By Liz Witbeck
Leon’s Mexican Restaurant recently moved to a new location, opening at 2100 Doubleday Ave. (Route 50) in Ballston Spa in January.
The restaurant was previously located on Crescent Avenue in Saratoga Springs.
Leon’s Mexican Restaurant is located in Carousel Village, the previous location of the Three Olives restaurant.
The business has been operating for the past 14 years. Roberta Acosta is owner of the establishment. Her entire family helps with the business.
“We sold the property and we were looking for a more modern building,” said Acosta. “We wanted something with more traffic. As a mom, I was excited because this has parking. It’s in a plaza. We looked at things in downtown Saratoga, but we didn’t like anything because there was no parking. This came up and it was the perfect fit. I was really happy.”
Renovations done prior to opening included adding new equipment to the kitchen, painting, new signs and decorating the interior. Leon’s Mexican Restaurant has shipped in many interior decorations from Mexico, including their lights and their glassware.
Guests can expect to see a few new things on the menu at Leon’s. One section is combination plates, where customers can choose from a variety of different items to mix or match for their meal. All combination plates are served with rice and beans and sour cream.
Another new section of the menu is the taqueria section. In Mexico, a taqueria is a street vendor or a shop that sells tacos. At Leon’s, guests can enjoy a variety of specialty tacos, filled with their choice of meats such as chorizo, chicken, carnitas, or even black beans for those who are vegetarian.
Acosta said her favorite dish at the restaurant is the chicken flautas dinner: corn tortillas filled with chicken, topped with queso fresco and served with rice, beans, lettuce and tomato.
She assures patrons of the establishment that not much has changed.
“Everything is the same. The same staff. Our cooks have been here for 10 years,” she said.
Business “has been phenomenal,” said Acosta. “We’ve met so many great new families. We are so grateful for the support of our old customers and our new families.”
Leon’s has specials several nights each week. On Sundays, the restaurant offers half-price burritos. On Tuesdays, customers can buy two margaritas for $8. Wednesdays offers half-price wine and sangria. Thursdays, guests can get tacos for $2 each.
Leon’s Mexican Restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Mondays. The restaurant plans to open for lunch in the near future. For more information, visit www.leonsmexicanrestaurant.com or call 490-2058.