Paseo (restaurant)

Last updated
Paseo
Paseo (Seattle) logo.jpeg
Outside Paseo Fremont (9540579794).jpg
A line outside of the original Fremont location in 2013
Paseo (restaurant)
Restaurant information
Established1994 (1994)
Owner(s)Ryan Santwire
Food type Caribbean
CountyKing
StateWashington
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 47°39′31″N122°21′01″W / 47.65861°N 122.35028°W / 47.65861; -122.35028 (Paseo Fremont)

Paseo is a chain of Caribbean sandwich shops based in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1994 and went bankrupt in 2014 before being revived under new ownership the following year. The restaurant has four locations in King County.

Contents

History

The first Paseo was opened in Fremont in 1994 by Lorenzo Lorenzo, a Cuban-born chef. [1] [2] The early menu included $6–$7.50 dinner plates as well as sandwiches with chicken, pork, and prawn that cost up to $5.50. [2] A second location, in a pink building facing Shilshole Bay in western Ballard, opened in August 2008. [3] [4] Both restaurants were cash-only and primarily served takeout with limited seating for customers; [3] Paseo also drew long lines that extended out of the building on most weekends. [5] [6] The restaurant also closed annually for a "winter break" in late December. [7] [8] Paseo ranked fifth on review website Yelp's highest-rated restaurants list in 2014 and began opening on Sundays. [9] [10]

In September 2014, four former workers filed a civil suit against Lorenzo and the restaurant that accused them of wage theft and "racially motivated mistreatment", which Paseo denied. [11] Both locations abruptly closed on November 11, 2014, citing "unfortunate circumstances" that were unrelated to the lawsuit according to an employee. [12] Upon its closure, Paseo was trending locally on Twitter, fans of the restaurant left flowers and held a candlelight vigil, [7] [13] and several publications posted eulogies for the restaurant. [14] [15] The following day, Paseo filed for bankruptcy with more than $30,000 in listed debts; several employees also contacted local alt-weekly newspaper The Stranger to deny the lawsuit's claims. [16] [17] A Kickstarter campaign was started by fans of the restaurant and raised $40,000 within its first week, but funds were withdrawn by backers following comments by former Paseo employees that disapproved of the attempt. [18] [19]

In December 2014, local entrepreneur Ryan Santwire won a federal court auction for the Paseo name and assets and announced plans to revive the restaurant. The $91,000 bid did not include the original recipes following an objection from Lorenzo; [7] instead, Santwire and several former Paseo employees recreated the recipes through reverse engineering. [20] [21] The Fremont location reopened on January 8, 2015, and had 50 customers within the first 30 minutes. [22] [23] The restaurant retained much of its former staff and suppliers, but began accepting credit cards. [15] [24] Lorenzo's sons opened their own Ballard sandwich shop, named Un Bien, [25] in June 2015 using the original restaurant's recipes and former staff. [6] [26] Un Bien later opened a second location in the former Shilshole Bay location for Paseo a year later. [27]

Exterior of the SoDo restaurant, 2023 Seattle in January 2023 - 239.jpg
Exterior of the SoDo restaurant, 2023

A second Paseo location opened in SoDo on July 28, 2016, at a 4,000-square-foot (370 m2) space leased from Chris R. Hansen, who had acquired the site for a potential basketball arena. [28] Planning for the location began in September 2015 but its opening was delayed due to several issues, including the building losing power due to vandalism. [29] The larger restaurant includes more seating space, alcoholic beverages, and roasted corn. [28] [30] In 2019, Paseo offered its sandwiches and roasted corn at nearby T-Mobile Park during Seattle Mariners games. [31] The SoDo location was temporarily converted into a drive-in theater with movie screenings during the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to offer catering. [32]

