Mexican restaurant Riviera Maya plans to relocate to a smaller space one block south of its current location in Bay View, making way for a new restaurant to open in the space.
Riviera Maya in August will move from its current location at 2258 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. to a space at 2321 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., the former site of Midwest Diner, which closed last year after eight years. The new space is half the size of the restaurant’s current space, owner Francisco Araiza said.
Araiza, who opened Riviera Maya in 2003, said the increasing cost of real estate prompted the move. The restaurant originally opened nearby on the corner of Lincoln and Howell and two years later, it moved to its current location.
“We’ve been in this neighborhood for 15 years,” Araiza said “Back then, prices were lower so we were able to have this huge space, but now every year real estate prices go up, so we decided to go to a smaller space.”
Renovations to the building’s interior, mainly the floor, are currently underway, Araiza said, but the restaurant’s decor, atmosphere and menu will remain the same at the new location.
“When you walk into the new place, it will be like walking to the current place,” Araiza said.
Once Riviera Maya moves, new Latin American-inspired restaurant Sabor Tropical plans to take over the space. Owners Stephen Gonzalez-Rosario and Carmen Munoz had originally proposed to open the restaurant in April in Walker’s Point, but their plans changed, Gonzalez-Rosario said.
Gonzalez-Rosario said the details are still in the works, but the restaurant and lounge will be a different concept than he originally planned and he will announce his plans at a later date. Sabor Tropical is slated to open by September, according to a license application filed with the city.
