“It was more money than I’ve ever spent in my life on art,” Nuñez laughs. The intersection of Chicano and cholo culture, represented by Hernandez’s new Bernal Rock painting, is what Nuñez wants to capture in his restaurant - that’s why he’s dedicating the dining hall of the restaurant to that piece, which he recently bought from Hernandez. Her original Sun Maid Raisin print hangs in the Smithsonian. She is considered by many to be one of the most impactful Chicana artists from the San Joaquin Valley who, Nuñez says, is as essential as Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez. Abraham NuñezĮster Hernandez, a legendary Mexican American graphic artist, will pitch in for design and art. Abraham Nuñez At the corner of Virginia and Mission Streets, this location is a homecoming for owner Nuñez. Ester Hernandez, iconic Chicana artist, with the painting Nuñez will use to decorate the dining room in the new location.
Mostly, he’s excited about the team and artists involved with the new space.
#20 years down forever to go license
The liquor license came as part of the lease, along with plenty of redesigning and necessary construction.
#20 years down forever to go full
While that wraps up, he and his girlfriend Courtney Fujita, who spent nine years in the cocktail game with Future Bars, which owns places including Bourbon and Branch and Zombie Village, will dedicate themselves full time to the buildout of the new restaurant and bar. His contract at Excelsior bar Broken Record ends in October (he calls his tenure there a “whole other chapbook”) and he plans on hosting pop-ups and events throughout the winter. The homecoming is still a ways off - he’s aiming to open in Spring 2023. He won’t alienate his Hood Burger and tamale negro fans, though, just add new items rather than cut existing ones. But in the new space, Nuñez wants to push a finer plated experience, as well, something healthier and lighter, bringing in new plant-based items. That fish-forward Baja cuisine is still the main focus, dishes like yellowfin, lobster, and fish tacos. The first place I ever popped up was Chicano Nuevo, where I came up with the name and the logo, we’re in that same space.”įans don’t need to worry about the menu changing too much - it’s still “border town street food,” as Nuñez calls it. The coolest part of this story, Nuñez points out, is that he also used to bartend at the location in 2013, and in 2015, after Emmy’s left, it was the site of his first official Chicano Nuevo pop-up. The location formerly housed Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack and a bar called El Amigo Nuñez will join the two businesses, historically separated by a narrow hallway and small door, for Chicano Nuevo’s expanded, forever home. In March Nuñez signed a 20-year lease at 3355 Mission Street, at the base of Bernal Heights, and he couldn’t be more thrilled. After seven years dishing up Wu-Tang Flan throughout the Mission, Bernal, and Excelsior neighborhoods, Chicano Nuevo owner Abraham Nuñez secured a permanent location for his Ensenada-style Mexican restaurant.
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