Puerto Rican Tapas Bar Planned For National Avenue
Zocalo mobile vendors plan brick-and-mortar expansion a few blocks to the west.
Site of future El Batey, 1003 W. National Ave. Photo taken Aug. 12, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
Three years ago, Carolin Rosario-Virella and Mildred Virella-Martinez set out to open a bar—but ended up with a food trailer.
The couple has since fallen in love with hospitality, relishing the daily opportunity to share Puerto Rican cuisine and culture from the window of Las Virellas, based at Zocalo food Park.
“People have accepted us in an incredible way,” Virella-Martinez said, noting enthusiasm for traditional foods like jibaritos and pernil. “The local people love the food,” Rosario-Virella added. “And we love them right back.”
The partners now plan to build on that foundation—and realize their original vision—with a permanent location in Walker’s Point. El Batey, a bar and tapas restaurant, is slated to open at 1003 W. National Ave. in late 2025.
El Batey (pronounced bah-teh) would showcase traditional Puerto Rican and Latin-American dishes with modern twists, paired with a menu of alcoholic and zero-proof cocktails developed by Rosario-Virella, a former bartender.
A proposed menu features classics like pernil al caldero and alcapurrias—oblong fritters filled with ground beef—alongside tropical ceviche flavored with lemon, coconut and passion fruit; empanadillas and skirt steak with chimichurri criollo.
Once the new business settles in, the food menu is expected to rotate seasonally.
Piña coladas were a natural choice for the cocktail menu, said Rosario-Virella, who will also mix up mojitos, guava-flavored mules and Cafe Con Ron—a Puerto Rican-style espresso martini and a nod to the same-titled Bad Bunny track.
Another creation, El Jibaro, mimics the complexity of an old fashioned with aged rum, chocolate bitters, cinnamon and vanilla syrup, grated chocolate and smoked cinnamon. The sour-spicy Tamarita Picante rounds out the list with chile-infused mezcal, lime, tamarind and chamoy.
“We wanted to represent our Puerto Rican culture, while also bringing a lowkey spot to have a drink, eat and gather with friends” Rosario-Virella said.
The name El Batey pays tribute to the Taíno people, who are indigenous to islands throughout the Caribbean—including modern-day Puerto Rico. In Taíno culture, the batey refers to a centralized plaza—often the site of ceremonies and sporting events. The term can also indicate a communal space in Puerto Rican homes and communities—particularly those in rural inland areas.
With Rosario-Virella’s expertise and the partners’ combined experience at Las Virellas, they feel confident in their next step—a welcome change after a baptism-by-fire food truck launch.
“It was a little tough at first,” Virella-Martinez said, noting the learning curve of using propane for cooking, along with the demands of running a business with no outside help. “It was just her and I,” Rosario-Virella added.
More than just a bar and restaurant, El Batey aims to provide a “safe and respectful environment,” also hosting cultural events with an emphasis on education,” the couple wrote in a business proposal.
Virella-Martinez and Rosario-Virella plan to continue the food truck alongside the new business, and said they hope to keep expanding in the future.
Outside of cosmetic updates, the National Avenue building requires few renovations. Pending city approval, a target opening is set for late fall.
Proposed hours of operation for El Batey are 11 a.m. to midnight daily.
Area Alderman José G. Pérez owns the property. The Pérez family has owned the property for several decades. It previously housed a restaurant, but was registered as vacant in 2010.
According to city assessment records, the 651-square-foot building was constructed in 1930.
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