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LaGrange is ready for Cinco de Mayo with its newest Mexican restaurant, Hacienda Bar & Grill. 

On Tuesday, the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Mexican restaurant, which took over the former This Is It! Southern Kitchen & BBQ location. Hacienda Bar & Grill plans to bring its tried and tested menu inspired by the culinary traditions of Mexico.

The restaurant has locations in Dawsonville, Suwanee, McDonough, and others in Atlanta. Hacienda in LaGrange is the 12th one owned by Rufino Garcia. It’s his 16th restaurant overall, Co-manager Luke Reid said.

“We’ve got a new one opening up in Dahlonega and Snellville, [Georgia] soon, within probably the next four to six weeks,” he said.

Luke said Hacienda specializes in authentic Hispanic food with a large menu with something for everyone. 

“We’ve got a little bit of everything, a kids menu, an adult menu, just anything you could think of in Hispanic food,” Luke said. “We have phenomenal guacamole, chicken, steak, shrimp and Mexican chorizo … and I’m not saying that just because I work here. It’s truly good.”

The restaurant opened for its soft opening last Monday to great success. Thursday at lunch was their official grand opening.

 

“I’ve worked in other restaurants, and I know the difference. There’s a good following already,” Luke said.

Co-manager Laticia Reid said residents in LaGrange will soon come to love Hacienda and the service they provide.

“That’s the difference between other Mexican restaurants and ours. We really try to provide the best customer service and the best food. We don’t want just people to be customers. We want people to feel welcome, like they’re coming home. It’s just not another restaurant that wants to get you in and out. We want you to have a good experience at [Hacienda] and to treat you like family.”.

Reid said it’s Garcia, who wasn’t able to attend the ribbon cutting, that sets them apart from similar restaurants in town.

“We’ve got an outstanding owner, and from him down, that’s what’s important. If you have a good owner, a good owner will hire good managers, and the manager will hire good employees. If they’re not good, you find out quickly,” he said.