Pink Taco Is Probably Ditching Portland, Upsetting Very Few Locals

It was over before it started. Pink Taco, the local outpost of the gag-worthy-named, party-friendly taqueria chain, seems to have said “no thanks” to Portland. The restaurant, which was supposed to open in the old Trader Vic’s space in the Pearl, has removed its signage, and Urban Works real estate has confirmed that the space is back on the market. There’s no Portland location information on the main site, and the “local” Facebook page consists of generic posts with girls in pink sombreros or details on the LA-based food truck. A call to the Sunset Strip location provided little information: It sounds like the team discussed plans to call it quits, but the manager at that location couldn’t confirm anything. Questions submitted to the restaurant’s Facebook page went unanswered.

Honestly, this shouldn’t surprise anyone; the restaurant didn’t exactly get a warm welcome when it announced plans to open a Pacific Northwestern tacotorium. Willamette Week called it “douchebag friendly” in the headline. Here at Eater PDX, we used the word “giggity” to describe the franchise, noting the time it painted a donkey pink and hit Ashley Madison’s best places to have an affair. The public seems to be pretty cool with Pink Taco’s departure; comments on a photo of the for lease sign are far from upset. In another public Facebook post, a user writes, “Saw a posted photo that looks like that ‘Pink Taco’ place that was gonna open in the old Pearl Trader Vic’s spot is now not. Good.”

• Pink Taco [Official]
• Pink Taco [Facebook]
• Pink Taco Takes Over Trader Vic’s in the Pearl District [EPDX]
• Douchebag-Friendly “Clubstaurant” Pink Taco Landing in Portland’s Pearl District [WWeek]
• Pink Taco Paints a Donkey Pink, Ignites Internet Outrage [Eater]