Hola Tacos and Barroco at Pulpo Beer Company in downtown Willoughby to be rebranded

Marah Morrison, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·2 min read

Feb. 12—Amid being closed for repairs due to a water line bursting, the Pulpo Beer Company in downtown Willoughby has been in the process of rebranding Hola Tacos and Barroco.

Located at 3941 Erie St., it was on Jan. 15 that staff walked into a water pipe burst, and it has since been closed.

"It has been a lot of back and forth with insurance companies, and all the features that need to be fixed and the flooring," said Paola Valbuena, the vice president of operations. "Best case scenario, we are looking to open by the weekend of next week. That's being optimistic."

Upon reopening, the business is looking to pair it with the three-year anniversary of the brewery. It was 13 years ago when Valbuena's brother started Barroco in Lakewood, which had a main focus on bringing Columbian food to the community. In 2019, Hola Tacos was created and inspired by food from the streets of Mexico City, which Valbuena describes as yummy and fattening.

It was in 2020 that Valbuena's family found the Erie Street location, which was once a brewery that was no longer operating at the time.

"That's when I came in," she said. "Now, we are rebranding the two we started in the same building we used to have Barroco, Hola Tacos and the brewery. We decided to combine the best of the menus from both places into one. That happened just before we closed."

Additionally, another concept is slated to be opening soon on the second floor of the location. Called The Kraken, the concept will be much like a speakeasy — a bit more private, dark and cozy, Valbuena said.

"It's a little bit of everything that we have come up with while we have been closed," she said. "We wanted to rebrand everything and make sure that everybody understands that Pulpo has their identity as a Latin brewery in Ohio.

"I'm proud to say we are the only Latin brewery in Ohio registered with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce," she added. "It will be year number three and we have a few new beers for the winter season. We are excited to make a big deal about it."

Going forward, the rebranding and the new menu will remain the focus, Valbuena said, as well as partaking in many events.

"We are trying to get Kraken setup and ready for when we are opening," she said. "It's going to be a welcoming environment and we are excited to bring that to the neighborhood."