Casa Bonita chef closes, looks to sell LoHi Mexican restaurant

P4244905 scaled

Cantina Loca opened at 2890 Zuni St. in 2021. (Maia Luem/BusinessDen)

Chef Dana Rodriguez’s 3-year-old LoHi Mexican restaurant and bar is on the market.  

Cantina Loca is listed for $300,000, according to an Axio Commercial Real Estate marketing brochure. 

5.13D Cantina Loca Dana Rodriguez 1

Dana Rodriguez

The 2,765-square-foot space at 2890 Zuni St. is described as a “rare turnkey restaurant,” meaning an operator could take over the space without needing to build it out. The restaurant has been closed in recent days and its website is no longer online.

After initial publication of this story, Rodriguez said in a statement sent by a spokeswoman that “we’ve made the difficult decision to close Cantina Loca.”

“While we started out strong, our guest numbers decreased over the past two years while food expenses and labor costs skyrocketed,” Rodriguez said. “Cantina Loca, like dozens of other Denver restaurants, is an unfortunate casualty of conditions that were out of our control.”

Cantina Loca is on the corner of 29th Avenue and Zuni Street, on the ground floor of a condominium complex developed by Scott Kiere’s development firm, Urban Green Development. Kiere did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 

The Axio brochure highlights the restaurant’s garage doors that open to a patio, “very attractive lease terms” and a rooftop deck for private parties. 

Cantina Loca serves Mexican food such as $6 carne asada tacos, $19 chile rellenos and the $12 blue corn empanadas. But the main attraction is its cocktail menu, Rodriguez previously told BusinessDen, which showcases the trio’s tequila and mezcal brand Doña Loca. 

Rodriguez opened her first Denver restaurant, Work & Class, in RiNo over 10 years ago. She is also co-owner of RiNo’s Super Mega Bien and is the executive chef of Casa Bonita, the Lakewood landmark that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone revived last year.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly named two individuals as co-founders of the restaurant. This story has also been updated with a statement from Dana Rodriguez that was provided after publication.

P4244905 scaled

Cantina Loca opened at 2890 Zuni St. in 2021. (Maia Luem/BusinessDen)

Chef Dana Rodriguez’s 3-year-old LoHi Mexican restaurant and bar is on the market.  

Cantina Loca is listed for $300,000, according to an Axio Commercial Real Estate marketing brochure. 

5.13D Cantina Loca Dana Rodriguez 1

Dana Rodriguez

The 2,765-square-foot space at 2890 Zuni St. is described as a “rare turnkey restaurant,” meaning an operator could take over the space without needing to build it out. The restaurant has been closed in recent days and its website is no longer online.

After initial publication of this story, Rodriguez said in a statement sent by a spokeswoman that “we’ve made the difficult decision to close Cantina Loca.”

“While we started out strong, our guest numbers decreased over the past two years while food expenses and labor costs skyrocketed,” Rodriguez said. “Cantina Loca, like dozens of other Denver restaurants, is an unfortunate casualty of conditions that were out of our control.”

Cantina Loca is on the corner of 29th Avenue and Zuni Street, on the ground floor of a condominium complex developed by Scott Kiere’s development firm, Urban Green Development. Kiere did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 

The Axio brochure highlights the restaurant’s garage doors that open to a patio, “very attractive lease terms” and a rooftop deck for private parties. 

Cantina Loca serves Mexican food such as $6 carne asada tacos, $19 chile rellenos and the $12 blue corn empanadas. But the main attraction is its cocktail menu, Rodriguez previously told BusinessDen, which showcases the trio’s tequila and mezcal brand Doña Loca. 

Rodriguez opened her first Denver restaurant, Work & Class, in RiNo over 10 years ago. She is also co-owner of RiNo’s Super Mega Bien and is the executive chef of Casa Bonita, the Lakewood landmark that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone revived last year.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly named two individuals as co-founders of the restaurant. This story has also been updated with a statement from Dana Rodriguez that was provided after publication.

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