Eight months and $300,000 later, Nixta Taqueria fully reopens in East Austin

Nixta Taqueria is back up and running at full strength for the first time in more than half a year after electrical issues identified by the City of Austin were finally resolved.

To say the past eight months have been full of highs and lows for husband-and-wife owners of Nixta Taqueria chef Edgar Rico and wife, Sara Mardanbigi, would be an understatement.

Let's review: In August, the City of Austin forced the small taqueria in East Austin to close due to what the city said was a the an overabundant usage of power that caused the electrical wiring to overheat and melt. What Rico was first told would be a simple fix turned out to be the beginning of a long saga. An emergency permit to continue was denied because the city found an AC unit installed by a previous tenant had been done so illegally.

The couple turned to the community it has worked so hard to support, and the community responded, donating more than $100,000 to Nixta's repair efforts via GoFundMe.

The restaurant pivoted to pop ups with friends (like a burrito collaboration at Franklin Barbecue) and eventually reopened with a curtailed menu of tacos. Weeks after the power was cut, as the owners scrambled, ironically, Nixta started receiving more national raves. Rico, who won a James Beard Award for Emerging chef in 2022, was named one of the Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine magazine and was recognized by Star Chefs for his work in the community,

The highs continued in October, as "Taco Mafia," the PBS-produced show featuring Rico and his compadres in the Austin Taco Mafia, premiered. That show debuted just days after Nixta got a visit from United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who stopped in with his team during a visit to Austin.

That about gets us up to speed and brings us to March.

Nixta announced Tuesday that it has resolved all of its repairs and updates and has reopened for full service. What does that mean for guests: The inside of the restaurant and its canopied areas are now serving a full menu, with air conditioning (inside, anyway).

Mardanbigi told the American-Statesman the final cost to close and reopen Nixta (including engineers, surveyors, construction, eaten payroll costs, permits, et al) was more than $300,000, which is almost five times what the couple originally spent ($65,000) to open the restaurant.

"There are a lot of feelings and thoughts we have, but the overall one is gratitude. Thank you to the GoFundMe that quite literally saved our business. Thank you to the many people who graciously shared their time during the construction process. Thank you to our hospitality family who immediately embraced us when the news broke," the owners wrote on Instagram.

So, besides a full menu and service, what changes will guests see at Nixta? Not too much, "unless you hop on the roof to look at the HVAC unit, look inside the kitchen at the new hood, or saunter over to the new 400-amp meter box," according to Nixta owners in an Instagram post.

Nixta is now operating 4:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. The taqueria is celebrating its grand reopening with a party this Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. with a carne asada, specialty drink and cascarones (fitting for the Easter Sunday reopening).

Nixta is continuing its multi-course "taco omakase" Thursday-Saturday and hope to soon bring back Flor Xakali, their tasting menu operation that operated for just a few weeks before the power issues last summer.

More Nixta Taqueria coverage

2019 review: Nixta Taqueria takes craft approach to some of city’s best tacos

Rising Stars: Star Chefs names 17 Austin chefs, restaurateurs and bartenders to its 2023 list

Big visit: U.S. Secretary of State Blinken celebrates National Taco Day at Austin's Nixta Taqueria

TV: 'Taco Mafia' features Austin spots, premieres Monday on PBS streaming. Here's how to watch

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Nixta Taqueria restaurant fully operational once again in East Austin