El Sur has been a South Main staple with their food truck since they started serving three years ago. They are now ready to fully plant their business in the SoMa district when they open their doors to the new brick and mortar at 1214 Main street on Friday.
If you are familiar with their Honduran focused food truck that owners Luis Vasquez and Darren Strayhorn have carefully crafted over the years, then you will feel instantly at ease with the opening menu that will feature their signature Baleadas (think the most amazing burrito you will ever have), tacos and arepas all with variety of meat and vegetarian options.
“To start we are going to focus on letting the physical restaurant be the star while we keep the menu similar to what we had operating on the food truck,” Vasquez tells us. “There will be a few new appetizers, salads, and desserts, but by keeping things simple it will allow us to transition into a larger space serving more people while keeping the quality to the high level everyone loves.”
That is not to say there will not be new items. El Sur has a number of new menu items that they will add in later in the year including a Honduran style fried chicken, Pollo Chuco, that will likely be an instant favorite. They also plan to start running monthly seasonal specials later in the year that will allow them to introduce more authentic Honduran style food that they were never able to do on the truck.
As for the space itself, they have done an amazing amount of work in a fairly short time since taking over the space. It is a drastic change from the previous occupant, Esters, and one that fits the style and personality of El Sur.
Up front you will find counter service ordering, a full bar, and a seating capacity of right around 50. They worked hard to model the main dining area around the look and feel they had created with the truck complete with even a similar awning positioned over the ordering table.
The back, however, is where you can see El Sur’s forward vision for leveraging their space as a community hangout. It is a very chill, relaxed vibe that feels more like hanging out in someone’s backyard than sitting in a restaurant. As a neighborhood resident it is easy to picture this space being filled with others from the neighborhood hanging out, playing pool or ping pong, watching a World Cup game, or just visiting with friends over a drink.
The first service will be dinner on Friday (7/29) and they will remain dinner only for the first couple of weeks as they make the transition. Once they are up and going full speed the operating hours will be 11-9 Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday (closed Tuesdays); 11-10 Friday and Saturday; and 9am-2pm on Sundays serving brunch.
