The popular Suffolk County restaurant chain Lucharitos opened a new location on Feb. 21. The Long Island chain will bring its authentic Mexican cuisine and specialty margaritas to Mineola’s bustling downtown.
Lucharito’s is a lucha libre-themed Mexican restaurant that was founded in Greenport in 2012.
In the years since the company has expanded west with locations in Mattituck, Aquebogue, Center Moriches, Ronkonkoma and Melville.
Before Lucharitos, owner Marc LaMaina operated a bakery called Butter Cakes, which was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. After rebuilding, Lamaina decided to change his business model and opened Lucharitos in Greenport.
Lucharitos loosely translates to “little fighter,” which LaMania named after his son, who inspired the restaurant’s theme.
“We really like the feel of Mineola,” said Lucharitos Vice President of Operations Tom Martino, “We checked out a couple of villages in the county but with the proximity to the train station and the downtown was great. It just made perfect sense.”
The Mineola location will be Lucharitos most ambitious yet, taking up over 4,000 square feet on Second Street on the bottom floor of the Morgan Parc apartment building on Second Street.
The second largest location is Center Moriches at about 2500 square feet.
With all the extra space, the restaurant will include a bar and ample indoor and outdoor seating. The restaurant also plans to open a gelato and coffee shop in one location later this year.
“I would say Mineola is the most different of our seven locations,” said Martino. “It’s got more of an upscale vibe to it being under a luxury apartment. But we still hope to be a place for families.”
Lucharitos opened for business on Feb. 3 but did not celebrate their official grand opening until Feb. 21.
“[The] grand opening could not have gone any better,” said Martino. “The Mineola Chamber of Commerce showed up. The mayor showed up. It was honestly unbelievable. I didn’t expect what we had.”
The menu includes typical Mexican food, from chips and salsa to tacos and quesadillas, with the bar specialty being margaritas.
