TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Suncoast Pinellas News

Downtown Dunedin Mexican Restaurant to Expand

Mark Schantz/SUNCOAST NEWS

Tina Avila, owner of Casa Tina's Mexican Restaurant, in downtown Dunedin, stands across the street from her eatery and its new location next door.

ADVERTISEMENT

By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: October 20, 2007

DUNEDIN, Fla. - DUNEDIN, Fla. - The owners of Casa Tina's Mexican Restaurant, the eatery that cooks up the city's yearly Cinco de Mayo street festival on Main Street, plans to almost triple the size of their restaurant by the new year.

Tina Avila who, with husband Javier, started Casa Tina 15 years ago, said expanding the restaurant is a dream that has taken a decade to realize.

The couple recently purchased the 3,450-square-foot gift shop to the west of their restaurant at Main Street and Douglas Avenue, for $920,000.

They will move Casa Tina's into the newly purchased building and have other plans for the restaurant's adjacent current home.

In May, the property owner asked Avilas if they were interested in purchasing the building. They jumped at the chance, Tina said.

The husband-and-wife restaurateurs had opportunities to relocate to other sections of downtown, but they did not want to leave their special section of Main Street that has been so good to them, she said.

"Everyone knows we're here. This location has been so good to us," she said. "The energy and spirit here has been so good we did not want to move."

Now, all their energy is focused on constructing a larger version of Casa Tina's casual-style Mexican eatery, next door, at their new location.

The enlarged Casa Tina's will have 150 seats, offer more specialty dishes and have full liquor service.

Casa Tina's can now only serve wine-based Margaritas and other such drinks. In January it will be able to serve liquor and offer a Margarita blended with full-strength Tequila.

"We will always be a full-service Mexican family-style restaurant that offers alcohol, not a bar," Tina said.

Live music with a Latin flair will be offered some nights.

The 90-year-old building Tina and Javier purchased, which once housed a five-and-dime store, will be totally remodeled and will have an open kitchen and cantina-type bar.

In addition, sections of the dining area will be dedicated to Mexican holidays such as Cinco de Mayo and historical figures such as Pancho Villa.

The restaurant will be adorned with many more special items, memorabilia and photographs from south the border.

The front windows on addition will be slightly recessed, providing space for a few tables for outdoor dining.

It took five years of struggling for the restaurant to become a household name and win over a local following to Mexican-style cuisine.

In 1992, when she and her husband took over what was then the Dunedin Grille, Tina recalls, she was the only waitress and Javier did the cooking. They slowly began introducing Mexican dishes at what was then an American-style a breakfast, lunch and dinner place.

The restaurant took off slowly at first. Residents and food reviewers started to recognize them.

Now the 49-seat eatery is generally busy on weekends and even some weeknights.

The Casa Tina's Mole Poblano, one of its signature dishes, is made with a blend of ancho and other Mexican chilies, a hint of chocolate, raisins and almonds. It is served over enchiladas filled with chicken or vegetables.

Tina, a vegetarian, takes pride that most of the dishes Casa Tina serves can be prepared for people who don't eat meat. "We use all fresh and healthy ingredients," she said.

People would like to hold birthday, anniversary and wedding parties here but we have no room, she said. During the winter tourist season the restaurant usually is filled, she said.

"Starting in January we will have room for everyone."

Casa Tina's will remain open until the larger version is ready by the new year.

The lease on the current restaurant's current location has three years to run. So Tina and Javier are planning to turn it into Casa Tina's Pan y Vino.

Pan y Vino will serve the restaurant's famous chips and salsa and other Mexican take-out and dine-in treats.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT