MARCH 4, 2010 ISSUE
Business Spotlight
Puerto Nuevo—Family-Owned, Authentic Mexican Food in Banner Elk
Nicolas and Jaime Leon’s restaurant Puerto Nuevo in Banner Elk opened in early December 2009 and offers High Country residents reasonably priced Mexican food and seafood. Photo by Ken KetchiePuerto Nuevo, located at 2120 Tynecastle Highway in Banner Elk, opened on December 11, 2009, said Nicolas Leon, restaurant manager and co-owner with his brother Jaime.
“We thought it was a great location to open a Mexican restaurant, because there’s not a lot of Mexican restaurants [in the area],” Leon said.
Puerto Nuevo features authentic Mexican and seafood dishes, as well as a full bar, he said.
In the 2.5 months of its existence, all the customers have enjoyed both the food and the prices, Leon said.
“I’ve never had a complaint before,” he said.
Lunch dishes are typically $4 to $5, and dinner ranges from $6.50 to $10, featuring 30 different combinations, as well as special dinner plates and house platters, Leon said.
A very popular dish with customers is the Puerto Nuevo Special Platter, which includes steak, shrimp, rice, salad and grilled vegetables, Leon said.
The restaurant seats about 90 people and “big TVs” are located throughout, he said, adding that “all kinds of sports” are shown on the TVs.
Although it is not happening yet, having live mariachi bands play at the restaurant is “something I want to do” in the future, Leon said.
“I would like to open a patio outside, plus make this place bigger,” he added.
Leon’s brother and father own a restaurant named Don Jose in Atlanta, Ga., and his brother owns another restaurant, also named Puerto Nuevo, in South Carolina, he said.
Leon was about 12 when he moved to Atlanta, Ga., where he lived roughly 11 years.
“I was born in Mexico, but I grew up over here,” he said, adding that he worked in the family restaurant for years before deciding to open one in Banner Elk—a place he heard about through a friend.
With a staff of 12 and hopes for expansion in the future, High Country residents do have a “new port” at which they can stop in and taste the Leon family’s take on authentic Mexican food and seafood.
Puerto Nuevo is located at 2120 Tynecastle Highway, Suite 1, in Banner Elk. Restaurant hours are 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The bar closes at 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and at 2:00 a.m. Thursday to Saturday. For more information, call 828-355-9153 or click to www.facebook.com and search for “Puerto Nuevo Mexican and Seafood Restaurant.”
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