Main course and cocktails from Jerez Restaurant. Photo courtesy of Eusse Jeremi.

The Jerez restaurant quietly closed its doors at the end of 2023 after a year in the port district.

A recent visit to the family-owned Mexican restaurant at 828 S. 1st St. revealed locked doors and a pile of unread mail in the building’s lobby, a contrast to the once colorful and inviting restaurant.

The short-lived business was a long-standing dream for Platon Peña Delgado and his wife, Martha Acosta Ramirezwho opened the Jerez restaurant at the end of 2022 with the help of their children.

Although the business was initially touted as a restaurant, in its first few months it focused on bar operations and offered a handful of slot machines and televisions for watching sports.

According to one online reviewer, an outdoor terrace was also set up and DJs invited people to dance until late at night.

In addition to its expanded offerings, Jerez Restaurant continues to serve a menu of fresh, authentic Mexican cuisine, specializing in seafood such as whole snapper, fried mojarra, shrimp fajitas and more.

The restaurant also serves a selection of tacos, burritos, enchiladas and tostadas, as well as American dishes including mozzarella sticks, chicken wings and hamburgers.

There were also specialties such as cecina (salted and dried beef), chiles rellenos and bistec a la Mexicana.

At the bar, Restaurant Jerez offers beer, wine, mineral water and cocktails, including margarita pitchers, palomas, tequila sunrises and piña coladas. The non-alcoholic menu includes Jamaica, horchata and a variety of fruit juices.

The Jerez restaurant, which replaced the VIP lounge in the Harbor District building, was not immune to the problematic history of its predecessor.

In an online post, the owners said they understood the “bad reputation” of the previous residents and that it was their “mission to restore the community’s trust.”

“The Peña Delgado family is committed to providing their customers with good service, quality food and a welcoming atmosphere,” they wrote.

Zarate Holdings, LLC owns the 80,000-square-foot building. José Zarate is the company’s registered agent. City records show no future plans for the space.

The telephone number of the Jerez restaurant is no longer available. Peña Delgado did not respond to a request for comment by the time of going to press.

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