Mexican bar and restaurant Coyote, a favorite among the Wan Chai crowds, poured its last rounds of frozen margaritas Thursday before closing after 23 years in business.
In a farewell post on Facebook last week, the nightlife icon cited business challenges over the last two years.
“For over 20 years Coyote Wan Chai has proudly offered a true ‘taste of Mexico’ in the heart of Wan Chai and it is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of the restaurant,” Coyote wrote.
The bar opened on Lockhart Road in 1999, its splashy pink shopfront and neon sign making it an easily identifiable rendezvous point among the sea of pubs on the street.
Known for its giant fishbowl-sized margaritas and selfie-friendly sombreros, Coyote was a go-to pitstop for an evening out in the nightlife district.
It’s not a permanent goodbye, however—Coyote said it is searching for another location. Its restaurant in Discovery Bay also remains open.
“[We] are already looking for a new home in HK for the restaurant that has been a Hong Kong institution since 1999,” the bar wrote on Facebook.
Coyote’s closing announcement on social media prompted a wave of nostalgic comments. “Cheers!!!! You were my first place [when I] just arrived in HK,” one person wrote, sharing a picture of a CoronaRita—a salt-rimmed margarita glass with a Corona beer overturned in it.
Another Facebook user wrote: “Cheers for 20 years! Till we meet again.”
Read more: Flying Pan, Hong Kong’s beloved 24-hour diner, closes after 17 years in business
