One of Dallas’ most intimate bars has quietly closed. Santos y Pecadores, the cozy mezcaleria located in the tiny back room of the historic Bowen House, poured its last tumbler of agave-based spirits nearly two months ago. And without a peep.
This doesn’t mean that Dallas will be saying farewell to the curated selection of mezcals, served alongside an earful of fun facts about Mexican spirits, that Santos y Pecadores provided. Daniel Zapata, who made up half of the bar’s ownership, has partnered with El Come Taco owner Luis Villalva on his new venture: a mezcal bar, with some small bites, just doors down from the taqueria.
“It’s called La Viuda Negra,” says Zapata. “We’re serving mezcals, but not one hundred percent mezcals. And we’ll be serving pulque.”
Pulque, sometimes referred to as “agave wine,” is an agave-based beverage made from the fermented sap of the plant.
“Pulque was trendy for a certain time and then poof! Nobody knows about pulque anymore,” says Zapata.
The space, located two doors down from El Come Taco, is similar in size.
“The space is actually the same size as El Come Taco,” says Zapata. “It’s not super big actually. Very small. The decor is going to be a little modern and a little Mexican. It’s a lot of good stuff, a lot of elements, a lot of Mexican folklore—but not Frida Kahlo. Frida Kahlo is known all over the world. But we’re trying to do little things that people are not used to.”
He wants the space to feel unlike any other place in Dallas.
“We’re also going to play a little bit with the language. We’re going to do certain Mexican slang, but we don’t wanna make it difficult for people. This will be fun. We come from Mexico City and if you’re from there, you’ll know this kind of stuff.”
The bar will serve a variety of agave-focused cocktails, including Ponche Navideño (Mexican holiday punch), as well as Mexican street food. They’re also aiming to be open for lunch.
El Come Taco owner Luis Villalva has dreamed of opening a bar for years. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, before any of the other mezcal places opened in Dallas,” he said in a May interview.
Expect La Viuda Negra to open in roughly three weeks.
