(Image: Colibri Mexican Kitchen)
It’s a family venture at 12th Ave’s new Colibri Mexican Kitchen where uncle Ricardo’s dream of owning his own restaurant has come true.
“We are going to pour our love into it,” Celeste Bakr tells CHS about the new addition to Capitol Hill’s rich Mexican dining scene in the 12th Ave space previously home to vegan dining legend Plum Bistro.
While Colibri doesn’t feature any nods to the space’s vegan past, Bakr says her diners will find the Mexican kitchen “brings something a little different” with large portions and full plates that echo traditions of plenty.
“It’s typical in Mexico to serve lots of food — a love language,” Bakr says.
The new restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner.
Colibri pairs the first-time restaurant owner husband and wife team of Bakr and Jose Larios with their restaurant veteran uncle.
Ricardo Castaneda-Garcia has been working in the industry for decades with hopes of starting his own place. After he saw Larios and Bakr rise to the challenge and succeed with their Elite Boxing gym they started last year in Kent, Castaneda-Garcia made a pitch for a family restaurant business and the search for a location began.
Bakr said they were looking all around the areas outside of Seattle when she came to tour a possible location in the city. That spot was a bust but an agent suggested Bakr check out one more space on Capitol Hill that had just come open. The emptied Plum Bistro felt immediately like home.
“As soon as I walked in, I said this was our spot.”
As for the name, that goes back to Uncle Ricardo’s personal connection growing up with the busy-winged buzz of hummingbirds.
Bakr says she believes they beat out seven or eight other restaurant proposals for the space in Liz Dunn’s 12th Ave Piston & Ring building. Dunn’s blessing is a pretty good sign as the longtime Capitol Hill developer has fostered mostly long-running food and drink ventures in her projects on the block including veterans La Spiga next door to the new Colibri.
The arrival of Colibri, meanwhile, comes as Indian restaurant and bar Mint & Martini has moved into the space across 12th Ave where upscale Mexican joint Barrio closed after 16 years in 2024.
Bakr says her spot on 12th is working out great and she is glad to have Colibri be part of the diversity on the block. “The neighborhood is very colorful,” she says. “I have lots of options when I get tired of Mexican food.”
Colibri Mexican Kitchen is located at 1429 12th Ave. Learn more at seattlecolibri.com.
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