Open at the Jacksonville Landing for a decade, this restaurant is open again downtown

Four years after saying “adios” to downtown Jacksonville, a fast-casual Mexican restaurant is back to welcome diners to its tables.

Cinco de Mayo recently opened at 301 E. Bay St., Unit 1, in the former Olio — a popular downtown lunch spot that closed in March 2022 after 11 years.

The approximately 4,141 square foot restaurant offers freshly prepared classic Mexican dishes including a variety of tacos, burritos, carnitas, nachos, fajitas, enchiladas, quesadillas and specialty seafood, steak, chicken and pork. Vegan and vegetarian options are available, according to its menu.

Cinco de Mayo originally opened downtown in 2009 at the Jacksonville Landing, where it was a popular dining spot until it closed after a decade in 2019, when the so-called “festival market” ended to its activities before its demolition.

The Bay Street location is the seventh Cinco de Mayo in Northeast Florida, following others at 11043 Crystal Springs Road and 14170 Atlantic Blvd. #63 and 11101 Old St Augustine Road, all in Jacksonville; 389 Paseo Reyes Drive #208 in Palencia; 124 Capulet Drive #109 in St. Augustine; and 5615 State Road 100 E. Suite #120 in Palm Coast.

The owners, husband and wife restaurateurs Rodolfo Torres Gonzalez and Maria E Leon of Torres Leon Properties LLC, could not be reached for comment.

The couple purchased the Bay Street restaurant location for $1,337,500 in a sale recorded on September 28, 2023, according to Duval County property and court records.

They also own Don Eduardo Cocina Mexicana, which opened in November at 2665 Park St., at King Street, in Jacksonville’s historic Riverside neighborhood.

The Cinco de Mayo opening follows the closing earlier this month of the original Burrito Gallery located a few blocks away, at 21 E. Adams St., after 18 years in business.

Cinco de Mayo Menu Specialties

Cinco de Mayo, which features a full bar, offers a variety of dinner specials in addition to a la carte and dinner specials. Its special dinners include:

• Molcajete Mayo ($25.50): Shrimp, ar ranchera, chicken breast, pineapple, onion and bell pepper cooked with special seasonings then topped with melted cheese. Served with three corn or flour tortillas

• Alambres ($16.50): Strips of steak cooked with peppers, onions, bacon and tomatoes, then seasoned with cheese and served with rice and beans

• Chili Colorado ($14.50): chunks of beef with red chili sauce served with rice, beans and flour tortillas

• Polo al la Mexicana ($15.50): Grilled chicken breast with onions, mushrooms and peppers served with rice beans, lettuce, sour cream and guacamole

• Ribeye Tampiquena ($18.50): A rib-eye steak served with rice, bean salad and tortillas

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Fresh homemade chips and salsa are free. But Cinco de Mayo also offers three other salsas: Al Pastor, which is guajillo and cayenne pepper roasted with tomatillo, garlic, pepper and onions; Habanero, which is habanero pepper, tomatillos, cilantro, onions, roasted garlic, salt and pepper; and Mild Tomatillo, which is made with roasted tomatillos, cilantro, garlic and salt. All cost 99 cents each.

Desserts range from flan ($6.50) to Churros Pizan, Pastel Tres Leche and Neve La Nina (each $8.50).

Downtown Cinco de Mayo is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, depending on its menu.

Teresa Stepzinski is the food reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or contact her by email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Cinco de Mayo opens in downtown Jacksonville with tacos, fajitas and more.