Mexican Restaurant Planned Near Kosciuszko Park
El Coqueto plans to open in former taqueria space.
1105 W. Lincoln Ave. Photo taken Dec. 10, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
A new restaurant serving tacos, tortas and other Mexican fare is slated to open at 1105 W. Lincoln Ave., joining an increasingly diverse dining scene in the blocks surrounding Kosciuszko Park.
El Coqueto, led by Diana Villegas Coronel, would occupy a vacant building that previously operated as Taqueria la Salsa. The taco restaurant is no longer on Lincoln Avenue, but continues with a location at 119 E. Oklahoma Ave.
Like its predecessor, El Coqueto would specialize in authentic Mexican flavors, offering tacos filled with a choice of pastor, steak, chicken, chorizo, birria, cabeza or carnitas—available Mexican style with onions and cilantro or American style with ground beef, lettuce, tomato and cheese in a hard or soft-shell tortilla.
A proposed menu also features a selection of tortas, including milanesa and Hawaiian-inspired sandwiches, along with entrees like quesabirria, tostadas and barbecue ribs. Additional dishes—burritos, burgers, chicken wings, street corn and more—are billed as house favorites.
El Coqueto also plans to serve margaritas and beer, along with non-alcoholic drinks like horchata and jamaica.
A floor plan for the 920-square-foot restaurant shows a handful of four- and six-top dining tables, a server-only bar, jukebox and amusement machines and a central space labeled “entertainment area.”
Villegas Coronel has requested permission to host bands, karaoke and dancing, but said she won’t use promoters or sound amplification.
El Coqueto had initially aimed for a Dec. 15 opening, according to its license application, but city approval is still pending. If all goes according to plan, the restaurant could open as soon as early 2026. Its proposed hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
The upcoming restaurant adds to a growing number of neighborhood dining establishments, including Benny’s Pizza, Neveria La Flor De Mayo, Khan Aseya, Rocafe, Lincoln Panaderia Bakery and others. Another business, Brim Cafe, is slated to open several blocks east at 620 W. Lincoln Ave. in the coming months.
Villegas Coronel could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.
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