El Gaucho Hospitality Receives National Restaurant Neighbor Award,
Gifts Prize Money To Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission | April 17, 2013
OLYMPIA, Wash.—The WRA is proud to congratulate El Gaucho Hospitality for receiving the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) 2013 Restaurant Neighbor Award. The iconic Puget Sound restaurant was honored in Washington D.C. today during the NRA’s Public Affairs Conference in Washington D.C., where El Gaucho Hospitality owner Paul Mackay accepted the award....
Read Article >   |    View Video >

El Gaucho Hospitality’s Chad Mackay is named the Washington Restaurant Association’s
2012 Full Service Operator of the Year | January 17, 2013
The Washington Restaurant Association (WRA) this week honored Chad Mackay, president and chief operating officer of El Gaucho Hospitality, as its 2012 Full Service Operator of the Year, for his extraordinary service within the industry, the community and beyond.... Read Article >

El Gaucho Hospitality named Washington State Wine Commission’s
2012 Restaurant Group of the Year | January 14, 2013
Washington State Wine Awards toast people, places that make wine shine
After a decade of honoring restaurants, the Washington State Wine Commission expanded its prestigious award program to celebrate additional industries and individuals whose work raises the profile of Washington State wine throughout the state and beyond...
Read Article >

Eat, Play, and Stay on the Waterfront | April 17, 2013
Follow up article of Taste Washington in the Puget Sound Business Journal.
The Seattle Met highlights the Seattle Waterfront and AQUA is first on the list in the article “Eat, Play, and Stay on the Waterfront” Read Article >

Serious Eats: Drinks in the “Somm Sez”
"I like a sparkling wine or a crisp citrusy white, such as Vinho verde from Portugal. And always, what most Sommeliers agree: Champagne goes with everything." —Lee Spires, AQUA by El Gaucho (Seattle)
View >

Blog Posts reviewing recent visits to El Gaucho Seattle:
view Sound Living Seattle Blog >
view Once Upon a Bite Blog >

The Best of Bellevue Haute Picks
El Gaucho Bellevue was recently voted The Best Power Lunch spot for the 4th year in the “The Best of Bellevue Haute Picks” sponsored by the Bellevue Downtown Association. They also received runner up in the following categories: Most Romantic Dinner, Best Cocktail (The Gaucho Cosmo), and Best Wine List.

Chad Mackay and Ken Sharp were on King TV morning news with Christie Johnson
to promote Taste Washington.

Restaurants share the spotlight with wine at Taste Washington | March 25, 2013
Follow up article of Taste Washington in the Puget Sound Business Journal.
Most popular – The Taylor Shellfish and Aqua by El Gaucho oyster bar, shucking and serving unlimited quantities of fresh oysters.
Read Article >

Beverage Media Group interview with Lee Spiresn | March 27, 2013
Lee Spires, Asst. General Manager and Wine Captain at AQUA by El Gaucho, interviewed by Beverage Media Group and
included in their newsletter... Read Interview >

Bellevue Downtown Magazine recommends El Gaucho | Spring 2013
El Gaucho Bellevue listed in Bellevue Downtown Publication as a place to have a date night.
Located on page 4 of the linked magazine pdf. Read Article >

New Local Spirits, Tasting Parties and Other Drinking News | March 7, 2013
El Gaucho is a "Society Spot" for Scotch. All Scotch lovers, perk up. Seattle’s revered restaurant El Gaucho was recently named one of three “Society Spots” by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. What does that mean? That the bar in the restaurant now has a number of rare and limited-edition scotches that up until recently have only been available to members of the Society, and that patrons of El Gaucho can now sample these exclusive tipples. An interesting side note: Seattle has the most Scotch drinkers per capita in the United States. If you’re one of them, then head down to the restaurant for your Scotch fix... Read Article >

BETTER BURGERS | February 28, 2013
When it comes to burgers, sometimes it’s fine to go gourmet. The El Gaucho Burger (2119 Pacific Ave., Tacoma) is a half-pound of Certified Angus Beef, Niman Ranch allnatural bacon, pepper jack cheese, chipotle aioli, lettuce, tomato and onion, served with a side of fries. Priced just right at $10 during happy hour... Read Article >

El Gaucho Tacoma celebrates Murray Morgan Bridge Week | February 12, 2013
Weekly Volcano— What makes dining at a bar awesome? Is it the drinks themselves, coming fast and fresh and teetering on a long communal bar? The ease of eavesdropping or starting a conversation with the women by your side? Dining under twinkly lights with live music in the background? Is it dining where the bartender knows "your" drink?... Read Article >

Piano man has no shortage of job offers, gigs | February 9, 2013
The News Tribune— Juan Perez shares a champagne toast celebrating his new gig playing piano at El Gaucho restaurant Monday. A group who had heard about him starting at El Gaucho reserved the seating around the glass-topped piano to welcome him after he was laid off from playing piano at Nordstrom... Read Article >

