Sabor Tropical, a Latin-inspired restaurant and bar has been proposed for a Walker’s Point building that formerly housed Mexican restaurant Quimera Cocina Boricua and has sat vacant since the restaurant closed about seven years ago.
Owners Stephen Gonzalez-Rosario, who previously was a chef at Potawatomi Hotel and Casino for 10 years, and Carmen Munoz, owner of Blue Agave Restaurant and Lounge in Madison, want to open the new restaurant, located at 631 W. National Ave., by mid-April.
Gonzalez-Rosario said he had been interested in opening the restaurant at the former La Fuente space at 625 S. 6th St. in Walker’s Point before it was leased in January to Brady Street’s Nomad World Pub owner Mike Eitel, who plans to open a pop-up bar at the space for 2018 World Cup festivities.
Sabor Tropical would operate daily for lunch and dinner, serving a variety of Latin-inspired food including Colombian empanadas, Mexican tacos and Argentinian churrasco steak. Gonzalez-Rosario said the kitchen would stay open until closing time, offering a separate late-night menu. It would also serve Latin-inspired drinks including mojitos, piña coladas, margaritas and sangria.
“We want to offer fine dining with a lower price,” Gonzalez-Rosario said. “The neighbors are excited about having us there. There really isn’t anything else like this in the area.”
The restaurant’s lounge area will be Latin sports-inspired and will feature salsa dancers and salsa-dancing lessons on Fridays or Saturdays, he said.
Gonzalez-Rosario said he and Munoz recently signed a lease with an option to buy the building after one year. He said minimal renovations to the space would be required before opening the restaurant.
