Molcajetes Excited to Serve The Community with Upcoming Grand Opening Next Month

Christian Mtanous poses in front of new location for Molcajetes

Christian Mtanous, owner of Molcajetes Restaurant, sat down with Connect Del Rio this past Wednesday, March 6, 2024, to discuss the changes and future goals of the popular local establishment. Before opening Molcajetes in Del Rio, Mtanous worked as a lawyer in San Antonio and wanted to bring some of what he's learned outside of Del Rio to Del Rio. He explains that he wanted to come back and uniquely contribute to his hometown. "Now I got an Idea because I use to go to Austin a lot and over there is a music city! Everywhere you'd go you'd see places with live music or a band hall in place." Mtanous explained, "So I thought, what better than to bring this to our Mexican culture together.. here."

Molcajetes first introduced live music to their restaurant back in 2019 with a now, well-known local artist; Angel Baena, who worked there as a server at the time. "Someone had mentioned at the time that you know, Angel was a really good singer..." Mtanous then reached out and asked if Angel would be interested in trying out live music at the restaurant. Baena, on board with the idea, agreed to participate... and it was a hit! "People were coming and the spark just right away- I could see the look on people's faces and how they enjoyed the music. The ambiance was just so much better!" Mtanous explains.

As time went on, the decision to keep live music at Molcajetes and help local talent out, stayed, but now it was time to "kick it up a gear" as Mtanous describes.. and get a full-on band. Grupo Alto Voltaje was then introduced to the Molcajetes scene. "When I tell you, you could not stop getting people to sit down and stop dancing, they were up for 3 hours just nonstop dancing."

As more people began to experience Molcajetes and its lively scene, Molcajetes' Restaurant eventually ran into some issues of not having enough space. Whether it was parking or seating, the location was starting to run into issues that needed to be addressed.

"I've always wanted a location on veterans you know? Like that's the goal!" Mtanous explains. He came across the location 901 Veterans Boulevard and when he heard this building was for sale; he immediately got in contact with the owner, took a look, and instantly began visualizing his idea of what could be.

However, it's no longer a 'what could be' and is quickly becoming something that will come to fruition. Mtanous says they had about 69 total job applicants for the new location and he's super excited to hire and work with the new staff. Training is set to begin soon; as he is nearing completion and hoping for a soft launch towards the end of March with a grand opening following around early April.

A sneak peak of what's being worked on inside Molcajetes. Not final still in development.

The passionate owner explained how after launch; they would like to continue giving back to the community through sponsorships, hosting events, and even sending young sports leagues on trips, eventually! "We're all about giving back to the community, that's one of the most important things to me; is treating our community like one big family. It's something I tell my staff to this day, to do their best to treat our visitors like family." With big plans like a Sports Bar (set to launch later this year) and a venue that comes with full catering, Molcajetes is set to be a welcoming and local "must-visit" location in town.