Ethan Stowell Ventures Into Mexican With a Big, Casual Fremont Restaurant

Fresh off the opening of downtown’s Cortina, Ethan Stowell Restaurants is diversifying its portfolio of Italian restaurants with Fremont’s Super Bueno, an anticipated Mexican restaurant open today. The venue is actually two dining options in one: Super Bueno opens at 4 p.m. (or 11 a.m. for lunch on weekends) and caters to the dinner crowd with margaritas, boozy slushies, grilled corn, and ceviche, while Super Bueno Cafe serves coffee and breakfast burritos from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Both are located at 3627 Stone Way N.

Suzi Pratt for Eater

Chef Rudolfo Martinez, who was most recently sous chef at disgraced celebrity chef Paul Qui’s Austin restaurant, Qui, is overseeing Super Bueno’s menu. It’s a relatively straightforward collection of Mexican fare most diners will recognize: chicharrones, chilled watermelon salad (with the surprising addition of pop rocks), refried bean dip with tortilla chips, shrimp ceviche, grilled street corn, nachos, and a Mexican chop salad. Tacos come three per order on corn tortillas, with options like fried cod, blackened chicken, carnitas, guajillo chili steak, and carne asada. For dessert, there’s flan with roasted pineapple and vanilla bean, arroz con leche with cinnamon and golden raisins, horchata ice cream with corn shortbread, and churros with caramel-tamarind dipping sauce.

Super Bueno’s happy hour runs daily 4 to 6 p.m., presenting a scaled-down selection at discounted prices. There’s also a “Mom Taco” happy hour option, which consists of a hard corn shell filled with ground beef, shredded cheese, lettuce, and salsa, like the kind mom might’ve made.

The restaurant’s bar is stocked with around 65 tequilas and mezcals, which diners can order in one- or two-ounce pours. Margarita fans will have several options, including house margaritas by the pint or pitcher, and original concoctions flavored with cucumber, red jalapeno, watermelon, or mezcal, and frozen margaritas dispensed from a slushy machine. The beer selection has 10 taps with local and Mexican brews, bottles and cans, and buckets of little Coronitas and High Life Ponies. A handful of other cocktail options, with spirits like bourbon, rye, and vodka, expand the choices for non-tequila drinkers.

Suzi Pratt for Eater

Suzi Pratt for Eater

The Atelier Drome-designed space reflects the tropical menus, with a teal, orange, yellow, and white color palette. White-washed wood walls and large windows also contribute to the brightness of the space. The restaurant consists of multiple dining areas, including a patio facing Stone Way, dining room, large bar, lounge area with couches, and a mezzanine with a gated kids’ play area.

Ethan and Angela Stowell have added other family-friendly aspects, too, like a kids’ menu with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, grilled cheese, and hummus with vegetables.

The downstairs cafe serves espresso, pastries, breakfast burritos, egg sandwiches, salads, and lunch sandwiches starting at 7 a.m. When the restaurant opens (4 p.m. on weekdays, 11 a.m. on weekends), the cafe is closed off and guests enter through the lounge. The patio, mezannine, and kids’ play area are accessible during cafe and restaurant hours.

Suzi Pratt for Eater

As of today, Super Bueno Cafe is open daily 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Super Bueno is open Monday to Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m., Friday 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Super Bueno [Facebook]
• Super Bueno [Official]
• All Coverage of Super Bueno [ESEA]
• Seattle’s 10 Most Anticipated Openings, Spring and Summer 2018 [ESEA]