Don Jose’s Bar & Grill on Carson and Corbett streets is a new restaurant with some familiar faces.
General Manager Alecia Lorca worked at Carson City Joe’s in the same building before it closed in January. She says that after being open for a week, Joe’s old regulars are slowly shuffling into Don Jose’s.
“We have most of the (same) menu, but we do offer some Mexican – tacos, burritos, quesadillas – and we’ll be adding things slowly,” Lorca told the Appeal on Wednesday.
Don Jose’s also has extended hours, open Tuesday-Saturday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sundays from 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
Lorca is working on getting a liquor license from the city to open the bar.
She said that despite the name and ownership change, the restaurant location still faces challenges. It’s just outside downtown, so Lorca says she doesn’t get the same foot traffic as restaurants south of her. And the building is partially underground, with the windows looking out on pedestrians’ feet as they walk by.
“A lot of people still don’t know that we’re open, and a lot of people don’t even know that we’re here because of the part of town we’re in,” she said, later adding, “This building is weird. It’s weird to even spot it.”
But she’s confident that once more people visit Don Jose’s, they’ll keep coming back for the food.
