Rocha’s El Catán Restaurant will re-locate to 6501 Arena Blvd; opens September 15 as Rocha’s Bar and Grill

El Catán, one of downtown’s most favored eateries, is leaving its historic corner at Houston and Salinas streets to re-locate to 6501 Arena Boulevard in North Laredo.

Sunday is the last day to enjoy one of Rey Rocha’s delicious breakfasts or lunch entrees.

The restaurateur said he anticipates a soft opening at the new location on September 15 and a grand opening in October.

Rocha established El Catán in 2010 in the old Hamilton Hotel, offering his patrons a diverse menu of freshly prepared meals and excellent service in a setting that included white tablecloths and high windows that allowed a table-height street view of downtown.

Rocha himself has been one of the restaurant’s main features, often making a dining room cameo to greet customers, his flour-dusted apron an indicator that something delicious had been prepared in the kitchen.

He is nostalgic about leaving downtown, but also realistic about growing his business in another location.

“Downtown is where we built our brand and established our very loyal customer base. We made a lot of friends here with folks from Webb County and City Hall, federal employees, and business owners,” he said. “And we had good customers from out of town who had business in Laredo.”

Rocha said two things have made staying downtown untenable. “The last notice for another rent hike and street closures by the City all around us were the main factors. The half-year of street closures really hurt us and other downtown businesses. Those two things pretty much told us we needed a new location and a new plan for how to grow at that location,” he said.

That plan has included forming a partnership with his children, Rocha and Sons, LLC; re-naming the enterprise as Rocha’s Bar and Grill; moving to a very viable sector of North Laredo; customizing the new venue; hiring a general manager; and increasing the staff to about 20.

“Our customers will enjoy the same great dishes that drew them to El Catán — fish tacos on homemade corn tortillas, puffy tacos, chicken fried steak, catán (gar), and menudo  — and an expanded menu of prime steaks and butcher cut meats; fresh red snapper and other seafood dishes; more salads; and Saturday and Sunday brunch fare that includes fried chicken and waffles and Eggs Benedict with a boneless braised rib,” Rocha said, adding that the new location will lend itself to being creative with off-menu dishes that he will offer as the special of the day.

El Catán’s full bar will offer the restaurant’s signature drink and a Bloody Mary station to customize the beverage “a su gusto,” Rocha said.

“We’re devastated that El Catán will relocate. It has been a jewel for many who live and work downtown. Our guests at the hotel counted on El Catán for a great meal, and personally, we enjoyed it, too. It has been a thriving venue for family gatherings, baby showers, and birthday parties,” said pharmacist Tomás Izaguirre, the owner of Laredo Downtown Pharmacy, the Sames Moore Building and the Rialto Hotel, and other downtown property around the corner from El Catán.

Izaguirre, a mainstay of the old central business district, opened his pharmacy at 609 San Agustín in 1986 and then relocated to the Sames Moore Building in 1996. “The City proudly touts bars as good examples of downtown development, but they should also actively promote all kinds of businesses downtown, and they should be more proactive about offering incentives for development and tax breaks for established businesses to keep their doors open. Downtown’s old architecture is intact — historical treasures that could have another life as locales for viable businesses,” he said.

Anna Garcia, the owner of Rapidprint at 820 San Bernardo, said, “We don’t want El Catán to leave downtown. I met Rey there for lunch recently to work on new menus, and the place was packed for lunch. The loss of El Catán is a double-edged sword – we’re happy for him and his family for their new venture, but we are sad to see him leave downtown.

“It is unsettling and eerie to drive downtown and see so many boarded-up storefronts,” García continued. “There is no traffic on the streets or the sidewalks. The vendors from whom we regularly purchased items for favors, charms, and details for invitations are no longer there.”

Rocha wrapped the conversation with, “This is a big step forward for us. We visited withJoe Palacios at Texas Community Bank who was very familiar with our business. We worked with him and Douglas Macdonald, and here we are implementing our sound, viable business plan,” Rocha said.

The hours at the new location are 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.  The venue will seat 60 diners indoors and 40 on a canopied patio.

“One last thing, there’s plenty of parking,” Rocha said.