Since it opened four months ago, Murales, at 18th and Mission streets, has operated as a wine and tapas bar. Starting this weekend, it will be open for brunch.
The tapas menu will expand on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to serve chilaquiles, tamales, molletes and pan dulce. And, on Saturday night, the space will make its debut as part of MAPP, the Mission Arts and Performance Project, a bi-monthly community event where local businesses, and sometimes residents, open their spaces for performances. At Murales, there will be a live salsa band playing from 8 to 9:30 p.m.
The owners — Hector Cortes from Mexico, and a business partner from Peru and another from Puerto Rico — hope the space can become a beacon for the Mission and arts community, Latinx and non-Latinx locals alike. At first, Cortes said, the owners hoped to rotate murals in the establishment every few months. But, after conversations with the community, they decided to instead rotate the work of local artists.
At the moment, paintings by Susana Gómez, a Mission visual and collage artist, are being featured.
The restaurant’s name comes from Cortes’ memory of seeing a mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros at the University of Mexico City for the first time in 1999. The mural “El Pueblo a la universidad, la universidad al pueblo,” shows five students leaning forward with open books, a representation of knowledge passing from the university to the Mexican people. He remembered the mural’s power when it came time to name the restaurant.
The bar has, of course, a mural of its own, which is located above its entrance. The piece shows the Aztecs’ spotting of the eagle with a serpent that legend says gave birth to the Mayan city of Tenochtitlan — today, Mexico City — with the pyramid Chichen Itza on the side, the Aztec calendar, and a jaguar, an animal sacred to the Aztecs.
The name pays homage to the emotions and impact Cortes felt 26 years ago when he stood in front of the Siqueiros mural: Give knowledge and receive knowledge back.
In their own way, they, too, would like to give back to the community by championing art and food.
The restaurant exclusively offers Latin American bottles. The current menu is composed of eight Mexican wines — three from Guanajuato, three from Queretaro and two from the Valle de Guadalupe — plus an Uruguayan red from the region of Canelones. Bolivian offerings will arrive soon.
The bar’s tapas menu features Oaxacan queso fundido, a blend of Oaxacan melted cheese with chorizo, onion and peppers; red pozole; ceviche; leche de tigre and Peruvian empanadas, with Argentinian and Chilean empanadas coming soon.
The three owners want to celebrate and elevate Latin American flavors by blending seasonings and dishes from across the region. One example: The Peruvian empanadas with lomo saltado are served with Mexican salsas.
Salsas, Cortes said, remind customers of their home countries.
The bar also serves beers, cocktails and even Mexican ice-cream bars.
“A customer told me that the ice-cream bar reminded her of the one her grandma bought for her every time they went to the market,” said Cortes with a smile. “It makes me feel great that we can transport people to those special places.”
