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Three months after Knead Bakery closed, the space at 294 North Winooski Avenue in Burlington's Old North End is a vegan restaurant once again. Chef-owner David Quintana and chef Jeff Hodgdon launched Despacito with a soft opening in mid-December; they're targeting a grand opening on Saturday, January 14.
The co-chefs are cooking up a menu of both "vegan junk food and elevated vegan dishes," Quintana said.
"It's a fun, tapas-style, creative take on things," Hodgdon added.
So far, dinner service has featured small plates such as Buffalo cauliflower, beet tartare and kimchi sliders on housemade buns, as well as larger, shareable dishes such as a tofu plate. Most menu items cost $10 or less, and many are gluten free.
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- Empanazza (pizza empanadas)
Both Quintana and Hodgdon come from the mobile food biz world; Quintana has run the Burlington-based Dos Feos vegan food truck since 2019, and Hodgdon founded seitan company the New Deal in 2018, launching a food cart in 2022. The two chefs met while working at Winooski's Mule Bar last winter.
A brick-and-mortar restaurant was always Quintana's goal, he said, though he will continue to run Dos Feos in the warmer months. Like the food truck, the Despacito menu nods to his Puerto Rican roots, offering empanadas, mofongo, picadillo made with Impossible Burger and coconut flan.
Quintana and Hodgdon will complement their dinner service with beer, wine and mocktails. They've opened up the space to add seating and plan to offer entertainment in the future.
Daytime café service is in the works, too. Despacito will partner with Middlebury's Iluminar Coffee Roasters to source Puerto Rican beans.
"We're trying to get the pieces together to open up the café," Quintana said. "That's what the community was used to," he added, referring to the café service at Knead Bakery. "I get it."