Latin Restaurant Opening in Newtown

Good news for those of you wishing for more ethnic food options in Newtown: a new restaurant serving Latin food is opening in just a few weeks.

Chef Francisco Argueta, owner of Florentino’s and Francisco’s on the River, is opening a third restaurant. It will be called Mamita’s and will serve traditional Latin food from Central and South America.

The restaurant will be located on Cambridge Lane, next to Ota-Ya. It will take the spot formerly occupied by La Nuova Vita pizzeria.

Argueta’s wife, Jennifer, told Patch they are planning to open May 1.

Mamita’s—named after the chef’s mother—will be a kid-friendly BYO serving everything from tacos to paella, enchiladas, chimichangas, fajitas, empanadas and more.  

Patrons will be able to enjoy fresh margarita mixes to add to their own tequila.

"At Mamita’s, we don’t say BYOB, we say BYOT where the “T” stands for Tequila," the website says.

Sundays will be “build your own taco” night, where patrons can choose from a variety of taco fillings and toppings.

Argueta decided to return his roots when opening his third restaurant. He came to the United States from El Salvador in 1986.

“Chef Argueta owes his success to his mother (Mamita) who instilled him with strong values and nurtured his love cooking,” according to an email from Jennifer.  

When he came to America, Argueta worked as a restaurant dishwasher and soon found himself behind the line. “His desire to create his own fabulous dishes with his own flavors and quality ingredients motivated him to open his first restaurant,” the email said.

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