WEST LAKEVIEW — After 41 years, El Cafe Tapatio is expanding in a big way.
The restaurant has begun renovating the storefront next door, formerly the Comset Computers repair store. After four decades at Ashland Avenue and Roscoe Street, the Mexican restaurant has had its growing pains, and the expansion will allow larger parties to stretch their legs in double its current space.
"We always have to turn away larger groups, so that's the biggest catalyst for our expanding," said Mauricio Parra, who runs the restaurant his parents opened.
The expansion is expected to open late next month or early next year. The additional 26 seats will almost double the current 38-seat restaurant.
![After 41 years at the corner of Ashland and Roscoe, Cafe El Tapatio is expanding into the storefront next door, a former computer repair store. Julie and Jose Parra [middle] opened El Cafe Tapatio in 1974, and now their sons Mauricio [right] and Fabian [left] run the restaurant.](http://assets.dnainfo.com/generated/chicago_photo/2015/11/cafe-el-tapatio-1447977179.jpg/extralarge.jpg)
Parra grew up in the restaurant; some of his earliest memories come from spending his days at El Tapatio while his parents ran the eatery.
"It's in my blood. I had the opportunity to explore a couple other career paths, but I kind of always came back, full circle," Parra said.
His parents remain a big presence, and his brother Fabian Parra tends bar. El Tapatio's first chef, Reyna Olivier, still runs the kitchen. Even late in the lunch hour on a chilly Thursday, the restaurant is bustling, with Parra's parents working away in the corner while Fabian and Mauricio take charge.
There have been some changes since Cafe El Tapatio opened in 1974; as the neighborhood became more family oriented, El Tapatio added a children's menu.
They added a vegetarian menu with dishes like enchiladas de platano ($14) and potato-stuffed sincronizadas de papa ($13). Seafood options like tequila-flambéed shrimp ($16) and tilapia al tamarindo ($15) are also new additions.
The ability to adapt while still staying true to the "core foundation" keeps customers coming back for more year after year, Parra said.
The small size also had its silver lining, as the restaurant's limited refrigerator space means the food is made fresh from scratch daily — a "key factor" for customers, he added.
"With the longevity of the place, we have some customers who have been coming here since day one. And when people come to the neighborhood, they hear they have to check out El Tapatio, so word of mouth spreads," Parra said.
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