El Vallarta to Renovate, Relocate to Former Bruno’s

BOARDMAN, Ohio — In seven to eight months, the owner of El Vallarta Restaurant and Cantina looks to open at his new location in the former Bruno’s Restaurant and Catering at 1984 Boardman Poland Road in Poland.

In March, El Vallarta will celebrate five years at its current location at 1738 Boardman Poland Road, said its owner, Juan Vazquez. He’s been leasing the space and said he wanted an opportunity to own a building.

“The opportunity came up to purchase our own building and we went ahead and did it,” Vazquez said. “The Bruno’s building has a long-standing history here in the Valley and we look forward to continuing our success at this location.”

Vazquez paid $575,000 to acquire the building, according to public records.

The former Bruno’s gives Vazquez more room to work with at just over 7,800 square feet, up from some 6,300 square feet in the current location. He will use the space to create a party room, which is a popular request from customers, he said.

“People who want to have a little birthday party or reservation for 20 to 30 people, they always want to see if we have a party room,” he said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have one currently.”

He expects renovations to take seven to eight months as contractors redo Bruno’s from top to bottom, inside and out, he said, including walls, floors and windows. Renovations began about three weeks ago, he said.

“We’re going to have a bigger bar and completely different setup from what we have right now,” he said. “For the whole concept we are trying to be a little bit more modern.”

The location is more accessible as well, he said. Coming to the current location from Boardman, “You’ve got to literally cross three lanes to get into our parking lot; the two lanes for [U.S. Route] 224 and the [Interstate] 680 ramp.”

The existing restaurant will remain open during renovations at the new location, he said. It’s too early in the process for an anticipated grand opening, but Vazquez said he’ll have a better idea come July or August.

Bruno’s has been a fixture on 224 since the 1990s and closed in December 2017.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.