A location on Capitol Hill adjacent to Neumos opened in February 2017, [1] [33] but closed nine months later and was replaced by a Bok a Bok fried chicken shop. [34] Paseo later opened a branch at the Microsoft Redmond campus and a full-sized store in Issaquah in August 2022. [35] Several customers camped overnight while waiting for the Issaquah location to open. Paseo has announced plans to expand to Federal Way or Tacoma by 2023 and other suburban cities in the future. [36]

Reception

In 2010, TLC series Best Food Ever ranked Paseo's Cuban Roast as the second-best sandwich in the United States. [37] However, the same year, blogger Geraldine DeRuiter listed Paseo as the top entry of her "Over-Hyped List: Seattle Restaurant Edition". [38]

In 2015, Seattle Magazine called the reopened Paseo's flagship sandwich "unquestionably overrated", and that the original's "[wasn't] ever as good as people used to say that it was." [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shake Shack</span> American fast casual burger restaurant

Shake Shack is an American fast casual restaurant chain based in New York City. It started out as a hot dog cart inside Madison Square Park in 2001, and its popularity steadily grew. In 2004, it received a permit to open a permanent kiosk within the park, expanding its menu from New York–style hot dogs to one with hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and its namesake milkshakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mighty-O Donuts</span>

Mighty-O Donuts is a chain of donut cafe restaurants and a donut wholesaler in Seattle, Washington, founded in 2000. Their donuts and toppings are made in Seattle from scratch using organic, NON-GMP ingredients. The product contains no artificial colors, no dyes, no additives, and no preservatives. The chain bakes and sells donuts at five locations in the area. Mighty-O sells various to-go coffee items, coffee bean blends, and merchandise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Seattle</span> Gay bar in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Union Seattle, or simply Union, is a gay bar and cocktail lounge in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, on Union Street between 10th and 11th Ave, in the U.S. state of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unicorn (Seattle)</span> Bar and restaurant in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Unicorn is a bar and restaurant in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katsu Burger</span> Restaurant chain in the U.S. state of Washington

Katsu Burger is a Japanese-themed burger restaurant chain in the Seattle metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rancho Bravo Tacos</span> Defunct chain of Mexican restaurants in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Rancho Bravo Tacos was a small chain of Mexican restaurants in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Storyville Coffee</span> American coffee company

Storyville Coffee is a coffee company operating in the Seattle metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Washington.

Un Bien is a Caribbean restaurant with two locations in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bok a Bok</span> Korean fried chicken chain in the United States

Bok a Bok Fried Chicken, or simply Bok a Bok, is a restaurant chain in the U.S. state of Washington. The business specializes in Korean-style fried chicken; the menu has also included chicken sandwiches, kimchi mac and cheese, and tots with Chile salt. There are five locations as of 2021. The business started in White Center and later expanded to Burien, the University District, and Capitol Hill. Plans to expand to Kirkland were announced in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubinstein Bagels</span> Bagel company based in Washington, US

Rubinstein Bagels is a bagel brand with three locations in the Seattle metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Washington, owned by Ethan Stowell's restaurants. In Seattle, the business operates in South Lake Union and on Capitol Hill; since 2023, a third location has operated in Redmond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hello Robin</span> Bakery in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Hello Robin is a woman-owned bakery with two locations in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The original bakery opened on Capitol Hill in 2013. A second location opened at University Village in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Coffee Works</span> Seattle-based coffee company

Seattle Coffee Works (SCW) is a third-wave coffee company based in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The business was established in 2006 and operates three coffee shops. In addition to the flagship in downtown Seattle, SCW has outposts in Ballard and South Lake Union, called Ballard Coffee Works and Cascade Coffee Works, respectively. A location on Capitol Hill called Capitol Coffee Works opened in 2017 and closed c. 2022. Previously independently owned and operated by Pipo Bui, Oscar García, and roast master Sebastian Simsch, SCW was acquired by Vibe Coffee Group in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spice Waala</span> Indian restaurant in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Spice Waala is an Indian restaurant with two locations in Seattle, Washington. Uttam Mukherjee and Aakanksha Sinha started the business in 2018, initially as a pop-up in Fremont and South Lake Union. The first brick and mortar restaurant opened on Capitol Hill in 2019, followed by a second in Ballard in 2021. Spice Waala's street food offerings have received a positive reception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cone & Steiner</span> Grocery store in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Cone & Steiner is a grocery store with multiple locations in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. In 2014, co-owners Dani Cone and Josh Henderson opened a first store on Capitol Hill and a second in Pioneer Square. A third location opened in downtown Seattle in 2017 but is no longer operating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regent Bakery and Cafe</span> Restaurant chain in the U.S. state of Washington

