Cleveland, Ohio Local News

Coyoacán Will Bring the Foods and Flavors of Mexico City to Shaker Square

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Douglas Trattner

The former Balaton space will soon be home to Coyoacán Mexican restaurant and brewery.

Reynaldo Galindo’s mother, Maria de la Luz Galindo, opened Cleveland’s first Mexican restaurant back in 1981. That restaurant, Luchita’s, was a staple on the west side for 40 years. For 20 years, the family also operated a Luchita’s restaurant at Shaker Square. And soon, the family will return to the Square with Coyoacán (13133 Shaker Sq.).

“We love this area,” says Galindo, who served as executive chef at both restaurants. “When we had Luchita’s, it worked great for us.”

Galindo is partnering with Jorge Sierra and Elisa Maria Galindo on the project.

Presently taking shape in the former Balaton space, Coyoacán will offer guests two different experiences in the same property. In the first room, diners will see the now-familiar fast-casual set up, where tacos, burritos, tortas, empanadas and bowls will be prepared to order from a hot and cold line.

The second room will be home to a bar and microbrewery – Ohio’s first Mexican-owned microbrewery, according to Galindo. The owners have partnered with Compass Rose Brewery in Raleigh, North Carolina to produce Mexican-style lagers both onsite and down south.

A separate menu and full service await diners in the barroom. There, the foods of Coyoacán – a historic neighborhood near Mexico City – will be featured on an ever-changing basis.

“Every month they have festivals, such as the enchilada festival, and every month it changes,” Galindo explains. “So whatever they have over there, we’re going to have it here.”

The goal is to have the entire operation – including the brewery – up and running before the holidays. Plans already are in place to open additional Coyoacán locations in Northeast Ohio and in Raleigh.

Coyoacán, says Sierra, is a special place that all visitors to Mexico City should seek out.

“We grew up there – it’s like an oasis,” he says. “We wanted to share that place here.”

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