[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written and submitted by a verified Burien resident. It represents the opinion of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views of South King Media or its staff. The news article referenced in this letter was based on information released by the Burien Police Department/King County Sheriff’s Office, and can be read here.]
Dear Editor at Burien Blog,
We are aware of the recent article mentioning El Pique Peruvian & Mexican Restaurant in connection with an incident that occurred in the parking lot.
El Pique is a hardworking, family-run restaurant with no connection whatsoever to the individual arrested. We do not tolerate any illegal activity on or near our premises. For years, our team has proudly welcomed families and neighbors from across Burien, treating every guest with dignity and respect.
We are fully cooperating with law enforcement and support the prosecution of the suspect to the fullest extent of the law. At the same time, we have already taken additional measures to further protect our customers, employees, and neighbors—expanding security cameras, improving lighting, enhancing staff training, and enforcing a strict no-loitering policy.
Our family is deeply committed to this community. We love Burien, and we want to continue serving as a safe, welcoming place for everyone. We welcome regular police patrols and will keep working closely with city and county partners to help keep our streets safe.
While many in our region face challenges such as addiction and homelessness, we believe the solution requires compassion, accountability, and collaboration from all of us—businesses, residents, service providers, and law enforcement alike.
We have worked too hard to build our reputation to allow anyone’s criminal behavior to cast a shadow over our business or our community. We ask readers not to conflate the actions of one individual with the values of our family or our restaurant.
With respect,
Eugenio Vallejos & Adita Villalobos
Owner/Manager, El Pique Peruvian & Mexican Restaurant
14445 Ambaum Blvd SW, Burien, WA
206-243-8260
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I drive by El Pique at night quite often. This letter seems a little desperate. I was coming home from work early Sunday morning and at 2am people were arrive to go into El Pique. Other times close to 3am I see people stumbling out quite drunk. Far after legal closing time. There have been shootings there almost every year since they opened including what can only be called an intentional murder of someone in their parking lot.
Well sounds like you should contact the liquor and cannabis control broad and file a complaint . Not just post a comment on a blog about these issues . If you like see them lose there liquor licensee for these issues . If they can get a few reports from different people explaining the problems . It might help to fix the problems .
El Pique, Thank you for this letter, though we have never eaten at your establishment (yet) we have always thought it would be a tasty place to eat. WAIT we have one time, when you had the charcoal chicken in the parking lot. Again, thank you for the letter and remember everyone, this November’s election who you vote for we need to keep moving forward in a good direction and not going Moore, Mendez, Rocco, Garcia in the backwards direction.
They have no idea of what’s going on in their restaurant/nightclub and it’s been going on for years? Maybe have better lighting and cameras after someone was murdered in your parking lot not just now when you’re getting bad press. This letter is so desperate and hides from the truth. The previous article only report what the police is telling the author that the drug trafficker was selling in their restaurant. Why even let this letter be publish when there was nothing incorrect about the article?
The letter explicitly states: “we have already taken additional measures to further protect our customers, employees, and neighbors—expanding security cameras, improving lighting, enhancing staff training, and enforcing a strict no-loitering policy.”
This letter doesn’t seem to have been submitted as a “correction” and doesn’t insinuate that the previous article was incorrect.
Yeah I doubt they did, this letter is so chatgpt coded those short dashes gave it away. Using chatgpt to help them come up with a letter to save their image but can’t deny the place is sketchy for years. This is not a family friendly place if it turns into a nightclub way into closing time. Also, burien blog did not name them first, it was King County Sheriff department.
It would be great if this was just a family restaurant. But it’s nowhere close to that. The PR company or AI that wrote this letter is good. El Pique is a nightclub. For a couple of years they had an illegal grilled chicken operation in their parking lot that was finally closed by the Health Department for several violations including no handwashing station or refrigeration. But make no mistake, this is a nightclub rife with drugs, over-service, and after hours service. Years of shootings and other issues. You can see how they run their restaurant by checking out their health inspections and this is how they run their nightclub too – https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/food-safety/search-restaurant-safety-ratings#/details/PR0011484
Click on the + button and check out their violations. Scary.
WOW we never knew it was a crazy place at nightfall. But we are old and don’t get out much after 6pm. Hahaha! But my comment still stands…November is right around the corner think long and hard on who you will vote in for the City of Burien and like my user name states, I lived in Burien for 69 yrs, we don’t need anymore recklessness like it had been last year.
I appreciate the gesture, but I’m not sure how genuine it is. Like others have said, I live very close to El Pique and the after hours activities have been sketchy for years. Super drunk people milling about, reports of gunshots and a murder in the parking lot.
I’d say a better gesture would be to not use the space as a night club when dinner hours are over.
Regardless of the latest negative event on top of all the others affecting this business, I was scammed by a server and have never returned. They can spin this however they want but it’s sketchy there and history doesn’t lie.