Restaurateur duo opens new pair of Cedar Rapids Mexican restaurants with Mextizo, CaFe Tacuba

Mextizo

With dozens of other options, owners Ozzy Aguirre and Ariel Barrios — friends in the industry — are aware of the need to stand out in Cedar Rapids. Their new concept at Mextizo, opened in the space previously home to El Bajio 2, attempts to do so in a few ways.

Starting with a step inside, the lush interior offers a portal to Aguirre’s grandmother’s patio with retrofitted trees, artificial flowers and ceiling greenery lit warmly by wicker fixtures to deliver an atmosphere unlike many traditional restaurants. Along the perimeter, murals of Frida Kahlo and graffiti-esque cartoons of other Mexican figures run parallel to oversized booths easily large enough for eight people.

The pair know the Mexican restaurant scene well. Barrios helped start La Cantina in 2011; Aguirre helped start Mas Margaritas in 2019. With a relatively novel look and a few menu standouts, Barrios said they have to excel at service to compete.

They want their new chapter, paying homage to their central Mexico upbringing, to reflect the warmth of the place from which they hail.

“It’s a different generation of Mexican restaurants,” Aguirre said of the pair’s two Cedar Rapids establishments — not to mention Tequilero, which also opened recently in Vinton. “I remember coming home and I was excited for my mom to make the Ozzy’s Tacos. We want to bring things we grew up eating that made me excited to get home.”

And thanks to his stepfather, grandmother and aunt, the restaurants aren’t relying on memory alone. The three moved up from Mexico to train staff and have a daily hand in the kitchen handcrafting keys like their unusually pliable corn tortillas — a signature that will make almost any diner think twice about defaulting to flour tortillas.

Tortilla chips, served to each table with a free salsa or an optional array of specialty salsa and guacamole flights, also reflect a similar freshness in batches that are delicately fried.

In embracing a few different things on the otherwise giant menu, they hope to bring something new to the table and allow authenticity to shine through a new angle.

“We took the risk of bringing the stuff we grew up with,” Aguirre said. “Most of the other ones are Tex-Mex.”

You’ll find all the staples that have come to be part of Mexican American cuisine — burritos, tacos, enchiladas and fajitas. But within each section you’ll find details that offer a new take.

Tacos Villada are named after the street Aguirre grew up on. Another taco option resembles the kind they would get in a Mexico City street market with guacamole, pico de gallo and jalapenos.

Steak Chacon is served with potato wedges, and spaghetti poblano adds a new kick to a dish that’s old hat to most.

Appetizers offer a reason to pay for something more than the free chips, with options like a chorizo queso that add new dimensions to cheese. Guacamole flights come in multiple variations, such as mango, and are available to sample all at once.

Featuring a chef with seafood chops, the Mextizo menu embraces spicy shrimp, octopus and oysters in artistic presentations.

Even simplicities like the house pico de gallo — a staple garnishing plates at many restaurants — manages to stand out with a new verve that many restaurants neglect. Avocado supplements dishes generously, when it makes an appearance.

To drink, Aguirre’s reputation for margaritas precedes him with a strong cocktail lineup and a curated selection of mezcal. On this menu, spicy margaritas are available in multiple variations, from blackberry to watermelon.

CaFe Tacuba

With a smaller menu, CaFe Tacuba’s move into the former brick building of Fong’s Pizza in NewBo delivers a similarly artistic interior.

Consistency is key across a select number of dishes also available at Mextizo. But here, breakfast is dominant.

An omelet, skillet, and eggs Benedict section gives Mexican accents throughout. Morning classics on the American side offer the staples that will reorient anyone north of the border with pancakes, crepes, and a large menu of handcrafted espresso beverages.

One section takes Mexican flavor a step further with dozens of options, including chilaquiles, breakfast enchiladas, chorizo hash browns and huevos in multiple styles.

“As Mexicans, cuisine is very important in coming together,” Aguirre said.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or [email protected].

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