The Mexican restaurant chain El Jinete opened its sixth location this past week at the site of a former O’Charley’s restaurant in Hixson.
Roman Fonseca, a Murfreesboro, Tennessee, restaurateur who owns the El Jinete Mexican Restaurant 4 Corp., acquired the shuttered restaurant building at 5031 Hixson Pike in 2023 and renovated the 7,900-square-foot facility to accommodate the new eatery.
(READ MORE: O’Charley’s closes area restaurants)
Omar Alvare, one of the owners of El Jinete who is managing the new Hixson location, said the newest restaurant is the biggest yet for El Jinete and has about 35 full- and part-time workers. The restaurant, which is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. most days and stays open until 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, offers a variety of Mexican dishes and cuisine with entrees priced from $10.99 to $15.49.
“We started in 2009 and we like this area and we got a lot of good reviews and customer support, so we have continued to add more locations,” Alvare said in a telephone interview Wednesday from the new Hixson eatery. “We’ve had a lot of happy customers, and that’s what we are looking for.”
During the past five years, Fonseca and his partners have developed a half dozen El Jinete locations, where they brag “the soul of Mexico comes alive through every bite.” El Jinete has restaurants in Ooltewah, Cleveland, Athens, Powell and Oak Ridge, and Alvare said the owners are always looking for opportunities for more growth.
El Jinete’s menu features a variety of nachos, tacos, burritos and quesadilla entrees, along with soups, salads and appetizers and a full offering of different margaritas, cocktails and beers.
“Step into our inviting space and embark on a culinary voyage that celebrates the rich tapestry of Mexican flavors and traditions,” El Jinete says on its website.
(READ MORE: Hixson restaurants realign)
The newest restaurant site for El Jinete was originally built in 1981, according to the Hamilton County assessor’s office.
After acquiring the building, the new owners installed a new kitchen, tore out all of the carpet and installed new flooring, and added outdoor seating and new restrooms, Alvare said.
The opening of the new El Jinete follows the opening of the nearby Miller’s Ale House and Taziki’s Mediterranean Café in the Hixson area in the past couple of years. A Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant, Cava, also is slated to open later this yest near Northgate Mall as the first of a couple of new restaurants on the site behind Logan’s Steakhouse on Highway 153.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6340.
Staff photo by Dave Flessner / El Jinete Mexican Restaurant, seen Sunday, opened June 24 at 5031 Hixson Pike, where O’Charley’s closed nearly two years ago. The Hixson restaurant is the sixth location in Southeast Tennessee for the growing Mexican-style eatery.