Two big Mexican restaurants close at La Cosecha food hall
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Las Gemelas was the first restaurant Biden visited as president. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images
Taqueria Las Gemelas and Destino, two big Mexican restaurant concepts in Union Market District's La Cosecha food hall, have abruptly closed.
Why it matters: It's a big blow for the Latin food hall, where the taquería and its finer-dining sibling occupied two of the largest, front-facing spaces.
What they're saying: "Everything got more expensive and unfortunately there just wasn't enough foot traffic on that side of the neighborhood yet to keep the restaurants going," co-owner Josh Phillips tells Axios. "It's a common story nowadays, unfortunately."
Yes, but: The restaurateur isn't down on the Union Market District and praised the community and landlord support. "The neighborhood is changing fast, so I'm excited to see what pops up in our spaces eventually."
What's next: A spokesperson for developer Edens — the landlord for Union Market and La Cosecha — says there's no news yet about who will move into the restaurant spaces.
Flashback: The restaurants opened in March 2021 after pandemic delays, and Las Gemelas was the first restaurant Biden visited as president.
- POTUS grabbed tacos on Cinco de Mayo and shared the good news that Las Gemelas was the first restaurant to get a grant from the Small Business Administration's then-new Restaurant Revitalization Fund, launched to provide COVID relief for eateries. It received around $600,000 from the $28.6 billion program.
Between the lines: The shuttered Mexican restaurants and the larger La Cosecha food hall have gone through several changes since opening (remember when the marketplace was going to be a José Garces production?).
- Most recently, Mezcalero — another local Mexican venture — opened a sit-down location in the food hall.
The intrigue: PoPville published some scuttlebut that Phillips' Shaw restaurant, Ghostburger, is also closed. "Definitely not," he tells Axios. The burger and wing spot went offline for a week for floor repairs and is reopening Tuesday at 4pm.
- "We've got some exciting plans there that will be hatching in the near future," says Phillips.