/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71148431/68686685_676383842830185_8799282825699262464_n.0.jpg)
Tio Pepe, the Portuguese-style fast-casual chicken restaurant up in the Linc, is now closed permanently. The restaurant’s last day at 6406 North I-35 was sometime in July.
Owner Pepe Garcia announced his restaurant’s shutter through a newsletter, citing that while Tip “made it through COVID thanks to everyone’s support,” it was “extremely hard to keep up with the demanding lifestyle of owning a restaurant, working full-time, and starting a family.”
The restaurant served grilled Portuguese-style chicken, available by the quarter, half, or whole, paired with peri-peri sauces, a citrusy spicy condiment. Rounding out the meals are fries, cilantro rice, and grilled vegetables, plus desserts and other sides.
Garcia opened the restaurant in November 2018, because he wanted to start his own business and fell in love with peri-peri sauces during a trip to Portugal.
Despite the shutter, Garcia is still selling retail bottles of Tio’s various peri-peri sauces, ranging from mild to lemon-herb flavors.