Downtown Lynchburg is set to welcome a new addition to its vibrant culinary scene with the opening of El Mariachi Restaurant and Cafe, a Mexican eatery co-owned by Luis Pumagualle Jr.
Luis Pumagualle Jr. co-owns the new downtown restaurant with Daniel, Gerardo and Teresa Sanchez, who started the El Mariachi brand in 2008 in Amherst and expanded to Lovingston in 2018.
“We want to make a name in Virginia and keep expanding,” Pumagualle Jr. said. “I’m personally from Lynchburg and I’ve been working with my family since a young age,” he said.
With their latest venture, the Pumagualles aim to bring their own touch of authenticity and family-oriented atmosphere to downtown Lynchburg.
About a decade ago, El Mariachi had a restaurant at 1125 Main St.
The new establishment will occupy the former site of Emerald Grille and Dublin 3 Coffeehouse at 1001 Jefferson St., which has sat vacant for several years.
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“El Mariachi has been a brand for about 15 years so it’s a brand that is a staple and known for what it does,” Pumagualle Jr. said. “It just wasn’t the right time back then for us but we just saw this opportunity and the way that downtown Lynchburg was growing, it was just a no-brainer,” he said.”
The Pumagualle family saw the growth and potential of downtown Lynchburg and recognized the opportune moment to expand.
Luis Pumagualle’s father, Luis Pumagualle Sr. said they’ve been looking downtown for years and when they were located on Main Street, they had a great lunch business but not necessarily dinner. With the growth of downtown over the last decade, they think that has changed.
“We’ve been looking at how to look at the different buildings here. But this one opened up and we had the chance so we were like ‘OK, let’s do it,” he said. “We used to go on bicycles and you’d see all these buildings that didn’t even have windows. It was just brick. And now you can see everything has been remodeled.”
El Mariachi aims to offer more than just a place to enjoy Mexican cuisine. Pumagualle Jr. said there is an importance in building relationships with customers and creating a welcoming environment.
“The idea is to make it a place where people can come and not just enjoy to eat, but be comfortable,” he said.
The restaurant prides itself on the quality of its food, which offers authentic flavors and care put into each dish.
“This is a very family atmosphere type restaurant. And it’s authentic Tex Mex food. And it’s our own touch,” he said. “There’s nothing really like it.”
The new El Mariachi will occupy both a restaurant space and a café side. While the restaurant will serve lunch and dinner, the café will introduce a unique experience. Patrons can expect a menu featuring breakfast burritos, breakfast tacos, avocado toast, waffles and empanadas. The café will also serve freshly-brewed coffee.
The opening of the café is planned for July, followed by the launch of El Mariachi in August.
We’ve seen this in sci-fi movies, now you can actually go and eat food cooked by a robo-chef.
Rachael Smith, (434) 385-5482