The ongoing saga in the sale of Nati’s Mexican Restaurant took a strange twist this week when the Peninsula Beacon learned the sale has apparently not been completed as previously reported.
Information obtained from a Point Loma resident, who was a regular patron of Nati’s, and works with property titles as part of their job, supports this claim. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they described checking on the title to the Nati’s property last week and finding the owner listed as “Nati’s Inc.,” the same designation on the title since the early 1970s.
The supposed new owners of the property have been extremely secretive about purchasing the property for a reported price of $5.7 million. When last questioned by a Peninsula Beacon reporter, the alleged purchasers would not confirm the purchase but promised “a press release” to explain their plans.
Swirling rumors have mentioned a new outlet for the Pop Pie Co., currently located at 4404 Park Blvd. in University Heights. The owners of this restaurant were confirmed as the purchasers by a relative of Nati’s previous owners. Pop Pie Co. founders are Steven Torres and Gan Suebsarakham.
This pair has also announced a new venture, Stella Jean’s Ice Cream, adjacent to Pop Pie Co., set to open this month.
Other rumors have the purchasers planning to erect a condominium or apartment building on the site, which includes the shops fronting Nati’s patio, the parking lot and building to the west adjoining the parking lot.
The new owners had originally promised previous Nati’s owners they planned to first remodel the restaurant before re-opening with the sale-included original recipes and employees. That, however, never happened and the restaurant was closed on June 7, reportedly after the close of escrow had taken place.
Since the closing, a paid parking station has been set up in the Nati’s lot with prices of $5 per hour. A padlock hangs on the red wrought iron gate from the parking lot. The restaurant building has remained untouched and recently brown paper was placed inside the windows and doors to obscure the interior.
