NILES, Ohio – Tlaquepaque Tequila, a traditional Mexican restaurant, has opened downtown, bringing a dash of color and liveliness to the area.
It is in the same building at 41 Main St. that formerly housed StoneYard restaurant. StoneYard closed at least a year ago, and the building has been vacant.
Owned by Juan Manuel Mata, a California native and Poland resident, the new Tlaquepaque features a separate barroom and a patio.
It is one of about 20 restaurants in the Ohio chain that was started by Rafael Madrigal in Canton in the late 1990s.
The Niles restaurant is the first Tlaquepaque in the Mahoning Valley.
The menu includes tacos, burritos, carne asada, ceviche, fajitas and other Mexican favorites. The full bar features margaritas, tequila drinks and draft beer.
Mata said one of the most popular dishes on the menu is the Camarones Diablo, which is shrimp in a fiery sauce.
The restaurant takes its name from the Mexican city of Tlaquepaque, a large metropolis in Jalisco state noted for its tequila and mariachi music, according to Mata.
The building was in very good condition and did not require major renovations, he said. But the barroom was given an eye-catching paint job, with portraits of women’s faces done up in calavera, or skull, makeup.
“Rafael brought in an artist from California to do the art,” Mata said.
The name has proven to be a tongue twister for Mahoning Valley residents. Just about every day, Mata gets asked by customers how to pronounce it.
“Some say ‘tok-eee pok-eee,” he said with a laugh. “I say ‘that works for me.’”
The correct pronunciation is “tla-kee-pa-kee.”
Mata said he is happy to be in downtown Niles.
“It’s historical,” he said of the old business district. “As soon as I came here and saw that the StoneYard was for sale, I fell in love with it.”
Tlaquepaque’s new Niles location has a capacity of at least 100, and 10 employees, Mata said.
It is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.