Tag Archives: Santa Clara Square restaurant

Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar Opens First Bay Area Locale — In A Big Way

Soft shell crab, Baja fish, and seared ahi tacos (front to back) at the new Puesto.

Soft shell crab, Baja fish, and seared ahi tacos (front to back) at the new Puesto.

 

When I first read that a new Mexican restaurant in the Santa Clara Square Marketplace cost $8 million to build, I thought surely that must be a typo.

Oh, but it’s not.

One visit to Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar confirms its over-the-top design.

This is the Southern California restaurant group’s fifth outpost, and the first that’s in Northern California. A second one, in Concord, is in the works.

I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant a couple of weeks ago. It is a cavernous 9,000 square feet covered in a riot of colors, thanks largely to the dramatic artwork by Bay Area graffiti artist Chor Boogie.

A custom mural.

A custom mural.

And another.

And another.

The restaurant, done up in concrete tiles, copper touches and wood tabletops, can seat more than 300. There’s also an expansive patio.

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