Regent Bakery and Cafe is a small chain of Chinese restaurants and bakeries in the Seattle metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Washington. The family-owned and operated business was established in Redmond in 2000, and expanded to Seattle's Capitol Hill in 2012 and Bellevue. Regent initially sold cakes and gained popularity amongst employees of Redmond-based Microsoft. The menu was expanded to include Chinese cuisine such as chow fun, fried rice, hot pots, and rice cake. The bakeries stock Chinese buns, pastries, and other baked goods and desserts such as croissants, egg tarts, fruit Danishes, and kouign-amann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Local Tide</span> Seafood restaurant in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Local Tide is a seafood restaurant in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rumba (restaurant)</span> Bar and restaurant in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Rumba is a bar and restaurant in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. Opened by owner Travis Rosenthal in 2012, Rumba was named one of the best new bars by Details magazine and has been recognized by Tales of the Cocktail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8oz Burger & Co</span> Restaurant in Washington, United States

8oz Burger & Co is a burger restaurant in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. There have been two locations; the original restaurant operated on Broadway from 2012 to 2024, and an outpost operates in Ballard. The business is owned by Kevin Chung, who had intended to expand the 8oz. Burger Bar chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Alchemy</span> Ice creamery based in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Sweet Alchemy Ice Creamery, or simply Sweet Alchemy, is an ice creamery based in Seattle, Washington. The business has shops in the University District and Ballard neighborhoods and on Capitol Hill. Owner Lois Ko opened the first location near the University of Washington in 2016. The Ballard location opened in 2019 and shares a space with Mighty-O Donuts, and the Capitol Hill shop opened in Chophouse Row in 2020. Sweet Alchemy offers a variety of ice cream and other desserts, and makes cakes, cones, cookies, and toppings in-house. The business pasteurizes its dairy from local farms daily. It has garnered a positive reception and is considered among Seattle's best ice cream shops.

