A Tex-Mex restaurant that had been open in Sarasota for more than a decade has shut its doors.
The Grasshopper Mexican Restaurant & Bar at 7253 S. Tamiami Trail is now closed, according to a message posted in the window.
The restaurant was opened by Dino Soto in 2013 in the former Shuck's Seafood space.
"We are now closed for business," the message attributed to "Dino, Karly, Aliyah and Bella" read. "Thank you for the past 14 years."
According to a Herald-Tribune article written shortly after its opening, the restaurant's origins actually date back to 1971, when The Grasshopper (or "El Chapulin" in Spanish) opened its flagship location in Adrian,
Michigan, under owners Jesse and Cleo Rosales, a family from Edinburg, Texas. Cleo Rosales, Soto's grandmother, helped him in the kitchen before the Florida restaurant launched.
"I feel like I'm getting passed down a tradition," Soto said at the time. "To hear the stories that came with the food my grandmother used to make was such a cool experience. I'm glad I can share that."
The restaurant's signature item was its wet burrito, with other dishes including the "El Chaputizer" appetizer of queso and guacamole with tortilla chips, a cheesecake burrito dessert, and tacos, chalupas, enchiladas and quesadillas. It also had a full-liquor bar with a focus on margaritas.
Attempts to reach the restaurant for further comment on the closure were not immediately successful. However, two recent posts on The Grasshopper's Facebook page, on Oct. 5 and Sept. 28, had cited construction as a challenge.
The Grasshopper is one of multiple Sarasota area restaurants or bars that have closed in recent weeks, also including Georgie's and Bar George in University Town Center, Brick's Smoked Meats in downtown Sarasota, Nick's Bar on Bee Ridge Road, The 1818 Grill in Southside Village, and Indigenous in Towles Court.
Earle Kimel, and information from Herald-Tribune archives, contributed to this article.
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Tex-Mex restaurant closes after more than a decade
