By Joe Bonadio

Juve Carrillo opened Panuchos taqueria in North Beach way back in the Summer of 2016, serving authentic poc chuc, cochinita and a slew of other Yucatan specialties out of a closet-sized space on Broadway. If you’re a regular reader here, you already know the food was out of this world, and with Panuchos the young chef quickly had the neighborhood’s full attention.

We met shortly after Carrillo opened the doors there, and before long I was helping him assemble Panuchos first menu, then featuring the restaurant here on the blog. Within less than a year, Carrillo was already opening his second restaurant, Taqueria Los Mayas, on Clement Street in the Inner Richmond.

New menu at Violet's

Tuna crusted with sesame seeds with platanos maduros, mashed potato and papaya salad is just one of the stunning new dishes on the menu at Violet’s. | Photo: Joe Bonadio

With the help of Chef Marco Mendoza Correon, Taqueria Los Mayas  soon became a beacon for fans of Yucatan-style Mexican food, and armed with a fresh nod from Food Network, Carrillo was off to the races. Unfortunately, plagued by endless construction on Broadway, Panuchos was short-lived, but Carrillo was already working on the concept for his third restaurant.

To be called Cantina Los Mayas, it would be a restaurant and wine bar, and the food would be an elevated version of the Yucatan cuisine that Carrillo knew so well. The wine would be one hundred percent Mexican; it would be the first restaurant of its kind in America.

Violet's

Violet’s cozy bar and dining room are an oasis for young Richmond locals. | Photo: Joe Bonadio

For the next two years, Carrillo, his partners and myself would meet to taste through hundreds of Mexican wines. The Mexican wine industry was in the midst of a profound resurgence, and we leaned into the change, working to compose a list that would eventually grow to 70 Mexican bottlings. At the same time, Carrillo and Mendoza Correon were busy in the kitchen, tweaking the platos that would appear on what would soon be the Cantina Los Mayas menu.

Chef Marco at Cantina Los Mayas

Chef Marco Mendoza Correon is the man behind the food at Taqueria Los Mayas, Cantina Los Mayas–and now Violet’s. | Photo: Joe Bonadio

Fast forward to the Summer of 2022, and buoyed by a glowing interview in the San Francisco Chronicle, Cantina Los Mayas would open to bustling crowds and television cameras in the dining room. It was an auspicious debut, and the restaurant was quickly embraced by their burgeoning Inner Richmond neighborhood, and the city at large. Two and a half years later, the Cantina stands as the most well-reviewed Mexican restaurant in the Bay Area, with a stellar 4.9 stars on both Google and Yelp.

The Girls At Violet's

Yessica Puyol and Liza Burns have partnered with Juve Carrillo to take over Violet’s, a popular Richmond bar and eatery. | Photo: Joe Bonadio

Naturally, Carrillo is far from finished. In September the chef joined forces with Liza Burns and Yessica Puyol to acquire Violet’s, a well-established, hyperlocal restaurant/wine bar on 24th and Clement originally opened by the team behind nearby Fiorella. Both Burns and Puyol have worked alongside Carrillo at Cantina Los Mayas from its start, while at the same time working at Violet’s. In fact, the place had become a favorite haunt for the staff at the Cantina. So when Violet’s hit the market last Summer, they decided to jump.

Burns has been at Violet’s since they opened their doors in 2018, and she explains how it all came about. “Jessica and Juve would come and visit me here on their days off, and they were always like:This place is so cute!

“And I didn’t think the owners were looking to sell it, not at all,” Burns says. “But it turned out it was for sale. So we decided to go ahead and throw our money together and buy it!”

Salmon Tiradito at Violet's

The luscious salmon tiradito, composed with beet, mint, Serrano chiles and red onion, is the perfect bite. | Photo: Joe Bonadio

As a certified sommelier, Burns immersed herself in the world of Mexican wine while working at Cantina Los Mayas, and she brings that knowledge along with her to the new iteration of Violet’s. But she is particularly excited about the new menu. “Marco is an incredible chef, just a master in his field. He’s going to really elevate our kitchen, and take us where we want to be with our food,” she says. “We’re going to obviously have a more Latino and Mexican influence on the menu, and we’ll be offering some Mexican wines and liquors.

“We want the food to be at the forefront of what we’re doing here, on par with the cocktail program, which we’ve always been known for,” Burns adds. “Marco will help us get there.”

For her part, Puyol has been in the industry since joining Carrillo at Taqueria Los Mayas, now sister restaurant to Violet’s. As part-owner, now she gets to be a part of Violet’s reimagining. “After we got to know Liza from the Cantina, she invited us to come here after work,” Puyol tells me.

“One day I came with Juve, and after a while we started to become regulars. And whenever we came, Juve would say: I like this place. I like this place a lot. 

“And after a while that became: We should buy it,”  she recalls. “You and Liza can run it, and we’ll help you. It will be for you guys. You are hard workers, and you deserve it.”

Puyol smiles and waves her arm to indicate the room around her. “And here we are.”

Violet's Pork Chop

For those with heartier appetites, Violet’s new pork chop is a knockout. | Photo: Joe Bonadio

While this is Carrillo’s first non-Mexican restaurant, he and Mendoza Correon have nonetheless put an indelible stamp on the Violet’s menu, taking it a step beyond the California fare the restaurant is known for. I’d call it Coastal Pan-Latin cuisine, with the plates taking cues from a wide range of influences, from Spain to Peru, and from Lebanon to the Caribbean.

The flavors are bright, and the combinations can be surprising. Think salmon tiradito with mint, serrano peppers and beet, swimming in a pond of mango puree, or a ‘Cioppino Latino’ brightened up with a hit of Peruvian peppers. Chef Marco stretches out on this menu, and the results are spectacular.

Meanwhile regulars need not fret: the beloved burger and coveted Key Lime pie are still on the menu, and the UltraViolet cocktail is still lighting up the bar. But along with the new food items, you’re also going to see some new cocktail offerings, including a Mezcal Old Fashioned zhuzhed up with chocolate bitters.

The new menu is now live at Violet’s, and judging by the crowd on a recent Thursday night, the locals approve. We’ll look forward to seeing you there soon!

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Violet’s
2301 Clement Street
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 682-4861
https://www.violets-sf.com