The Matador (restaurant)

Not to be confused with The Matador (bar).

The Matador
Exterior of the restaurant on East Burnside Street in Portland, Oregon's Buckman neighborhood, 2022
Restaurant information
Food type	Mexican
Country	United States

The Matador is an American chain of Mexican restaurants, based in Seattle, Washington.

Description and history

Interior of the restaurant in Portland's Buckman neighborhood in 2022

The Matador is a Mexican restaurant chain based in Seattle. Owners Nate Opper and Zak Melang started the business in 2004. As of February 2016, there were locations in Seattle, Portland (Oregon), Boise and Meridian, Idaho, and Denver.[1] The restaurant also operated in Redmond and Tacoma, as of 2020.[2] According to Bradley Martin of Eater Las Vegas, "Each location features distinctive ironwork created by Melang himself, who also cuts and designs each bar and table top and is in charge of corralling local artists to decorate mounted bull skulls, the decorative mascot for the brand."[1]

The Boise location opened in 2010.[3] A restaurant in Denver's Highland neighborhood opened in 2013,[4] and has offered over 100 different tequilas.[5][6] In 2016, the Ballard restaurant closed temporarily because of an E. coli outbreak.[7] The Denver restaurant closed permanently in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

Reception

Seattle Metropolitan has said of the Redmond restaurant: "Decent Mex food served lunch and dinner with tequila galore. But be warned: if rollicking nighttime singles scenes are not your thing, leave before happy hour."[9]

See also

• List of Mexican restaurants
• List of restaurant chains in the United States

References

1. Martin, Bradley (2016-02-23). "Seattle's The Matador Restaurant and Tequila Bar to Downtown Summerlin". Eater Vegas. Archived from the original on 2022-04-12. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
2. Guarente, Gabe (2020-05-26). "Seattle Area Restaurants That Opened (or Reopened) Recently". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2020-11-01. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
3. Katafias, Frankie (2019-05-03). "Cinco de Mayo street party coming to downtown Boise". KIVI. Archived from the original on 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
4. Wertz, Rachel (2013-07-09). "Matador will open in Highland in mid-August". Westword. Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
5. Zeppelin, Andra (2013-11-21). "The Matador Starts Pouring 100 Tequilas, Serving Mexican Food In Its Funky Space". Eater Denver. Archived from the original on 2015-09-26. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
6. "The Matador Restaurant and Tequila Bar". Thrillist. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
7. Stewart, Ashley (September 13, 2016). "The Matador restaurant in Ballard closes after E. coli outbreak". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
8. Antonation, Mark (2021-01-02). "Restaurant Roll Call: Every Opening and Closing in 2020". Westword. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
9. "The Matador: Redmond". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on 2015-09-20. Retrieved 2022-04-12.

External links

• Official website