Paloma Opens Bay View Restaurant
The second location for Paloma Taco and Tequila opened Wednesday.
Site of Paloma Taco and Tequila, 2154 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Photo taken April 16, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.
Over the course of eight months, the commercial space at 2154 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. has transformed from a gray box to a crayon box.
The formerly vacant space at the ground level of KinetiK is now the vibrant and colorful home of Paloma Taco and Tequila, which opened its doors to the public on Wednesday.
It’s the second location for the taqueria; its flagship restaurant has been open in Washington Heights since July 2020.
The new restaurant, designed with help from Three Sixty, is positively saturated in color — from its kaleidoscopic wallpaper and sunshine-colored chairs to its pendant lights suspended from a turquoise-washed ceiling.
And that translates to the table, too.
The restaurant’s 10 taco varieties, stuffed with crispy tofu, tuna poke, carne asada and more, are available on the usual flour or corn tortillas. But diners can also opt for Paloma’s housemade “crunchy pink shell” or enjoy their taco fillings “naked” atop a bed of lettuce.
Paloma also offers a handful of shareable starters such as elotes corn cups (esquites), hot chips doused in cheese and crema, loaded frites.
Entrees include a signature burrito, street corn and avocado quesadilla and the Big Paloma Torta, stuffed with a choice of protein and plenty of fresh, crunchy toppings. Another option, the Paloma Taco Pocket, is a take on a fast-food favorite, featuring a toasted burrito shell stuffed with a seasoned tostada shell, Chihuahua cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro, elote street corn crema and a choice of protein.
The restaurant also serves brunch Friday through Tuesday, with offerings including chilaquiles, egg tacos, chorizo and eggs and a breakfast take on the Taco Pocket.
Vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian options are clearly marked on the menu, which is available to view in its entirety online.
In addition to an extensive cocktail program, the restaurant offers a wide variety of spirits — particularly tequila — as well as beer, wine and a large selection of non-alcoholic drinks.
And it’s not just humans who will be eating good at Paloma. The menu features a small section just for dogs, offering a warm flour tortilla with fresh banana and crunchy peanut butter. The so-called Pup Treats are available for takeout only at the moment. Once the restaurant opens its outdoor patio, dogs will be welcome to dine on-site.
Restaurateur Pattie Ford leads both locations for Paloma, though she is quick to shift the credit to her team, which includes chef Bernard Fanning, sous chef Dylan Hetzel, bar managers Kaylee Matson and Kat Poole and managers Lori Nedset-Crawley and Virginia Fox.
“My entire staff was amazing through it all,” said Ford, who also credited Rich Severson of Oxeland Group, Brian Polster and the rest of the Three Sixty team and Gina Gruenewald of New Land Enterprises for their contributions to the Bay View restaurant.
The restaurant’s current hours of operation are Monday through Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Along with Paloma, several additional businesses are slated to open in the coming months at KinetiK. A new cocktail lounge, 17th Ward, and a handful of restaurants plan to occupy retail spaces at ground level of the building, joining existing tenants Eyes on the Lake and JB Nails & Spa. Like Paloma, the apartment building opened in 2020.
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