Rancho Bravo Tacos

Rancho Bravo Tacos is 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 has a restaurant in Capitol Hill and previously operated in the University District. Serving cuisine such as tacos, nachos, burritos, tamales, and tortas, the business has garnered a generally positive reception as an inexpensive and late night option for diners, with the tacos and burritos receiving the most praise.

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 the Capitol Hill restaurant, 2022
Restaurant information
Established2002 (2002)
Owner(s)Freddy Rivas
Food typeMexican
CitySeattle
CountyKing
StateWashington
CountryUnited States
Websiteranchobravotacos.com

Description

Rancho Bravo Tacos is a Latino-owned taqueria[2] with two locations in Seattle, on Capitol Hill 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,[1][4] offers drive-through service.[7][8][9] The Wallingford location, housed in a building which previously operated as a Winchell's Donuts shop, has a smaller menu.[10]

History
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 the Capitol Hill location, which previously operated as a KFC restaurant, in 2022

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] A 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]

Reception

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

After writing a few nasty things about Wallingford's Rancho Bravo taco truck on The Stranger's blog, 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.[21]

Photograph of two tacos and a small container of salsa on a paper plate
Two Tacos Chicos with chicken

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 is "more suited for a quick bite".[22] The Not for Tourists Guide to Seattle has 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 says, "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 "the 8 best burritos in Seattle".[26]

In her 2014 list of "5 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."[6] In 2017, Megan Hill of Eater Seattle described Rancho Bravo Tacos as a "late-night drunk food favorite".[15] 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 Metropolitan's 2022 overview of recommended eateries in Wallingford.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Rancho Bravo: Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Greenwood and more!". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. April 27, 2009. ISSN 0745-9696. OCLC 9198928. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  2. DK Eyewitness Top 10 Seattle. Penguin. July 19, 2022. ISBN 978-0-7440-6941-9. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  3. "Latinx-Owned Businesses & Restaurants in Seattle You Can Support Right Now". KOMO-TV. September 21, 2021. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  4. "Cheap Eats goes Mexican at Rancho Bravo on Capitol Hill". KING-TV. July 21, 2015. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  5. Kauffman, Jonathan (May 12, 2009). "Moving Beyond the Burrito". Seattle Weekly. Sound Publishing. ISSN 0898-0845. OCLC 17527271. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  6. Kuglin, Jenny (February 20, 2014). "5 delicious and cheap tacos in Seattle". Seattle Refined. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  7. "Rancho Bravo Tacos". Seattle Metropolitan. ISSN 1931-2792. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  8. Torres, Giovanni; Utley, Macy (January 4, 2016). "Open & Shut: This week in restaurant openings and closings". Seattle Refined. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  9. Hill, Megan (May 26, 2015). "Seattle Passport's Summer Drink Specials; Padre Island Pop-Up Rescheduled". Eater Seattle. Vox Media. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  10. Vermillion, Allecia (July 14, 2022). "Where to Eat in Wallingford". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  11. Vermillion, Allecia (April 18, 2011). "Seattle Food Trucks Go Brick and Mortar". Seattle Magazine. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 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 from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  14. Leson, Nancy; Spencer, Aaron (April 27, 2009). "Rancho Bravo: Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Greenwood and more!". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  15. Hill, Megan (January 12, 2017). "Ba Bar, Rachel's Ginger Beer Headed to U Village". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  16. Vermillion, Allecia (December 30, 2016). "Rancho Bravo Opens Next Week in the University District". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  17. Hill, Megan (December 5, 2017). "All the Seattle Restaurants Openings To Know From Early 2017". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  18. Forster, Tim (September 22, 2017). "Anti-Trans Attack in Capitol Hill Restaurant Not Caught On Tape". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  19. "4 sickened after eating at Rancho Bravo Tacos on Capitol Hill". KING 5 News. April 27, 2017. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  20. Ngo, Andy (February 2, 2021). Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy. Center Street. ISBN 978-1-5460-5956-1. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  21. Spangenthal-Lee, Jonah (July 24, 2008). "Truckin'". The Stranger. ISSN 1935-9004. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  22. Knauf, Ana Sofia (September 21, 2016). "The Guide to Cheap Eats on a College Student's Budget". The Stranger. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  23. Not for Tourists Guide to Seattle: *Not For Tourists Guide to Seattle. Simon & Schuster. May 6, 2014. ISBN 978-1-62873-587-1. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022. *Not For Tourists Guide to Seattle 2016. Simon & Schuster. November 24, 2015. ISBN 978-1-5107-0025-3. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022. *Not For Tourists Guide to Seattle 2017. Simon & Schuster. October 18, 2016. ISBN 978-1-5107-1063-4. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  24. Fodor's Seattle. Fodor's. July 25, 2017. ISBN 978-0-14-754683-8. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  25. "Rancho Bravo Tacos". Thrillist. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  26. Kasinger, Chona (October 29, 2014). "The 8 best burritos in Seattle". Thrillist. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  27. 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. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
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