El Luchador Mexican Restaurant Delivers the Fighting Spirit to Mountain’s Edge

In mid-December, hospitality veteran Andy Hooper took possession of the former Burgerim area in Mountain’s Edge to renovate it into a community Mexican cafe. Four weeks later, he opened El Luchador Mexican Kitchen area + Cantina.

a person sitting at a table in a restaurant: El Luchador Mexican Kitchen + Cantina

© Louiie Victa
El Luchador Mexican Kitchen + Cantina

“We thought it was gonna consider a great deal more time due to the fact of permitting, licensing, and stuff like that but it just flew by,” he suggests.

Hooper initially wanted to make the cafe in a 4,000-square-foot area in a strip shopping mall following to Locale Italian Kitchen area, his standout Italian restaurant in Mountain’s Edge. When COVID strike, he shelved those people strategies.

As an alternative, he opened the 2,286-square-foot restaurant with a patio with home for 75 and a window for takeout orders.

Chef Aaron Bryan was a frequent at Locale and spent a great deal of time speaking about Mexican recipes he desired to increase to the El Luchador menu. When Hooper bought the keys on December 14, the two begun hammering out dishes, revamping the room, and redoing the bar.

“We desired to make absolutely sure it’s a spot that locals can arrive and get really great Mexican food items and an environment that’s not PT’s,” he suggests, including that the restaurant comes sans the smoke and gaming located at the regional 24/7 large. Hooper desires locals to arrive to watch the Vegas Golden Knights or NFL games whilst performing a shot of tequila or ingesting a margarita. Outside, the restaurant has its individual patio together with an further patio for the strip mall with picnic tables. Prospects can get an enchilada for takeout and eat there for social distancing.

Video: IHOP adds ‘Burritos & Bowls’ menu created for takeout, delivery consumers (FOX Information)

IHOP adds ‘Burritos & Bowls’ menu designed for takeout, supply buyers

UP Future

Hooper says he grew up in Tennessee loving WWE and WWF wrestlers, and he considered el luchador, Spanish for the fighter, the coolest. One wall of the cafe intended by Hooper’s wife Jen Augle Hooper characteristics a laminate of the El Luchador brand and fighter that seems to be weathered and worn. A further wall functions luchador masks. Stainless metal and handmade shelves line the space, along with a ton of purely natural gentle.

“We were being truly blessed that a good deal of the stuff in right here was crafted out,” he claims. “We just came in and just did a large amount of redesign of the home furniture and fixtures.”

Lunch rolls out soon, alongside with a late night on the patio. Right now, the cafe stays open until 9 p.m. because a lot of the group in Mountain’s Edge finishes eating by then or a restaurant desires to stay open up till 1 a.m. to seize the late crowds.

Hooper’s cafe strategies aren’t finished fairly yet. He has one more he desires to open in Mountain’s Edge, and two extra in Dallas and Nashville.