New Restaurants to Open Soon in Cedar Rapids and Vinton

Two buildings that have recently sat vacant will soon have new life.

Ariel Barrios, one of the partners involved in the opening of Porfirio's Mexican Restaurant that opened early this year in Anamosa, is at it again.

Before we get into specifics of Barrios' new ventures, can we just love on this outdoor mural at the restaurant in Anamosa? According to Barrios, it pays homage to the rich culture of Mexico, and Grant Wood's 'American Gothic'. Wood, the famous Iowa painter, was born near Anamosa. It took about a month for Milton Hernandez to do the mural this summer.

Iowans are also loving Porfirio's food. It's rated 4.6 stars (out of 5), on Google. You can follow their Facebook page here. Clearly if you haven't tried it yet, you're missing out.

Barrios is the sole owner of a couple of new restaurants that will be opening soon. He'll be working with Ozzi Aguirre and Raúl Flores on both restaurants. The first of the two is in Vinton. The building on the right below was once home to Pizza Hut.

This week, Barrios says he'll open Tequilero Mexican Restaurant in the building at 300 N. K Avenue (Highway 218) in Vinton. Like the restaurant in Anamosa, it will offer authentic Mexican food.

Soon, the former Fong's Pizza building in Cedar Rapids' NewBo area will be home to a new restaurant. Fong's, closed in early November of 2022, but the building at 1006 3rd St. S.E. will soon welcome customers again.

According to Barrios, the new restaurant Kafe Tacuba will be different from the Anamosa and Vinton ones in that it will be open for not only lunch and dinner, but also breakfast.

Below are a couple of the gorgeous murals that will greet customers when Kafe Tacuba opens in Cedar Rapids.

According to Barrios, he expects to open Kafe Tacuba "a little after Christmas".

Barrios says he should have another restaurant announcement very soon. When he does, we'll update this story with that information, as well.