Tequila Escape's restaurant and cocktail bar at 439 Main Street in Ridgefield, Connecticut has closed permanently, capping a run that began in 2019, while the company's second location at 845 Canal Street in Stamford continues to operate, Ridgefield Patch and CT Insider reported this month.
Management announced the closure in a Facebook post rather than through a formal statement, thanking guests, neighbors, and staff for years of dinners, celebrations, and late nights, according to Ridgefield Patch. The post did not give a reason for the shutdown or say what would become of the Main Street storefront.
What the closing announcement said
The Ridgefield location, at 439 Main Street a short walk from the Ridgefield Playhouse, billed itself as a Latin, Mexican, and South American fusion restaurant and cocktail bar offering brunch, lunch, dinner, and late-night food, according to its own website as cited by Ridgefield Patch. In the closing post, ownership described the business as having grown from an initial idea into something larger, writing that it started as "three guys with a dream and the hope of creating something special." The note thanked current and former staff along with the surrounding community, but stopped short of explaining the decision or addressing whether a new tenant would take over the space.
Tequila Escape's history in Ridgefield and Stamford
Tequila Escape opened in Ridgefield in May 2019, founded by three partners, Angel Pena, Stylianos Kakavelis, and Paul Nicovic, all Ridgefield residents at the time, according to Ridgefield Daily Voice's coverage of the opening. The restaurant built its identity around an extensive cocktail and margarita program and food sourced from what it described as sustainable, organic, wild-caught, and grass-fed ingredients, and its bar won several cocktail competitions in the region, Stamford Patch reported.
The company expanded to Stamford's Harbor Point neighborhood on May 5, 2023, choosing Cinco de Mayo for its opening day, according to the Stamford Advocate. The new location, at 845 Canal Street, took over a space previously occupied by Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, which had closed in 2020, Stamford Patch reported. Co-owner Angel Pena told Stamford Patch at the time that the partners had been looking to expand beyond Ridgefield, describing an affection for the town and characterizing it as a smaller market than Stamford. The Stamford menu broadened the original concept to include Peruvian, Argentinian, and Brazilian dishes alongside the Mexican staples served in Ridgefield.
What has not been confirmed about the Ridgefield closure
Neither Ridgefield Patch nor CT Insider reported a specific cause for the shutdown, such as a lease dispute, a sale of the property, or a broader business decision by ownership. No filing, permit notice, or statement from the town of Ridgefield has surfaced describing plans for 439 Main Street. It is also not established whether the closure reflects a standalone decision about the Ridgefield property or a wider shift in the company's operations, since the Stamford restaurant, which is larger and newer, has continued normal service, including recently advertised happy hour and brunch promotions. Tequila Escape has not issued a statement beyond the Facebook post, and the partners have not spoken publicly about the decision since the closing announcement.