The former Garcia's space, located at 70-09 Austin St., (third floor of the "Austin Street Mall"), will become the latest site of El Coyote, whose nearest restaurant is on Northern Blvd. in Jackson Heights. This small chain also has two other locations, in Monroe and Brookfield, Connecticut. The place has some pretty good reviews on Yelp. The food reviews seem to be very strong.
Thanks to Jeff for sending in this info this morning!
Thanks to Jeff for sending in this info this morning!
Why would anyone thinks another Mexican restaurant will thrive in this space?
ReplyDeleteJust maybe there will be more efficient management, better food, better atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteUnlikely, and even so, it's a saturated market and a poor location.
DeleteForest Hills is certainly not a saturated market for new good restaurants-just try to get a table at Banter on a Friday after work. And this location is great if done right-- not that many restaurants here with outdoor seating that isn't right next to streets and cars. This is high up, and overlooks Austin St. Potentially can be a lot of fun and a fantastic new place if the food is good. Garcia's food, the time I went, was very average, not nearly as good as 5 Burros. If this new place is better, we probably will have a succesful new restaurant to enjoy.
DeleteSgt Garcia's was at that location for many (many) years, so IMO saying it's a poor location is unjustified. The restaurant wouldn't have survived as long as it did if the issue was location.
ReplyDeleteAs for the market being saturated, not sure I can get on-board with that either. 5 Burro draws a very specific crowd. It's not a restaurant for older folks or an easy dining choice for young couples with families. Chipotle is fast food, and I don't see it taking away business from a sit-down restaurant.
I know nothing about El Coyote, so can't say if this will do well or not .... but another sit-down, Mexican restaurant is IMO a great fit for this neighborhood, assuming the food is good (which the Yelp reviews seem to indicate it just may be!).
I used to go to Sgt Garcias way back in the late 80s and early 90s. I agree with Susan hat not everyone feels comfortable at at 5 Burro and we need a family place. If it is well-managed and has better food, it will thrive. If not, it will go the way of that Italian place on the corner opposite the post office that started out very hip in the early 90s as "Quartiere" and then deteriorated and changed names several times. Mexican food is alqays popular, especially if they have good margaritas.
ReplyDeleteGarcias interior was poor and needed to be redone. Hopefully this new firm upgrades the interior.
ReplyDeleteIt would also be nice to see an exterior redesign as well as the building is in poor shape.
We used to go to Garcia's all the time. After George sold the place, we noticed the decline started to set in. Manny was a great guy, but he could only wear so many hats. His initial partner killed the bar when he started tending the bar.
ReplyDeleteSgt Garcia's was a dump and terrible food. Glad it's gone! I really don't like to eat in a restaurant that has no windows in the dining area such as Buffalo Wild Wings. Would never step food in there either.
ReplyDelete