Sept. 26, 2016 By Hannah Wulkan
A popular Mexican street food vendor will open its first brick and mortar location in Long Island City next week.
Gordo’s Cantina, known for serving authentic Mexican street food at street fairs and in pop up locations, will open its doors to the public at 24-11 Queens Plaza North next Monday, October 3rd.
After looking for a location for almost two and a half years, owner JR Savage will give Gordo’s Cantina a permanent home.
From Queens originally, Savage said that he watched LIC grow over the past 10 years, and when a great space that was in his budget opened in the Queens Plaza area, it seemed ideal.
“It will be easy for my friends in Manhattan and Greenpoint and Williamsburg to come because the train is right there, but I also want to start bringing it back to my Queens roots, and that area is perfect to attract lots of local people too,” Savage said.
The restaurant will specialize in street food native to Central Mexico, including tacos in handmade tortillas and open-faced quesadillas made on corn tortillas, just as one would find them in Mexico.
Gordo’s Cantina will also offer specialty dishes, such as a braised rabbit dish wrapped in a banana leaf that Savage has been perfecting for over a year. He added that there will also be a variety of weekly specials and off-the-menu specialties, and the restaurant will open for brunch and breakfast soon as well.
Savage explained that after working a variety of street fairs, festivals, and popups, he has really narrowed in on what his food is about.
“We focus on a more homey feeling for people that really care about food instead of the more gimmicky stuff,” Savage said. “Our stuff is more about comfort, it’s home cooked Mexican street food. What you get from us is what you would literally get in the streets of Central Mexico.”
The restaurant will be decorated with items from Mexican Flea Markets and will have red tile floors, wooden counters, copper ceilings, mismatched metal chairs and industrial green light fixtures, according to a press release.
Gordo’s Cantina will be open Monday through Wednesday from noon to 11 p.m., Thursday through Saturday from noon to midnight and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m., though Savage said that he plans on expanding the hours to include breakfast and brunch soon, and eventually plans to remain open until 3 a.m. The restaurant will also eventually offer delivery.
Gordo’s Cantina will officially open on Monday, though there will be a soft friends and family opening this Thursday and Friday.
For more information visit the website at http://gordoscantina.com
