Mexico City-based Grupo Carolo and the backers of California-based Eureka restaurants are planning to bring the high-end Mexican restaurant La Popular to Austin in March 2023, according to a recent press release. The Austin location will be the third La Popular in the United States, after planned openings in Roseville, CA in November and Las Vegas, NV in February.
Both parties behind the project are well-established players in the restaurant industry—Grupo Carolo operates 27 restaurants throughout Mexico City such as Aromas, Blanco Colima, Blanco Castelar, Cachava, Carolo and Farina. Rockets + Pineapples LLC, the hospitality group behind Eureka restaurants, operates 26 locations in California, Idaho, Nevada, Texas and Washington.
Executive Chef Cesar de la Parra Coghlan will design La Popular’s menu, with a special emphasis on traditional Mexican dishes. The restaurant will also offer a selection of 80 tequilas and mezcals, overseen by Trevor Tyler, VP of Beverage Operations.
“We are excited to introduce a vibrant, authentic home-grown Mexican restaurant to the United States,” said Paul Frederick, founder of Eureka Restaurant Group and Rockets + Pineapples, in a statement. “With its approachable menu and vibrant atmosphere, we hope that La Popular will become a community gathering destination for friends and families alike.”
“To me, Mexican cuisine is so much more than food; it encompasses the country’s sense of community and place,” said Eduardo Gomez, CEO of Grupo Carolo and Rockets + Pineapples.
Given the project’s early stage, still five months out from opening, no location or specific opening dates are currently known.
