Tequilas restaurant in Center City closed ‘till further notice’ after fire

Tequilas, Center City Philadelphia’s longest-running upscale Mexican restaurant, is closed after a stubborn kitchen fire routed staff and customers during dinnertime Thursday — on the eve of the busy Valentine’s weekend.

The extent of damage was unclear from the street Friday, hours after flames and smoke coursed through the building at 1602 Locust St. Firefighters headed to the roof, where residents in nearby high-rises watched as they used axes to dismantle the exhaust fan.

Owner David Suro, preparing to fly back from a business trip to Mexico Friday, said he planned to reopen.

A fire department spokesperson said that although the fire was initially placed under control at 5:38 p.m. — nearly 20 minutes after the first trucks arrived — firefighters later discovered fire in the first- and second-floor ceilings. The fire was ultimately placed under control at 7:39 p.m., the spokesperson said. The cause has not been determined.

“For those of you who haven’t heard, we are sadden to announce our restaurant has caught fire,” the restaurant posted on Instagram. “We want to first thank all of first responder and staff for their quick actions and our loyal customers who have reached out to make sure we are all safe. Most importantly, we are all safe and no persons were harmed. The unknown is scary. We do not know answers, we do not know when we will be back open. We do know the strength we carry within us and we will be okay. Please keep our family and business in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Xoxo.”

Suro, a native of Guadalajara, opened the first incarnation of Tequilas, at 1511 Locust St., in 1986. A year before, he arrived in Philadelphia at age 23 and started working at El Metate, a much more casual Mexican-themed restaurant.

Suro bought the business from longtime restaurateur Harry Shapiro and changed the name to that of his favorite spirit.

In 2001, Suro bought the building at 1602 Locust and moved in Tequilas, briefly calling it Los Catrines.

The building was the home of William Duane, a U.S. Treasury secretary under President Andrew Jackson. It later housed the classic Philadelphia restaurants La Panetiere, where Georges Perrier first cooked in 1967, and later Magnolia Cafe.

» READ MORE: From the archives: A history of Tequilas

Suro told The Inquirer in 2015 that the Baccarat chandelier now in the dining room was given to Duane by heirs of Napoleon’s brother, who lived in Philadelphia.

The vestibule is dominated by a mural depicting Los Catrines — not, as Suro emphasizes, a Day of the Dead motif. They are based on characters created by artist Jose Guadalupe Posada.

Over the years, Suro became an ambassador of tequila and other agave spirits. In 2006, he debuted his own line, called Siembra Azul, and created the Siembra Azul Foundation to help fund local health education and English as a Second Language programs for children of immigrants.