More Tapas Angel is worth a visit, though getting to this Pioneer Square restaurant demands some effort. On my recent trek to the bistro, there was a dash through a sketchy alley, a hop over a chewed-up street, and a leap of faith into a dust bowl of construction debris before I stumbled upon the front door. In a city with all sorts of industry challenges — high costs of food and labor and frequent property crime, for instance — Tapas Angel faces the additional hurdle of doing business in a construction zone in a neighborhood still trying to find its pre-COVID groove.
Despite scant foot traffic in the area, Tapas Angel has stayed in business because Diego Escobar, the chef and owner, believes it’s worth keeping around. He’s not wrong: This tapas bar is quite good, featuring a Pan-Latin menu with nods to the Iberian Peninsula. I’ve walked past this block on Yesler Way dozens of times and, until recently, didn’t really take note of this tapas bar.
With just a handful of Yelp reviews dating to Tapas Angel’s September opening, I reckon most folks haven’t. It doesn’t help that heavy-duty construction equipment sometimes obstructs the restaurant’s facade. Or that someone walked off with the sandwich board Escobar plopped out front to proclaim that he’s still open.
Sure, you may have trouble finding Tapas Angel. But you won’t have trouble figuring out who runs the show. More At Tapas Angel, Escobar doubles as maître d’, server, bartender, sommelier, busbo.
