Paseo Blesses SoDo With Its Famous Caribbean Sandwiches

Paseo, the Caribbean sandwich shop that seems to consistently draw lines and land itself on national "best of" lists (including ranking second on Yelp's 2014 national Top 100 Places to Eat), has opened its SoDo location at 1760 1^st Ave S. The restaurant takes over the former location of Donna’s Diner and Mac’s Smokehouse, and the interior has retained a diner vibe.

As of Monday, the eatery is open for lunch only. Paseo is holding a grand opening tomorrow from 5 to 9 p.m. with live music, and starting Friday the regular hours will launch: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. On game days the business will open early, at 8 a.m., and hours will vary a bit to cater to game-goers.

Expect a much bigger restaurant than the Fremont original, which barely has any seats at all. This new, 4,000-square-foot establishment has a private events space and outdoor seating area. The menu will be the same as the Fremont restaurant, with those messy Caribbean sandwiches and entrees like cubed pork loin and Caribbean scallops. At the new spot you can also order a big bucket of roasted corn or a Caribbean citrus salad with romaine, seasonal fruit, candied walnuts, a Caribbean citrus vinaigrette, and a choice of protein (chicken, pork, prawns, or salmon).

Also new to this location is booze; selections will include beer, cider, wine, and sangria. At tomorrow's grand opening, there will be $1 off all beer and sangria.

Paseo, in case you forgot, is now owned by Ryan Santwire, who bought the business after a whole bunch of high drama went down in November of 2014. If you need a refresher on how that unfolded, here's a recap.