JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A popular restaurant chain known for its authentic Mexican-style inspired food and décor opened its fourth location on Jacksonville's Southside this week and its owner said more locations are on the way.
Cantina Louie Mexican Street Food opened its newest restaurant Monday at 9726 Touchton Road near the Southside Boulevard intersection.
The other locations are in St. Augustine, Atlantic Beach and Fernandina Beach.
Ben Porter, the president of the company, said a fifth location is set to open in Nocatee this August and a sixth location is in the works near Interstate 295 near Monument Road in East Arlington.
HOW CANTINA LOUIE STARTED
Named after his business partner, Luis Cuevas, Cantina Louie opened its first restaurant in June of 2014 in St. Augustine. Porter said it was created as a spinoff to his first-owned restaurant, the Pier Cantina & Sandbar in Jacksonville Beach, which he opened back in 2010.
“[The Pier Cantina] is just the one,” Porter said. “It couldn’t be put anywhere else in the country, which is why Cantina Louie spun off of that. Cantina Louie can be anywhere.”
Porter said Cantina Louie offered the opportunity to create something new and fresh, and allowed him and Cuevas to keep up with the changing environment of the Mexican food industry, all while keeping the bar atmosphere and vibe.
“We wanted to also make it a point that we do have a bar, that our drinks and margaritas are excellent, which is why we used ‘cantina,’” he said.
The restaurant was a hit in St. Augustine, Porter said.
"[The] St. Augustine [location] is our 'little engine that could,' is what we call it," Porter said. "It's a small space, but it does amazing numbers."
Following its success, Porter and Cuevas started to expand to Atlantic Beach, Fernandina Beach and now Jacksonville's Southside.
While they continued to grow, the brand and reputation of Cantina Louie continued to develop.
Today, Cantina Louie is not just popular for its margaritas and Mexican food, but it's also popular for its ambiance and atmosphere created by its colorful and authentic Mexican Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, décor. From its sugar skulls, statues, crosses and light fixtures, Porter said all of its decorations are imported from Mexico.
"It has evolved since [the St. Augustine location] because it was much smaller space and we didn't have as much canvas," Porter said. "This is what you'll see likely see going forward."
The restaurant chain also features Day of the Dead artwork from artist Moses Garzon, who also painted all of the murals seen at the other Cantina Louie locations.
Cantina Louie shows off authentic Day of the Dead décor
BEHIND THE SUCCESS
Porter credits their take on Mexican food as a huge reason for their success and makes them different from other Mexican restaurants.
He said based on his experience in the Mexican food industry, there are two directions of Mexican restaurants: 1) Traditional mom-and-pop street food and 2) New-age restaurants that strays away from traditional meals.
"We are a good in between," he said. "We have a new-age twist while also keeping some of that traditional Mexican street food on the menu. We stay to our roots while having traditional street food, then we mix the new age stuff like grouper tacos. It's a good mix."
A BUSINESS ON THE GROW
In addition to its four current locations, a fifth Cantina Louie is set to open in Nocatee this August. Porter said they are also in the works of obtaining a sixth location, which will be its corporate-owned location, near I-295 and Monument Road.
Porter said Cantina Louie is also getting ready to launch its online ordering app in July, which he said is the next step to becoming a larger corporate entity.
In addition to adding more locations in Northeast Florida, Porter said Cantina Louie signed its first franchise location in Wilmington, N.C.
“The franchisee reached out to us and bought the rights, and now three locations are planned for Wilmington,” he said.
When asked about expanding to other locations, Porter said he is scouting.
“We are scouting locations on the corporate side all the way down to Tampa, Orlando, Central Florida, South Carolina,” he said. “But we don’t want to grow too fast. We’re targeting three openings a year. I don’t want to say I’m going to open 100 restaurants, but we are going to grow as long as we can sustain the growth … take it one store at a time.”
Q & A
What are your prices?
“Our prices range from $2.99 a la carte tacos to $14.99, which is our most expensive dish,” Porter said. “You’re eating very well for under $12 without a doubt. It’s hard to find anything to spend over $20 per person. We keep our prices affordable.”
What are your specials?
“We have a lunch menu and daily specials every day, which you can check our Facebook to see,” Porter said. “We also have Tamale Sundays! But get there early. We make 300 a day. When they run out, they run out!" Click here to see their Facebook page.
Cantina Louie also has happy hour every day from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. There are daily drink specials, which you can find here.
Most popular dishes and drinks?
- Grouper taco ($4.50, $2.99 on Taco Tuesdays)
- Surf & Turf taco ($4.50, $2.99 on Taco Tuesdays)
- Specialty tacos ($2.99 to $4.50)
- The Jalapeño Margarita ($6.99)
- 1862 margarita ($6.99, $5.99 on Thursdays)
Where: 9726 Touchton Road, Jacksonville, 32216
Hours:
- Sunday to Monday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Tuesday to Thursday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Friday to Saturday: 11 a.m. to close
Melissa Guz is a digital producer with First Coast News. Contact her at mguz1@firstcoastnews.com and @mguznews