Poquitos

Poquitos is a Mexican restaurant brand based in Washington State, United States. Its original restaurant opened in 2011 in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, at the intersection of 10th Avenue and Pike Street. The business was established by restaurateurs Deming Maclise and James Weimann and is described as LGBTQ-owned. Poquitos developed from a single neighborhood restaurant into a small, locally focused multi-location operation rather than a national chain. The brand's concept centers on Mexican food and a restaurant experience positioned around accessibility, authenticity, and ingredient quality. Seattle dining coverage described Poquitos in 2016 and 2017 as offering accessible and authentic Mexican cooking made with high-quality ingredients. The available reference material does not identify a particular regional Mexican cuisine, proprietary product line, packaged-food business, or extensive franchising system. Its public identity is therefore primarily that of a full-service restaurant brand serving local communities in the Pacific Northwest. As of 2014, Matt Fundingsland and Dustin Watson were identified as the restaurant's operating owners. In 2017, the owners announced plans for a second location in Bothell, north of Seattle. That restaurant opened in 2018 and expanded Poquitos beyond its original Capitol Hill base. A third location opened in Tacoma in 2022, extending the brand's presence into another major Washington market. The Bothell restaurant later closed permanently in September 2025, leaving Seattle and Tacoma as the locations identified as operating in the supplied reference material. Poquitos has received local editorial recognition. Seattle Metropolitan included it in a 2021 list of the best restaurants on Capitol Hill, while the Not for Tourists Guide to Seattle characterized it favorably in its 2016 and 2017 editions. These references frame Poquitos as a recognized neighborhood restaurant with a local following, rather than as an internationally prominent hospitality group. The available sources provide limited information about revenue, staffing, menu evolution, ownership after 2014, and current leadership; those details remain undocumented here.

Poquitos began in 2011 when restaurateurs Deming Maclise and James Weimann opened a Mexican restaurant in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. The original site is located at the intersection of 10th Avenue and Pike Street, an established urban dining area. The restaurant is identified in the available reference material as LGBTQ-owned, a characteristic that forms part of its local identity but is not accompanied by further ownership or corporate-structure details in the cited sources. By 2014, Matt Fundingsland and Dustin Watson were identified as Poquitos' operating owners. The available material does not clarify the precise legal relationship between these operators and the original founders, nor does it document subsequent changes in ownership or management. As a result, the brand's early history can be described with confidence at the restaurant and operating-owner level, but not as a complete corporate chronology. Poquitos' initial reputation was built around Mexican food served in a neighborhood restaurant format. The Not for Tourists Guide to Seattle described the restaurant in its 2016 and 2017 editions as accessible and authentic, while also emphasizing the quality of its ingredients. These descriptions suggest a positioning that sought to balance approachability with a sense of culinary authenticity. No reliable source in the supplied material establishes a specific menu specialization, signature dish, packaged product, franchise program, or national expansion strategy. The brand announced plans for geographic expansion in 2017, when its owners disclosed that a second restaurant would open in Bothell. The Bothell location opened in 2018, giving Poquitos a presence outside Seattle proper and establishing the business as a small multi-location restaurant operation. Expansion continued with a third location in Tacoma in 2022. The Tacoma opening extended the brand into another substantial Washington community while retaining its regional focus. Poquitos also received recognition from local dining media. In 2021, Seattle Metropolitan included the Capitol Hill restaurant in a selection of the best restaurants in that neighborhood. This recognition reinforced the brand's local reputation, although it did not represent a national ranking or a formal award program described in the available source. The Bothell location permanently closed in September 2025. The supplied reference identifies Seattle and Tacoma as the remaining operating locations after that closure. The available record does not explain the reason for the closure or provide current financial, ownership, staffing, or sales information. Poquitos is therefore best understood as an active, locally concentrated Mexican restaurant brand with roots in Capitol Hill and a history of measured expansion within Washington State.

• 2025

  Bothell location closes

  [1]Poquitosen.wikipedia.org

  The Bothell location permanently closes in September, reducing the identified operating footprint to Seattle and Tacoma.

• 2022

  Tacoma location opens

  [1]Poquitosen.wikipedia.org

  A third Poquitos location opens in Tacoma.

• 2021

  Capitol Hill editorial recognition

  [1]Poquitosen.wikipedia.org

  Seattle Metropolitan names Poquitos in a list of the best restaurants on Capitol Hill.

• 2018

  Bothell location opens

  [1]Poquitosen.wikipedia.org

  Poquitos opens its second restaurant in Bothell, Washington.

• 2017

  Bothell expansion announced

  [1]Poquitosen.wikipedia.org

  The owners announce plans to establish a second Poquitos location in Bothell.

• 2014

  Operating owners identified

  [1]Poquitosen.wikipedia.org

  Matt Fundingsland and Dustin Watson are identified as Poquitos' operating owners.

• 2011

  Founding in Seattle

  [1]Poquitosen.wikipedia.org

  Deming Maclise and James Weimann open Poquitos in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.

A locally rooted, LGBTQ-owned Mexican restaurant brand emphasizing accessible and authentic food, high-quality ingredients, and neighborhood dining.

• Restaurant dining · 2011

  Mexican restaurant menu

  Poquitos' core offering is a Mexican restaurant menu served in its Washington locations. Available reference material characterizes the food as accessible and authentic and notes the use of high-quality ingredients. The supplied sources do not provide a sufficiently reliable menu inventory to list individual dishes or identify a single signature item.

• Hospitality · 2011

  Full-service dining and beverages

  The brand operates as a neighborhood restaurant rather than a packaged-food or retail product line. Its customer proposition includes prepared Mexican food and beverages consumed at the restaurant. Specific beverage brands, cocktail programs, catering services, and delivery offerings are not documented in the supplied references.

• 2025

  Close the Bothell restaurantOther

  Background

  The Bothell location was part of Poquitos' multi-location expansion but later ceased operations.

  Action taken

  Poquitos permanently closed the Bothell location in September 2025.

  Aftermath

  The supplied reference identifies the Seattle and Tacoma locations as the remaining operating sites. The reason for the closure is not reported.

  Source

• 2022

  Add a Tacoma locationStrategy

  Background

  Poquitos continued its regional expansion after opening in Bothell.

  Action taken

  The restaurant brand opened a third location in Tacoma.

  Aftermath

  Poquitos established a presence in Tacoma, although the available sources do not provide operating or financial results.

  Source

• 2017

  Expand from Capitol Hill to BothellStrategy

  Background

  After operating its original Seattle restaurant, Poquitos' owners announced plans to add a second location in Bothell.

  Action taken

  The brand pursued a second Washington location, which opened in 2018.

  Aftermath

  The Bothell opening expanded Poquitos beyond Seattle and was followed by the launch of a Tacoma location in 2022.

  Source

1. 1Poquitosen.wikipedia.org