Students who crave Cuban food won’t have to travel far once Flaco’s opens its second location in Midtown.
Flaco’s Cuban Bakery and Coffee Spot will open a new location next to Designer Greens on West University Avenue in about two weeks, said Sara Puyana, co-owner of the restaurant.
A specific opening date has not been set, she said.
Flaco’s downtown location opened in 2006. Known as a haven for students looking to grab an authentic Cuban meal, the original home of the neon pink pig will also have late hours at its new location, which will stay open until 2:30 a.m. most days of the week.
Flaco’s Midtown location will be open on Mondays, unlike its downtown counterpart.
The smaller location will have gas-powered commercial stoves and fryers, which the restaurant didn’t have before.
“We’re going to have all those fried items people like,” Puyana said.
A 500-square-foot suite will house the new restaurant, which is a third of the size of the downtown Flaco’s site. Six people can sit down inside the restaurant at a time, but Puyana said she has big plans for the restaurant next fall.
“Our plan by football season is to have walk-up window service,” she said. “Like a food truck. I think it’ll be fun during Gator games.”
The second location resulted from a search to find a kitchen that could run on gas power, which would allow them to serve more people and cook fried foods. Once the location was picked, Puyana said, the owners decided they might as well serve food from it, too.
Kara Norton, a chemical engineering junior, said she was excited that Flaco’s was opening a location closer to campus. She said she likes eating at the restaurant, but she only goes every few weeks because she spends most of her day on campus.
“It’ll be awesome to have Flaco’s available for lunch,” she said. “It’d be convenient to eat between classes. It’s good quality and good price.”
Ben Higginbotham, a 23-year-old Flaco’s employee, said the restaurant’s fresh food and late hours will bring in customers. He said that the restaurant uses only fresh ingredients in its dishes, which are prepared authentically by Puyana’s mother.
“Even if you show up at two in the morning, you’re eating food that tastes like it was made right then,” he said. “You should smell this place in the morning. All the food is being made fresh for the day. It’s unbelievable.”
Flaco's, located at 200 W University Ave., will open a second location in Midtown.