References

  1. 1 2 "Ready for Capitol Hill debut, more Paseos to come". Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. February 24, 2017. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Hinterberger, John (October 26, 1995). "Big taste of Caribbean at tiny restaurant Paseo". The Seattle Times . p. G4. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Kelly, Leslie (September 19, 2008). "Caribbean sandwiches are a study in flavor that's worth the mess". Seattle Post-Intelligencer . p. 17.
  4. ↑ "Where to Get a Tasty Sandwich: Ballard's Paseo". Seattle Magazine . July 1, 2009. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  5. ↑ Kerns, Josh (February 27, 2014). "Seattle sandwich shop picked second best food joint in America". MyNorthwest.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Vermillion, Allecia (October 28, 2015). "The Ballad of the Caribbean Roast Sandwich". Seattle Met . Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 Clement, Bethany Jean (December 12, 2014). "Paseo to reopen; new owner plans no changes". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  8. ↑ Robinson, Kathryn (November 12, 2014). "10 Things About Paseo I'm Not Going to Miss". Seattle Met. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  9. ↑ Harris, Jenn (February 28, 2014). "Porto's Bakery ranks higher than The French Laundry on Yelp's top restaurant list". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  10. ↑ Billups, Sara (March 4, 2014). "Fat Tuesday at Toulouse Petit; Paseo Ballard Open Sundays". Eater Seattle . Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  11. ↑ Herz, Ansel (November 11, 2014). "What We Know So Far About the Wage Theft Lawsuit Against Paseo". The Stranger . Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  12. ↑ Conklin, Ellis E.; Sprinkle, Nicole (November 11, 2014). "This Can't Be Happening: Paseo Has Closed Down". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on January 11, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  13. ↑ Sillman, Marcie; Gruener, Posey (November 12, 2014). "Paseo Closes: What's Your Reaction?". KUOW. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  14. ↑ Vaughn, Alexa (November 12, 2014). "Paseo's mystery closure hard for fans to stomach". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on December 1, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  15. 1 2 3 "Paseo's Grand Re-Opening Comes With Some Changes". Seattle Magazine. June 3, 2015. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  16. ↑ Kamb, Lewis (November 14, 2014). "Day after closing, Paseo files for bankruptcy". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  17. ↑ Herz, Ansel (November 13, 2014). "Nine Employees Speak Out in Defense of Paseo Owners as Restaurant Files for Bankruptcy". The Stranger. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  18. ↑ Ellis, Tim (November 19, 2014). "Kickstarter campaign to save Seattle's Paseo restaurant fizzles as backers retreat". GeekWire . Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  19. ↑ Lerman, Rachel (November 19, 2014). "Organizers abandon Paseo Kickstarter effort". Puget Sound Business Journal . Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  20. ↑ Lerman, Rachel (December 12, 2014). "Paseo's new owner says he'll reopen with same recipes, employees". Puget Sound Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  21. ↑ Jaywork, Casey (August 3, 2016). "The Resurrection of the Paseo Pork Sandwich". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  22. ↑ Clement, Bethany Jean (January 9, 2015). "In stealth opening, Paseo is back with 'the sandwich'". The Seattle Times. p. B3. Archived from the original on August 14, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  23. ↑ Lerman, Rachel (January 8, 2015). "Paseo reopens with new owner, same crowds". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  24. ↑ Patterson, Keegan (February 26, 2015). "Just a bus away: Paseo Caribbean Restaurant". The Daily . Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  25. ↑ Clement, Bethany Jean (July 29, 2015). "Paseo and Un Bien: a tale of two sandwiches". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  26. ↑ Harris, Shane (June 8, 2015). "Sons of former Paseo owner open Cuban eatery in Ballard". Ballard News-Tribune . Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  27. ↑ Vinh, Tan (March 9, 2016). "The sandwich war continues: Un Bien to open in old Ballard Paseo location". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  28. 1 2 Clement, Bethany Jean (July 28, 2016). "Paseo #2 opens in Sodo, and it's huge". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  29. ↑ Macz, Brandon (September 30, 2016). "Paseo going late-night for Capitol Hill spot". Capitol Hill Times . Archived from the original on October 17, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  30. ↑ Saez, Rosin (July 26, 2016). "Oh Yes, Paseo Opens in SoDo July 28". Seattle Met. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  31. ↑ Salyer, Sharon (April 18, 2019). "Here's what's cooking at T-Mobile Park, home of the Mariners". The Everett Herald . Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  32. ↑ Ausley, Christina (August 13, 2020). "Famed Seattle restaurant to host drive-in movie series". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  33. ↑ Vermillion, Allecia (February 27, 2017). "Paseo Opens on Capitol Hill". Seattle Met. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  34. ↑ "Moving past Paseo, Bok a Bok landing next to Neumos with Korean-style deep fried chicken". Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. November 16, 2017. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  35. ↑ Saunders, Hannah (August 2, 2022). "Seattle's favorite Caribbean sandwich shop, Paseo, opens location in Issaquah". Issaquah Reporter . Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  36. ↑ Vinh, Tan (September 15, 2022). "A legendary sushi chef expands to Bellevue and 20 other Eastside restaurant openings". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  37. ↑ Sheehan, Jason (May 6, 2010). "This is the best sandwich in America, and I don't care what TLC says". Seattle Weekly . Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  38. ↑ DeRuiter, Geraldine (February 1, 2010). "The Over-Hyped List: Seattle Restaurant Edition". The Everywhereist. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.