Capitol Hill Tequila Bar The Saint Flaunts a Hot-Pink Makeover

Following a three-month hiatus, Capitol Hill’s turquoise tequila and taco bar, The Saint, reopened December 15 with significant aesthetic changes and new cocktails in place of its taco menu. Now, the restaurant sports a hot-pink paint job outside, a revamped interior, and new cocktail offerings well beyond those based around tequila.

Owner Quentin Ertel drew inspiration for the new design from a matador’s jacket, with a gold, black, and pink color scheme. The wall of black-and-white matador pictures remains, but it’s now accented with pink flowers. The interior has gone from tropical to black-and-gold, and there’s now a DJ booth for special event nights. Additional touches like burgundy velvet drapes, a tin ceiling painted bronze, and vintage bull horns help remake the space.

As for the drinks, there’s plenty of tequila and mezcal as before, but Ertel has added classic and original cocktails with other base spirits, like gin, absinthe, rye, rum, and vermouth. The tacos, queso fundido, and other food items are nowhere to be found.

The Saint originally opened in April 2008. It closed for renovations this September, but the tacos prepared by chef Álvaro Candela since 2014 have been gone for a while.