Restaurant News: Highly anticipated Latin-fusion restaurant coming soon to Holly Hill
A brand-new Latin-fusion restaurant is coming to Holly Hill this month.
El Sabor Latino is making its mark in Volusia County’s fast-casual segment, blending a combination of flavors, cultures and culinary techniques for the ultimate Latin dining experience.
The highly anticipated project has been in the works for several years, owner Daniel Moon explained, and has been an extensive process of meticulous decision-making surrounding the eatery’s cuisine, concept and staffing.
It wasn’t until just six months ago that the project’s scattered pieces began to fall into place, and Moon’s vision seemed to be, finally, coming to life after meeting two of the eatery’s now chefs. María Elena Menjivar Sibrian and Darling Eliett Soza Zapata have a combined near-30 years of experience in Latin-fusion cuisine, specializing in Nicaraguan, Mexican, Honduran and Salvadoran dishes — a blend Moon insists the community will have yet to experience anywhere else.
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Like Moon’s previous restaurants, El Sabor Latino will maintain a “come as you are” casual concept, offering to-go ordering for those short on time that can be picked up in the eatery’s express service line, as well as full-service dining for those looking to enjoy a sit-down meal with friends and family.
“It’s going to be different than what’s out there now, because no one has this kind of a mix,” Moon said. “It’ll be the same quality of food — nothing but first-class and exceptional … I think everyone likes great food and they like the experience, and so we just want to make sure that it’s top shelf for everyone and then, hopefully, we can expand everything and do multiple locations.”
Although this will be his Latin-fusion cuisine debut, Moon is no stranger to the restaurant industry, running two of Daytona Beach’s most popular breakfast and lunch eatery’s, Oliv Epicurean Grill and Brunch Daytona.
On the heels of Oliv's success
Oliv, first opening in 2015 and known for its vast array of Mediterranean cuisine, has long been praised for its radiant menu of made-to-order dishes. Oliv’s concept is centered around the idea of providing premium-quality food in a relaxed, fast-casual setting. According to Moon, the eatery never freezes or reuses any of its offerings, freshly making each dish at the start of every day, from its soups, and proteins, to its rice and more, only using produce that is organic, arriving fresh, daily.
“I love Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food, but I could never get it fast with the quality of a sit-down restaurant,” Moon said. “So, that’s what Oliv is all about.”
A quickly-growing favorite and new Daytona Beach staple, Oliv was recently awarded the Best of the Best Restaurants 2023 by The Official Community’s Choice Awards for best lunch, best Greek food, and best catering.
Following the success of its LPGA Boulevard location, which opened in August 2022, Moon closed its former Ridgewood Avenue location due to the proximity of the two restaurants. Oliv also opened in Palm Coast in 2019 before eventually shutting down due to the pandemic, and currently operates a special events, by-appointment-only food truck that opened in spring 2021.
Much like Oliv, Moon’s second restaurant, Brunch, found rather immediate success among Daytona Beach residents after opening in January on LPGA Boulevard. With a similar concept in mind, the “designed for everyone” eatery took off as a family-friendly favorite among the local community, serving a plethora of breakfast and lunch plates from its pecan-banana waffles, baked apple pancakes and Meat N Cheese omelet to its western burger, grilled ham and cheese and tarragon chicken salad sandwich. Brunch, a “wholesome spot that the area was in need of,” as Moon describes it, was also awarded the Best of the Best 2023 award by The Official Community’s Choice Awards for best breakfast and best brunch.
Located at Oliv’s previous 701 Ridgewood Ave. location, El Sabor Latino hopes to fuse the successful casual yet quality concept of both Oliv and Brunch, serving as local residents’ new go-to spot for lunch and dinner, while catering to every type of customer, from those on the go, or fresh off the beach, to those celebrating a special occasion and everything in between.
Casual atmosphere with authentic Latin food
“It’s going to be very casual,” Moon explained, “but like all of my establishments, you’ll be able to do a real-estate deal there, meet your girlfriends, come out after playing golf or pickleball, you know, we’re going to be able to really accommodate everyone.”
The eatery’s extensive menu is separated by country, with offerings that include the Honduran Enchiladas Hondurenas — ground beef, cabbage, pico de gallo, cheese and onion, and the Baleada Con Huevo — a soft, flour tortilla filled with refried beans, cheese, Honduran cream, avocado and eggs, as well as the Mexican Flautas de Pollo — a six-taco dish layered with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, and avocado.
According to Moon, several of the eatery’s anticipated stand out dishes include the Honduran Chicken Chuco — fried chicken, cabbage, pico de gallo, green fried plantain, onion and dressing, and the Cubano sandwich, combining pork, ham, provolone cheese, pickles and mustard with a side of French fries, as well as the Pescado Frito (fried tilapia), served with rice, black beans, fried plantain and salad.
The new Latin-fusion eatery will offer a children's menu with chicken nuggets and chicken quesadillas, as well as a varied beverage menu of beer and wine, soda, sweet tea, coffee, and a range of specialty drinks, including the Horchata, a traditional, sweet Mexican drink typically made from ground rice or almonds, cinnamon, water and sugar and the Tamarindo, typically made combining tropical tamarind fruit, sugar and water.
El Sabor Latino to mix cultures and cuisines
A worth-the-wait destination, Moon’s goal in creating El Sabor Latino is to seamlessly combine an array of different cultures and cuisines in one harmonious menu, ultimately welcoming the community to a restaurant that feels as relaxed as home, with fine-dining-quality food and service.
“I knew that if we opened up a Latin concept with the same values and the consistency and corporate mindset of Oliv and Brunch, then it would be another success,” Moon said.
Looking ahead, Moon plans to expand his existing restaurants, with hopes of opening in several new locations, including Port Orange, Lake Mary and Orlando.
Although no official opening date has been announced, El Sabor Latino has tentative plans for a soft opening next week and a grand opening by the end of October.
El Sabor Latino will be located at 701 Ridgewood Ave. in Holly Hill and will be open from 10:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. daily. For information, call 386-301-4125 or visit elsaborlatinodaytona.com.
Helena Perray is the restaurant and dining writer for The Daytona Beach News-Journal. A New Jersey native and passionate storyteller, she can be contacted at hperray@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook. Support local journalism by subscribing
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Highly anticipated Latin-fusion restaurant coming to Holly Hill
