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Paseo (restaurant)

Paseo
A line outside of the original Fremont location in 2013
Map
Restaurant information
Established1994 (1994)
Owner(s)Ryan Santwire
Food typeCaribbean
CountyKing
StateWashington
CountryUnited States
Coordinates47°39′31″N 122°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.

History

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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A Kickstarter campaign was started by fans of the restaurant and raised $40,000 within its first week, but funds were withdrawn by backers following comments by former Paseo employees that disapproved of the attempt.[18][19]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

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

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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

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References

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  1. ^ a b "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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b 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.
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