Rodeo Mexican Grille to Open This Week

Rodeo Mexican Grille expects to open later this week in the former Pastazza location at 20 Swanton St. An exact opening date has not yet been announced.

The new restaurant’s focus will be on creating entrees that go beyond tacos and burritos.

"We're trying to be very authentic," said Juan Mesa, who owns Rodeo Mexican Grille with his brother, also the owner of the East Boston restaurant Mi Rancho.

Entrees will feature steak, shrimp, and tilapia, and one of their specialties will be carne a la diabla. There will be a full menu with items such as soups and salads. Given the current economic climate, Mesa is trying to strike a delicate balance.

"We're not trying to be too upscale to scare people,” said Mesa. “Try to get the best quality out that we can."

Everything will be fresh and house-made, including guacamole, pico de gallo, tomatillo salsa, and salsa verde. Dishes will be made to order, so customers can specify the level of spiciness in their dish. They will start out serving wine, beer and cordials, but expect to have a full bar soon.

"We need to have some margaritas," Mesa said, smiling.

Mesa has worked hard to brighten up the restaurant space. Before, when Pastazza was there, it was "pretty dark," Mesa said, remarking on the dark walls, dark wood tables and booths, and dark curtains that were always closed.

"Every time I'd drive by, it was open, but you couldn't see it was open," Mesa said.

To create the new look of Rodeo Mexican Grille, the walls have been repainted and the windows will be free of curtains to bring in more light.

"I want to make this also like a family restaurant where all the kids can come in, have a nice menu," Mesa said.

In order to do that, he'll keep pizza on the menu for kids, as well as tacos and burritos. He'll also be keeping pizzas on the to-go menu, noting, "People around here are into pizza."

But he'll change things up a bit by adding some Tex-Mex pizzas. He expects to have eight to 10 pizzas on the to-go menu, and said he would add more if people ask for them. 

Mesa, who lives in Revere, had dreamed up opening up his own restaurant for years, after working in many as a chef. But opening one in Winchester hadn’t originally occurred to him. When he first heard of the Pastazza space, he originally thought the town was too far away. When he realized where it was, though, he said, "That's right where I wanted to be."

Mesa is a chef and expects to do most of the cooking for awhile, as he focuses on training his kitchen and wait staffs. He is eager to open the restaurant, but hopes to start this week quietly, giving the employees a chance to settle in and learn their way around the menu and the restaurant. After that, he expects to start advertising locally via email, TV ads, and mailings.

Last week, as work continued in the kitchen and on the walls, Mesa was still overwhelmed with details.

"I'm just looking forward to opening. It will take a little bit of my pressure down. I'm looking for that opening and we'll go from there," he said.