Open at the Jacksonville Landing for a decade, this restaurant is open again in downtown
Four years after saying "adios" to downtown Jacksonville, a fast-casual Mexican restaurant has returned to welcome diners back to its tables.
Cinco de Mayo recently opened at 301 E. Bay St., Unit 1, at the former Olio — a popular downtown lunch spot that closed in March 2022 after 11 years.
The roughly 4,141 square-foot restaurant offers freshly made, classic Mexican fare, including a variety of tacos, burritos, carnitas, nachos, fajitas, enchiladas, quesadillas and specials featuring seafood, steak, chicken and pork. Vegan and vegetarian options are available, according to its menu.
Cinco de Mayo initially opened downtown in 2009 at The Jacksonville Landing, where it was a popular dining spot until closing after a decade in 2019, when the so-called "festival marketplace" wound down operations in advance of its demolition.
The Bay Street location is the seventh Cinco de Mayo in Northeast Florida after others at 11043 Crystal Springs Road and 14170 Atlantic Blvd. # 63 and 11101 Old St Augustine Road, all in Jacksonville; 389 Paseo Reyes Drive #208 in Palencia; 124 Capulet Drive #109 in St. Augustine; and 5615 State Road 100 E. Suite #120 in Palm Coast.
The owners, husband-and-wife restauranteurs Rodolfo Torres Gonzalez and Maria E Leon of Torres Leon Properties LLC, couldn't be reached for comment.
The couple bought the Bay Street restaurant location for $1,337,500 in a sale recorded Sept. 28, 2023, Duval County property and court records show.
They also own Don Eduardo Cocina Mexicana which opened in November at 2665 Park St. at the intersection of King Street in Jacksonville's historic Riverside neighborhood.
The opening of Cinco de Mayo follows the closing earlier this month of the original Burrito Gallery just blocks away, at 21 E. Adams St., after 18 years in business.
Cinco de Mayo menu specials
Cinco de Mayo, which has a full bar, offers a variety of dinner specials in addition to a la carte menu items and dinner specials. Its signature dinner specials include:
Molcajete Mayo ($25.50): Shrimp, ar ranchera, chicken breast, pineapple, onion, and bell pepper cooked with special seasonings then covered with melted cheese. Served with three corn or flour tortillas
Alambres ($16.50): Steak strips cooked with bell peppers, onions, bacon, and tomatoes then seasoned with cheese on top and served with rice and beans
Chile Colorado ($14.50): Beef chunks with red chili sauce served with rice, beans and flour tortillas
Polo al la Mexicana ($15.50): Grilled chicken breast with onions, mushrooms and peppers served with rice beans, lettuce, sour cream and guacamole
Ribeye Tampiquena ($18.50): A ribeye steak served with rice, beans salad and tortillas
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Fresh house-made chips and salsa are complimentary. But Cinco de Mayo also offers three other salsas: Al Pastor, which is Guajillo and cayenne pepper roasted with tomatillo, garlic, pepper and onions; Habanero, which is habanero pepper, tomatillo, cilantro, onions, roasted garlic, salt and pepper; and Mild Tomatillo, which is roasted tomatillo, cilantro, garlic and salt. All are 99 cents each.
Desserts range from flan ($6.50) to Churros Pizan, Pastel Tres Leche and Neve La Nina (each $8.50).
Cinco de Mayo downtown is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, according to its menu.
Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Cinco de Mayo opens in downtown Jacksonville with tacos, fajitas and more
