El Chupacabra is the newest restaurant set to open in West Seattle on Alki at 2620 Alki Ave. s.w. on Friday April 8. A soft open is expected on Thursday the 7th.

A casual mexican restaurant with no menu item over $10 they specialize in three things: Cocktails, burritos and tacos.

Owner Aaron Wright has owned El Chupacabra in Greenwood for six years and planned to open the new on March 16 but things got delayed. The Casa Feliz is the former tenant in that space.

Wright worked at Linda's Tavern on Pike Street and began as a bus boy, working his way up to become the Bar Manager.

Why is Wright moving into West Seattle? He's very confident that his combination fo elements will work here as it has up north. "It's really good food, we offer a lot of vegan and vegetarian options. We have vegan cheese and you can't get a vegan enchilada anywhere in the city. We have "fake steak" that looks like steak and cooks up like steak, it's delicious. Everything we do is homemade."

While he has hired "three or four new people" Wright's entire staff is also going to work some shifts at the Alki location.

El Chupcabra will seat 50 inside and 35 on the patio. There's a full service bar and the back bar itself is truly special. It's an antique Budweiser 1934 African Ribbon Mahogany. It's identical to the one in Greenwood. The bar surface is polished concrete 2 inches thick and can seat 20.

While no food items exceed $10 (aside from specials) the cocktails could, since they will also serve call brands like Patron Tequila. It's likely part of why they were voted the best margarita in Seattle by AOL, CitySearch and others. "We were also voted best jukebox in the city by The Stranger," Wright offered," and we've duplicated that here too." They will also offer a number of Mexican beers on tap including Pacifico for the first time ever in Washington state.

Their signature meal item is a steak burrito with enchilada sauce made with avocado slices, steak, beans, cheese and it's $6. "It's a really good deal," said Wright. Homemade tamales are wrapped in banana leaves to add some character to the flavor. Wright describes the menu as "alternative Mexican food."

The decor in the new restaurant is based on the "Day of the Dead" from Mexico. "I just love all the skulls," said Wright though there are other highlights including some highly questionable wall paper made from a poster he liked (hint: there's some nudity involved that may end up being slightly censored), and a special VIP booth up front with a window on the sunset.

The name of course is after a legendary and most likely mythical creature supposedly seen in places much further south than Seattle. "I just like the Chupacabra," said Wright, "It's like the Mexican sasquatch. It's cool. I believe they are real and as soon as I see one I'll be sure of it." He's even considering getting a Chupacabra tattoo.

El Chupacabra will be open at 11:30 am Monday through Saturday with a Sunday Brunch for $6.95 starting at 10:00 am.