bar dates to the 1930s as Big Bad Wolf Tavern.
Welcome Restaurant offers an airy dining room with table seating and, on the other side of a long hallway, a bar and lounge outfitted with booths, barstools and high-tops. In the future, the family hopes to host salsa dancing.
Pinedo, who is a legal assistant by day, said their restaurant journey began with the seemingly simpler idea of a food truck. When that proved to be just as complicated, they went all-in.
“We’re just foodies and we love to explore,” she said. “Now that it’s a real thing, we are very hopeful that this is going to work.”
WELCOME RESTAURANT
▪ 5105 N. Pearl St., Ruston, 253-375-4049, instagram.com/welcomerestaurants
▪ Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
▪ Details: new Latin fusion restaurant with spacious dining room plus lounge; most apps $7.99-$11.99, mains $13.99-$23.99, drinks $7-$15
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 11:41 AM.