Pink Taco, LA’s Mexican Party Restaurant, Is Coming to Chicago

There’s a new tenant for the space vacated by Bull & Bear, the stock market-themed bar that closed on New Year’s Eve. Pink Taco, the giggity-named chain that’s based in Los Angeles, is coming to River North. Crain’s first reported the Mexican brand’s imminent arrival at 162 W. Hubbard St.

Pink Taco describes itself as a “playful Mexican restaurant brand,” which translates to “clubstaurant with tacos.” The new location will include a “wraparound” outdoor patio and should open this year, according to a news release. Its expansion plans also include a new Miami Beach location. The company, which currently counts two locations—one on the Sunset Strip and another inside the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas—was expected to pursue an aggressive expansion strategy after the parent company of Chevy’s and others, Z Capital Partners, acquired Pink Taco last year. Ownership also wants to expand to New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

Pink Taco will test market their food in Chicago with food trucks before opening the restaurant. When it opens, it’ll serve brunch, lunch, and dinner, as well as a late-night menu. Pink Taco also had a location in Scottsdale, Ariz. and pursued a stadium naming-rights deal with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. Back in 2013, it made infamous dating website Ashley Madison’s list of top spots to have an affair.