The King and Queen Cantina in West Hollywood has shut its doors less than a year after opening. The establishment, part of the Mr. Tempo franchise, was known for its unique blend of Latin flavors and a farm-to-table experience.
The Cantina, located at 616 Robertson Boulevard, was closed on the 4th of July and has not reopened since. The closure came as a surprise to many, as the restaurant had only been operational for eight months. The Cantina’s employees were seen clearing out the premises, confirming the permanent closure.
The restaurant’s journey in West Hollywood was a brief one. After two years of preparations, the Cantina had its soft opening on November 5, 2022. The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the City of West Hollywood celebrated the grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on January 11, 2023.
The Cantina was the brainchild of Jorge Cueva, also known as Mr. Tempo. Cueva’s vision was to bring a casual yet innovative atmosphere to West Hollywood, combining Mexican influence with international cuisine. The restaurant was also known for its inventive craft cocktails, which consistently received five-star ratings.
Despite the closure, the Cantina’s employees have been offered positions at other King and Queen and Mr Tempo restaurant locations. As for the future, the focus is now on a new location in Whittier, which is expected to open soon.
The closure of the King and Queen Cantina in West Hollywood has not been officially announced on their social media platforms, and the West Hollywood location has been removed from their website.
I hear St, Felix is also closing.
Good. The owner is a douche. He intentionally destroyed the landmarked Pig ‘N Whistle building on Hollywood Blvd. Hope he loses everything.
To be honest, surprised it lasted 8 months!
It was the neon.
LOL. Yup. Too, too much.
I heard he is moving/taking over the PUMP space – anyone know if this is true? also – this place was awful! so loud and trashy
Another one bites the dust. Weho is becoming a very sad place.
Bad business ended this place but wow on your comment. Have you been out recently? The city is electric!
Yup. Out all the time..and just had breakfast with a friend in the desert – ate at Bottega Louie (a nice bright spot). He commented that the north side of SMB looked really dumpy…I didn’t disagree. We’ve lost a lot of businesses that were non-bars and clubs in the last few years that have since become bars and clubs, a lot of which aren’t open during the day. For example… Saint Felix which is not open during the day and then there is The Bayou which is not open during the day, TomTom, Heart…etc. Then you have the businesses that… Read more »
Electric?!? 😂 It’s turned to poo-poo in only a few short years.
JF1/”Enough”
Oh yeah it’s SO sad that this tacky faux-mexican place closed. How will we recover?
This place was just not good. Bad food, bad music, too loud, and empty all the time.
It didn’t fit the neighborhood either.
Why does every place think that music so loud that you can’t even talk to the people you’re with is a good thing? I mean..a dance club with loud music I get. A place where you’re having a meal and you can’t even hear yourself think….? Nuts.
WEHO is losing its tourist luster because of Woke political hacks like Shyne, Erickson and Byers who are ruining what was Boys Town. Another closure in a growing list. You need to see a shrink if you are thinking of opening a business in anti-business West Hollywood or California.
This restaurant was the antithesis of Boystown. “Mr. Tempo” wants to be the Hard Rock Cafe of Mexican Food. His quote. They didn’t know their audience. Weho needs GAY restaurants for locals. We’ve lost Marix, Basix, Tortilla Republic, Cafe de Etoile. And if you go back a few more years, Numbers and Marks. All gay owned, serving a majority guy clientele. There’s NO real restaurant on the Blvd to eat. Pump was the closest we had. Bottega Louie’s not gay, Tom Tom is straight girls. Go around the corner to Sur, Cicconi’s, Catch or Craig’s. Not only are they not… Read more »
Sorry to say but that won’t happen.
Marix, Basix, Tortilla Republic and Cafe de Etoile served a majority guy clientele, eh? That’s rather selective memories on your part, I would have to say, there were plenty of women who dined there which I saw. Numbers was known as a male prostitution clientele establishment, of course. You need to define exactly what a “gay restaurant” actually is. We don’t even have actual gay bars in West Hollywood anymore, they’re all mixed. A gay bar would be something like The Eagle in Silverlake or The Bullet in North Hollywood.
God, do I miss Basics, TR, and Etoile. No one is filling that void.
Yup..that’ what were missing down at that end of SMB.
LOL GAY restaurants huh? What food corresponds to homosexuality? This I gotta hear. Besides frankfurters and tacos.of course.
Please don’t use the closure of an awful 8 month restaurant to bolster your political view. While the city council seems out of touch with local business, nothing would have saved this nightmare of a restaurant.
If they were the only one, I would agree…but it’s not..and the current council has contributed to the overall decline of this city. No doubt about it. Read Larry’s most recent article here on Wehoville. Spot on.
Restaurants close all the time! In fact, plenty of beloved restaurants closed prior to 2020!
This will always happen, no matter if there is a progressive, moderate, or conservative council. Whether minimum wage is increased or stagnant for decades. Restaurants will *always* close. That is the industry-it’s very competitive.
This business didn’t fail because of wOkEnEsS! or city council decisions, this business failed because it was expensive mediocrity which appealed to no one. Stop barfing your MAGA into every conversation you see
Stop declaring MAGA every time you disagree with someone else’s perspective. It’s like crying wolf.
Very ironic considering people like you blame any restaurant closure on the “woke” city council.
If you can’t see that policy directly affects the economy and the quality of life of residents, I can’t help you. Keep sticking up for the same politicians and keep voting the same way. Things are bound to get better doing the same thing over and over. 🙄
My hope is we lose our” tourism luster” as quick as possible. We live here, so I want local luster. Go back to Gardena.
Not surprised