A New Restaurant Has Opened in Cedar Rapids’ NewBo District

Last month, we told you that Ariel Barrios, one of the owners behind Porfirio's Mexican Restaurant in Anamosa, was working on a couple of new restaurants in Eastern Iowa. One of those restaurants is located here in Cedar Rapids, and we're happy to report that it is now welcoming customers!

CaFé Tacuba is currently doing a "soft opening" at 1006 3rd St. SE, the former home of Fong's Pizza. The building has sat empty since Fong's closed its doors back in November of 2022, but now its been transformed into something totally different.

One of the coolest things about CaFé Tacuba is the décor and artwork around the restaurant. There are some beautiful murals, flowers that hang from the ceiling, and even a wall full of roses that is perfect for photo ops! If some of the decorations remind you of La Casita Breakfast Cafe, that's because Ozzi Aguirre, one of CaFé Tacuba's owners, used to own that restaurant, too!

Another cool thing about the restaurant is that it serves lunch, dinner, AND breakfast, and there are vegan and vegetarian options. According to the Facebook page, CaFé Tacuba is open Sunday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday & Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Breakfast is served daily until 2 p.m. Here's a look at the breakfast menu:

The lunch/dinner menu at CaFé Tacuba includes lots of classic dishes, like tacos, enchiladas, burritos, bowls, fajitas, quesadillas, chimichangas, and a whole lot more.

The other new Eastern Iowa restaurant from Ariel Barrios, Ozzi Aguirre, and Raúl Flores is Tequilero Mexican Restaurant. According to an article from Vinton Newspapers, it opened in the former Pizza Hut at 300 N K Ave in Vinton earlier this month "after a very successful soft opening." You can read more about that new eatery HERE.