Luchita's to Reopen at Shaker Square this Summer

Luchita’s will make a comeback when it opens at Shaker Square this summer. Credit: Scene Archives

For many Northeast Ohioans, July 5, 2022, was a dark day in dining. That was the day Luchita’s Mexican Restaurant closed after a remarkable 40-year run. Family matriarch Maria de la Luz Galindo opened the restaurant in 1981, making it one of the first Mexican restaurants on Cleveland’s west side.

Since the closure, there have been rumblings about reviving the iconic local brand, but the right time, place and opportunity have not yet come together for the Galindo family. But now they have, says Reynaldo Galindo.

For the past six months, Galindo and partners Jorge Sierra and Elisa Maria Galindo have been reshaping the former Balaton space at Shaker Square into Coyoacán, a venture that was to combine a fast-casual Mexican eatery with bar and microbrewery serving regional Mexican food. After much consideration, the plan has shifted to dedicate the second space to a new Luchita’s.

“People are always asking us, ‘When are you opening Luchita’s; we want Luchita’s.’ And we always said, ‘As soon as we find the right spot,” says Galindo. “This is a big space, so why not take half of it for Luchita’s?”

If there was a person best suited to usher in the revival, it’s Galindo. As the founder’s son, Reynaldo served as executive chef at Luchita’s for many years. It was under his watch that the restaurant dialed back the Tex-Mex dishes while ramping up more authentic regional specialties from his home country.

The plan now is as follows: On Tuesday June 10, Coyoacán – named after Galindo’s home town in Mexico City – will open to the public. The fast-casual eatery will offer customizable tacos, burritos, tortas, empanadas and bowls from a hot and cold line.

Next month sometime, Luchita’s will open in the main dining room, where it will have a separate entrance, menu and style of service (full-serve). There is seating for about 40 diners inside, with more to come once the large sidewalk patio materializes. Galindo says that diners can look forward to the same recipes, food and history of the original.

“I don’t want people to forget my mom,” he says.

When Luchita’s does open, it will mark not only a revival of the storied brand but a return to Shaker Square, where a location existed for years.

Later this summer, Luchita’s will unveil a novel patio setup that transforms trajineras – those colorful boats that ferry sightseers through the canals of Xochimilco – into outdoor dining structures.

Later this year or early next, Ohio’s first Mexican-owned microbrewery will open in the space.

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