New waterfront restaurant offers scratch-made Tex-Mex, sparkling views in Delray Beach

Offering scratch-made Tex-Mex fare, along with craft beers and an extensive tequila selection, Del Fuego waterfront restaurant has opened in Delray Beach.

One of only two restaurants directly on the water in Delray, Del Fuego sits on the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway just off Atlantic Avenue. It opened on June 20, specializing in Tex-Mex dishes with plenty of fun twists in the mix.

The menu's starters range from more classic options like guacamole and salsa, queso dip and southwest chicken eggrolls to culinary creations like tropical guacamole (made with pineapple and mango); baked chorizo & black bean dip; octopus ala plancha and sweet plantain bites.

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Arriving with an appetite? No problem. They have plenty of large plates like their sizzling fajitas; the chili relleno with roasted New Mexican pepper filled with beef and rice, melted cheddar jack served over mole negro sauce with crispy yucca; the carne asada, which is a 12 oz chimichurri-marinated skirt steak, jalapeño cornbread, sautéed onions, peppers, chipotle-honey butter and much more.

Want to go full, classic Tex-Mex? No worries there either as they offer tacos, burritos and quesadillas.

Several salads and sandwiches are also available.

Del Fuego takes pride in make almost everything from scratch, said Tom Conner, director of operations. To close in on that goal, he said they are currently setting up a tortilla making space where guests can actually watch the process.

They are hoping to have that operational by the end of September.

The Del Fuego in Delray Beach is the fifth Del Fuego following four successful restaurants located on Long Island in New York.

With the company from the beginning, Conner said the first Del Fuego opened about 11 years ago just after Hurricane Sandy. The original restaurant was in a location with seating for only 30 people.

The place was an immediate hit which was both fantastic and troublesome. In order to decrease wait times for tables Connor said he resorted to occasionally offer patrons who were finished with their meals, a free round of drinks at the bar in order to clear the table for waiting guests.

The restaurant quickly added outdoor seating and leased the two adjoining units before moving the entire operation across the street to a much larger location.

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The Del Fuego chain is part of the DeNicola Group, which in addition to the four Del Fuego locations on Long Island, operates several other eateries.

Group partner Joe DeNicola had been looking to expand into South Florida for a while, Connor said. He said they came very close to opening a shop in the Jupiter area, but ultimately decided Delray Beach was a better fit, one DeNicola fell in love with on the spot.

In addition, to scratch-made Tex Mex, Del Fuego offers a 10-tap draft beer set up and serves many local craft beers from breweries including Funky Buddha, Copperpoint, Gulfstream, Civil Society and more.

The bar also offers Mexican beers, including Pacifico and Modelo Especial on tap and Dos Equis, Modelo Negro, Corona and Tecate in cans and bottles. Topo Chico hard seltzer is also available.

The restaurant's full bar has over five dozen varieties of tequila and even makes their own margarita mix, called "XXX" and make with fresh orange and lime juice, simple syrup and Triple sec.

The interior of all five Del Fuegos were designed by Nico Demaria, giving continuity across the establishments.

Focused on great food, drink and atmosphere, Connor said they want Del Fuego's to feel like part of the community and a great place to watch sporting events.

The restaurant has 40 televisions and is committed to showing a wide variety of games.

Dolphins fans can take a breath as well because even though they're from New York, they're more focused on the Giants than the Jets.

They are now open for both lunch an dinner.

Happy hour is 4 to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and all house margaritas, mocktails, lemonades and select appetizers are half off. Additionally, most wanted and well drinks, sangria and wine by the glass and all beers are $3 off.

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Del Fuego restaurant in Delray Beach

What: Del Fuego Delray Beach

Where: 900 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday; closed Mondays until fall

Information: 561-865-5629; delfuegorestaurant.com/delray-beach-fl

Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He has lived in the West Palm Beach area for more than 30 years and, from mild to wild, will cover noteworthy community happenings. You can reach him at eritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Del Fuego Mexican restaurant on the water opens in Delray Beach