Score Once More
Popular East Austin Mexican restaurant temporarily reopens after abrupt closure
Takoba may not be done with renovations just yet, but the favorite hangout for soccer fans isn’t going to let the 2018 World Cup go by. The popular Mexican restaurant confirmed to CultureMap that it will temporarily reopen its doors starting June 14, the day of the first match between Russia and Saudi Arabia.
The Mexican eatery unexpectedly shuttered on January 18 in order to give the eight-year-old dining room a makeover and make improvements to the food and drink menu. Along with the main restaurant, the team also closed the adjacent agave bar, Cantina el Milamores.
The temporary reopening was not a complete surprise. Since its debut, Takoba has always had soccer in its DNA. The soft opening coincided with the 2010 World Cup and one of its first special events was a blowout party for the final game between Spain and the Netherlands.
Unfortunately, the full dinner and brunch services are not back quite yet. In a June 8 Facebook post, the Takoba team said that they would only be serving a limited food and drink menu for the matches.
According to the post, the owners had hoped to be finished with the renovation by this time, but the city permitting process is taking longer than they had hoped. Once the World Cup is finished on July 15, the restaurant will get back to work on the improvements and reopen permanently on an unspecified date.
In the meantime, owner Jose de Loera has plenty to keep him occupied. On May 11, he opened a third location of drive-thru taqueria El Tacorrido at 5303 Burnet Rd.