Urbanspace to Roll Out Recalibrated Concept

Urbanspace’s downtown restaurant Bacalar has closed and will give way to the upcoming Tómalo Taqueria, according to Eater.

“Our original intent for this restaurant was to be fun dining,” CEO Kevin Burns told the publication, adding that the restaurant ended up leaning more high-end. “It became known as the place that people wanted to go to for a special event, and that goes completely against the grain of what I wanted.”

“Burns cites that the number of repeat customers was lower than the group wanted. Then there’s the fact that long-in-the-works Rainey Street trailhead park project was under construction until early July, meaning the restaurant overlooked an uninviting worksite for most of its tenure,” the report states.

“The revamped Tómalo is meant to work as a grill restaurant suitable for everything from casual dining to big occasions. The menu will focus on more tacos and grilled items like fish and vegetables (making use of the on-site Josper oven), sold at comparatively more affordable prices — though it’ll keep Bacalar’s large tomahawk steak. It’ll still serve cocktails, including tequila and mezcal drinks. The change is being overseen by Urbanspace’s director of hospitality, Ben Smith, who was previously the general manager of now-closed Austin restaurant Provision Dining House.”

No opening date has been announced.

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