Copita Tequileria y Comida began as a bet between friends who were on vacation.
As they cruised off the coast of Mexico, there was a difference of opinion over who made the best margarita: Joanne Weir, the celebrity chef who has been a staple of PBS for decades and whose cookbooks include Tequila: a guide to Types, Flights, Cocktails and Bites (Ten Speed Press, 2009), or Larry Mindel, who founded the Il Fornaio restaurant and bakery company along with dozens of unique restaurants in his 40-year career.
“You make your margarita, and I’ll make you mine. Then we’ll see whose is better,” Joanne challenged Larry.
“Deal,” Larry said, thumbing through Joanne’s newest cookbook. “Tequila is my favorite spirit.”
“Mine, too!” Joanne agreed.
Joanne sampled Larry’s version and was surprised by the kick. Larry’s margarita was definitely “tequila-forward.”
Larry took a sip of Joanne’s rendition and paused. He took another sip as perused Tequila intently. As he finished Joanne’s margarita, he practically shouted, “this truly is the best margarita I’ve ever taste!” He put his glass down and asked Joanne, “if I ever find a location to open a Mexican restaurant, would you be my partner?”
Joanne had just finished two, maybe three, margaritas, so she boldly replied, “sure!”
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A couple of months passed. The restaurant conversation vanished into a haze of tequila and vacation memories. Then one morning the phone rang.
“Joanne, I found the perfect place for us,” Larry’s voice on the line announced.
“A place? A place for what?” she remembers asking.
“A Mexican restaurant, remember? The margarita contest?” Larry urged. “When do you want to talk?”
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They stepped into an empty restaurant in Sausalito, just across the majestic Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. It wasn’t a big space; if it had been, it would have been too much for both partners. But this small 1,800 square-foot space, with a long mahogany bar on one side and an open fireplace, felt intimate, warm and inviting. It felt like “home!”
Larry and Joanne transformed the space into Copita: terracotta beeswaxed walls, hand-painted Mexican tiles in twilight blue and white surrounding the fireplace, sea foam green translucent tiles lining the bar, dark wooden floors, a blue and white hand-embroidered Oaxacan Otomi tapestry along the banquette, and a commissioned painting of a jimador, the man who tends the agave fields, by artist Jay Mercado centered on the wall.
To give the restaurant the light, bright atmosphere, the entire front wall was removed and replaced with folding glass doors. The indoor-outdoor space blended seamlessly, the feel of the restaurant was just right - Mexico City meets Sausalito Bay.
To this day, the results of the original margarita competition remain in dispute. That’s what happens when you sip tequila! However, the results of the partnership are clear. Copita Tequileria y Comida opened on Cinco de Mayo in 2012 and has been a hit with locals and tourists alike ever since. The second Copita Tequileria y Comida opened in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose in November 2023 complete with a rooftop bar and the same Otomi blue and white Oaxacan design, this time with gorgeous tiles along the Rooftop bar. And to think… it all started with a Margarita.