Bill Silverfarb/Daily Journal A couple reads that Tres Amigos has shut down on B Street in San Mateo after operating in the same location for 25 years.
	Bill Silverfarb/Daily Journal

Tres Amigos in downtown San Mateo served its last tacos Christmas Day and has closed after operating on B Street for more than 25 years.

The taqueira lost its lease, Salvador Valle told the Daily Journal yesterday. Valle is one of the "three amigos” and he and his partners are currently looking for another location downtown. They currently have two other restaurants on Norfolk Street in San Mateo and Cabrillo Highway in Half Moon Bay.

The building on B Street, next to the Century Theatres, recently was sold and the new owners are currently remodeling the space. Valle and his partners would have liked to have purchased the building themselves but instead are looking for other locations downtown to possibly open another eatery.

Tres Amigos relied on word-of-mouth to attract new customers, Valle said.

"I am so thankful to our loyal supporters over the years,” he said.

Downtown San Mateo has more than 140 restaurants currently and is being promoted as a destination for foodies. The former B Street Billiards has now been transformed into Vault 164, an upscale eatery owned by Dennis Berkowitz, who also owns the Max’s Restaurant company.

Other new restaurants that have opened on B Street in the past year or so include Curry Up Now, Street Food and Gangnam Chicken.

Pancho Villa, one of Tres Amigos’ biggest competitors downtown, is set to possibly expand on B Street as the owners bought the building they once leased and closed the doors on a small coffee shop that once leased space in the building.

Downtown’s atmosphere is what Valle and his partners appreciated most about San Mateo and is why they want to open up another restaurant in the area.

Bill Silverfarb can be reached by email: silverfarb@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.