Celebrated Barrio Logan taco spot ¡Salud! closes its doors

• That success, though, generated outside attention that stoked the community's real and long-running concerns about gentrification and displacement.

Friction point: Real estate pressures played a big part in the ¡Salud! and La Bamba Room's closures, owner Ernie Becerra said in his Instagram announcement.

• "For the past year, our lease in Barrio Logan was coming to terms, and we've been trying to renegotiate that lease in our same space," he said. "Not being able to secure what we needed, along with other setbacks… I have decided to close our doors at ¡Salud! and La Bamba as we know it."

Flashback: La Bodega, an art gallery that neighbored ¡Salud! and was also a forerunner in Logan Avenue's creative rebirth, closed in 2019 over a rent increase, with its owners saying they were "gentrified out."

What he's saying: "¡Salud! was lucky enough to be on the cutting edge of a taco movement that's taken over the rest of the world," Becerra said.

• The restaurant had been featured in both the Washington Post and New York Times.

What's next: For now, Becerra hasn't announced any plans to relocate but will continue running the taco shop as a catering-only business.