A new Mexican restaurant for Brady St.

The former Cempazuchi space on Brady Street won't be empty much longer. The owners of C-viche in Bay View plan to open Kompali, a taqueria and bar serving mezcal and tequila.

Kompali means compadres or friends in Nahuatl, an indigenous Mexican dialect; the name refers to owners Karlos Soriano and Paco Villar.

"We just couldn't say no to a great opportunity to be on Brady Street," Soriano said. Cempazuchi, the longtime regional-Mexican restaurant, closed in January at 1205 E. Brady.

Kompali could open as soon as late September, after the dining room is remodeled. The 16-seat bar will be updated, the walls painted and artwork hung. A small lounge will be on one side of the restaurant and a dining area on the other where families can feel comfortable, Soriano said.  

Soriano said the restaurant will sell traditional and modern tacos ranging from $2 to $4 for items such as braised lamb. The modern tacos will incorporate international dishes, such as Peru's lomo saltado. 

"Don't be surprised if we come out with a Jamaican taco," Soriano said.

The menu will have rice and beans a la carte, and it will list some shareable appetizers, such as guacamole and esquites, the corn salad.

Traditional tacos will be served on house-made, blue-corn tortillas; the modern tacos will be served on regular corn tortillas. The restaurant won't have flour tortillas. 

The idea for Kompali grew out of Taco Tuesdays at C-viche, Soriano said. "It's one of our busiest days," he said, when the restaurant serves scallop, shrimp and fish tacos, along with tacos such as Argentine-style steak marinated in chimichurri. Those will be on the menu at Kompali, as well.

Recipes for dishes such as beans, tripe and tongue will be based on recipes from Villar's family, Soriano said.

The bar will make mezcal and tequila cocktails, including some crafted with dry ice or served on ice balls, Villar said. Cocktails might include smoky mezcal with the aperitif Aperol, and mezcal Old Fashioneds.

Customers also will be able to try mezcal by the flight, Villar said.

Kompali is expected to be open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight. The kitchen would stay open until the bar closes. 

"We don't want to deny tacos to anybody," Soriano said.

Sunday brunch with a menu of Mexican dishes is expected to start a few months after Kompali opens.

Soriano and Villar credited building owner Julilly Kohler with helping to get the new restaurant rolling. "She was so supportive of the idea," Soriano said. 

"It's good to have people who really believe in you," he added.