Chez Papa picks up plans to open Taqueria at 18th & Connecticut

[Evan Goldin]

[Updated at 10:35 p.m., Tues, Jan. 26]: It's confirmed, Papito will be opening sometime in the next few months. And they even have a Web site (or will soon):

papitosf.com

I dropped by Chez Maman and picked up a brochure, which they were already proudly displaying in the window. The owner said the plan is to open in two months, though they could open as soon as the last week in February, but it's unlikely.

The restaurant will have a similar setup as Chez Maman, with bar seating and as many as 4-5 tables for guests to sit at — many more than the 1-2 at Chez Maman. It will be casual, and — as the owner of Chez Maman mentioned — delicious.

POTRERO HILL, SF — There's some good news coming out of the recent closing of Lingba. According to Eater SF, the Chez Papa team will be opening a taqueria in the old Delirious shoes store.
Lingba had announced plans to open a quick-service taqueria in the location (which has been shuttered for more than a year), but the restaurant abandoned those plans when it announced it was closing due to rent increases. The Maktub Group (which runs Chez Papa, Chez Maman, Pizza Nostra) is now going to pick up those plans, and their planned name for the taqueria is "Papito".

With Papito reportedly slated to open in the next two months, that would mark the second significant restaurant opening in the 18th Street corridor in two months — the other being Pera, just around the corner. With the economy still recovering, it's great to see new restaurants filling the the holes left by those that have closed.

I'll have more details to follow, as this report is just breaking. Anything you want to know?

Image credit: Lynn Friedman