Just as a new Downtown restaurant opened, a longtime mainstay closed.
Burrito Gallery at 21 E. Adams. St. shut its doors Feb. 7 after 18 years in business.
Cinco de Mayo at 301 E. Bay St. opened the week before.
The Burrito Gallery is part of the Gallery Restaurant Group and Legacy Restaurant Group that includes locations at 5016 Gate Parkway in South Jacksonville and 90 Riverside Ave. in Brooklyn.
Uptown Kitchen at 1303 Main St. N. in Springfield is also a member of the Gallery Restaurant Group.
No comment on future
Burrito Gallery co-owners Shawn Lednick and John Valentino declined to comment on the closure.
Valentino wrote in a text: “There is no comment on the closing and no news on future status of the building at this time.”
According to Valentino’s LinkedIn page, he owns five Mellow Mushroom Pizza restaurants, three (now two) Burrito Galleries and The French Pantry,
The sign on the door read: “Thank you for 18 years of great memories! With heavy hearts we have made the decision to close this Burrito Gallery location. We have and will always value your local support that has been shared with us over the years.”
It hinted at a new concept for the Burrito Gallery space on Bay Street.
The Burrito Gallery at 300 Beach Blvd. in Jacksonville Beach closed about three months ago.
Indochine Downtown, a Thai restaurant above Burrito Gallery at 21 E. Adams St., No. 200, remains open and is not a part of the Gallery Restaurant Group, according to Indochine management.
Burrito Gallery is known for its burritos, tacos, nachos, quesadillas and fajitas. The Downtown location had a full bar and a patio area in the rear of the building.
Downtown lost three other dining spots in recent months. Mag’s Cafe at 231 N. Laura St. and Burger King at 210 E. State St. closed in October. The Atrium Cafe & Grill in the Wells Fargo Center at 1 Independent Drive W. closed in November.
Cinco de Mayo enters
Downtown also gained a restaurant.
Cinco de Mayo is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday -Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Owners Rodolfo and Maria Torres-Leon opened their first Cinco de Mayo in the former Jacksonville Landing in 2007.
In September, Torres Leon Properties purchased the ground-floor Olio restaurant space for $1,337,500. Olio closed in March 2022 after 12 years.
The interior features a large mural of the Jacksonville skyline, its logo as well as a Jaguars logo depicted as an Aztec warrior.
Cinco de Mayo has a full menu of Mexican-inspired dishes including variations of nachos, quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas and burritos. It also has steak and seafood items. There is a vegetarian menu and there are also vegan tacos and enchiladas. It has a full bar.
Other Cinco de Mayo restaurants include two in St. Augustine, two in Palm Coast as well as Jacksonville locations on 13170 Atlantic Boulevard and 11101 St. Augustine Road.
The couple also owns Don Eduardo Cocina Mexicana at 2665 Park St. at northwest King and Park streets in Riverside.
Neither owner returned calls for comment.