Q&A: Chad Mackay of Mackay Restaurants | February 4, 2013
Portland Business Journal—Q&A: Chad Mackay of Mackay Restaurants on the recession, liquor sales and entrepreneurship.
Read Article >

Former piano player at Tacoma Mall Nordstrom quickly finds new job, performing at El Gaucho | January 29, 2013
The News Tribune— Juan Perez has a new job. He had played piano on the main floor at the Tacoma Mall Nordstrom store for 27 years, and he heard just over a week ago that the store was going in a more “modern” direction and would offer its customers recorded music instead. In a story in Monday’s edition of The News Tribune, Perez said that his real ambition was to play at the upscale El Gaucho restaurant in downtown Tacoma.El Gaucho general manager James Capangpangan asked Tuesday morning for contact information. A few hours later, Perez confirmed that he had received an offer.... Read Article >

Happy Hour Hug: El Gaucho Tacoma has late-night deals daily | January 28, 2013
Weekly Volcano— Late-night happy hour? Yes, please! In December 2012 El Gaucho Tacoma quielty extended its happy hour for its regulars to enjoy. It now offers happy hour prices from 4 p.m. to close Sunday-Thursday, 4-6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close Friday and 9 p.m. to close Saturday. For those who have never experienced El Gaucho's happy hour, it's for those who enjoy discounted gourmet food in a dimly-lit, fine-dining atmosphere with live piano music and not a cardboard-crusted pizza delivered by a stoner in a stained shirt in sight... Read Article >

The Inn at El Gaucho | January 17, 2013
Oyster.com— names The INN at El Gaucho a “Seattle Hot Spot,” and highlights the Inn in this video.. View Video >

Slurpless in Seattle | January 16, 2013
No Umbrella The Seattle Travel Blog— On Pier 70, AQUA by El Gaucho offers an elegant bar and happy hour menu with fresh, seasonal Taylor Shellfish Farms oysters. Or, try the halibut ceviche or Ahi tuna tartar. If the stunning Elliott Bay view is as close to the sea as you want to be, go for turf – steak and frites. Read Article >

Drinks Highlighted Lee Spires of AQUA by El Gaucho
Serious Eats— For most pizza, I feel that the dominating factor would be the sauce, or the interaction between the sauce, dough, and cheese. I like to go back to the origins of pizza for the pizza pairing challenge. The Sangiovese grape is one that speaks to me when I think of Italy.... Read Article >

Hail Caesar — Where to get the emperor of salads | December 12, 2012
Even the most carnivorous among us concede there’s something special about a Caesar salad.
Willamette Week, El Gaucho Portland — It could be a nostalgic association with haute tableside service, or perhaps it’s the body’s occasional hankering for something raw and green. More likely, the core attraction is the synergistic combination of tastes and textures found in the supreme salad course... Read Article >

Happy Hour at El Gaucho | December 16, 2012
The Stranger— If you’ve never been to El Gaucho, that’s understandable—it’s so fancy, the booths are trimmed with mink, uniformed employees escort the ladies to the restroom, and a steak costs approximately one arm and half a leg. But it’s a real-deal, old-school Seattle experience—one you can have on the cheap during happy hour in the lounge, which goes all night long on Sunday and Monday... Read Article >

Best Downtown Seattle Holiday Hotel Packages | November 30, 2012
Looking to get away and pamper yourself for a weekend during the holidays?
CBS Seattle— Enjoy a Belltown Junior Suite package for a memorable night at The Inn at El Gaucho withe their New Year’s Eve Package, available December 30, 2012 through January 1, 2013. Located in Seattle’s ultra-hip Belltown district, the Inn is minutes away from landmarks such as the Pike Place Market and the Space Needle. Read Article >

THE STATE OF DINING ON THE EASTSIDE | November 1, 2012
425 Magazine— Joe Vilardi has seen the Eastside restaurant industry mature from the nerd table to the jock table in 14 years in business at Bis on Main, the new American bistro he founded in Old Bellevue in 1998. “We had some part in convincing Eastsiders to dine in Bellevue,” Vilardi said. “We showed them that it wasn’t tacky, that you weren’t a loser if you dined in Bellevue.” Read Article >

AQUA — Top 10 seafood restaurants in the US | October 23, 2012
Fox News— At Seattle's elegant waterfront restaurant Aqua by El Gaucho, seafood entrées cover all continents and include a 16-ounce Maine lobster tail, roasted black cod and a Thai seafood curry stew with a fragrant coconut ginger broth.
Read Article >

Bellevue: El Gaucho's Tribute Burger, the 410 | October 1, 2012
It seems crazy to order a burger at a steak restaurant...
Serious Eats— It seems crazy to order a burger at a steak restaurant—why grind up a perfectly good cut of meat? But at Bellevue's steakhouse El Gaucho, they put the same attention on their custom-ground, dry-aged 410 Burger as they would a juicy porterhouse, and if you visit during happy hour, you can get it for $9. It's not just about bargain dining—the 410 is a well-made burger, and having it a cushy lounge.... Read Article >

VIEW OUR PRESS ARCHIVES ≫