Locales Taco + Tequila Bar Ready to Debut in Former Park Tavern

Locales Taco + Tequila Bar is set to open in mid-September. Gina Parker

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "leaderboardInlineContent",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "tower",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]

"People have been starving for something good to come in here since Park Tavern closed, and we just want to be that good. We want it to feel like your neighborhood bar," says Jared Bos, co-owner of Locales Taco + Tequila Bar, which is opening at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 30, at 931 East 11th Avenue.

For 25 years, Park Tavern operated in the space before shuttering unexpectedly last July. It briefly reopened as the Deck, operated by a Phoenix-based group, but that venture didn't last long. Now, people in the neighborhood have been peering into the windows as the space has been transformed once again.

Along with co-owner Megan Tutin, Bos has been hard at work fixing up old neon signs, setting up tables and finalizing the tequila and taco-centric menu. The two are no strangers to the local bar scene: They also own Historians Ale House and RiNo Beer Garden.

click to enlarge

Megan Tutin and Jared Bos found an old Park Tavern neon sign and restored it.

Gina Parker

"I've worked in restaurants for 22 years," Tutin notes. "I've washed dishes, hosted, worked on the line, managed, barbacked — pretty much everything."

She and Bos each moved to Colorado separately around thirteen years ago and met shortly after. "We have kind of just built a business relationship with each other. It accumulated after working together for so long," says Tutin. Now they're ready to debut their third bar together in a decade.

Tutin and Bos hope to communicate one message with Locales: that they are here for the Cap Hill community. The name (not to be confused with the now-closed Pizzeria Locale chain) is an homage to their focus on staying local, and they intend to honor the past, too. They recently found an old Park Tavern neon sign, which they had restored and will hang in the space.

The team also plans to bring back the popular happy hour drink chips, which are good for buy-one get-one beers and select cocktails, and — yes — will honor old ones from Park Tavern, too, though probably only on Mondays.

click to enlarge

Happy hour drink chips will be back when Locales opens.

Locales

Changes to the decor include murals of Día de Muertos-inspired sugar skulls and a soft orange sunset sky by local artist Tukeone behind the bar. The rooftop will reopen as well, and is a prime place for people-watching and enjoying the sunshine. There will also be games like foosball and pool.

The food offerings at Locales will include street-style tacos like the double-decker Dos with refried beans and rice, along with other Mexican fare like enchiladas and smothered burritos. Along with lunch and dinner, Locales will serve brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.