PILSEN — A McKinley Park brunch spot, Pochos, will move to 18th Street in Pilsen in coming months.
Pochos co-owners Irene Acosta and Miguel Hernandez opened the restaurant at 2025 W. 35th St. in 2019, and it quickly became a neighborhood favorite. But they couldn’t find a way to stay in the neighborhood when their lease ended last year, they said.
Instead, they’re moving the restaurant to 1727 W. 18th St., next to the 18th Street Pink Line station. They said they look forward to being near Harrison Park and benefitting from the foot traffic on 18th Street.
“We’re really ready to showcase our talents here on 18th Street,” Hernandez said.
The co-owners described their restaurant’s food as “a play on our culture,” melding Mexican and American breakfast favorites. The eatery’s name is a nod to their roots, embracing the term “pocho,” which can be used as a derogatory term to refer to someone of Mexican descent who lacks fluency in Spanish.
“We’re Mexican American, and we try to showcase that through our food while always keeping the standard of making things from scratch with the best ingredients,” Acosta said.
Acosta said she hopes the team can expand the restaurant’s menu, which has featured chilaquiles, pancakes, French toast and more.
Hernandez and Acosta said they were devastated to have to leave McKinley Park, but they’ve received support from loyal customers.
“The outcry of love and support that we got when announcing our departure was just kind of … man, it really helped us get over that sadness and that madness and allowed us to focus on putting our energy into making this new location everything that it should be,” Acosta said. “They’re already welcoming us into this neighborhood.”
Acosta and Hernandez said they hope the restaurant will be open in two to three months, but they do not yet have a specific date.
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