After 21 years, Santa Rosa’s La Texanita — a restaurant Chef Guy Fieri once named a hometown favorite — closed its brick-and-mortar location in July due to financial pressures.

The 1667 Sebastopol Road location is now home to Su Casa #2, a Mexican restaurant that has operated its flagship Rincon Valley location for over 20 years. Meanwhile, La Texanita is returning to its roots by opening a food truck down the road.

For Ramon Sandoval, co-owner of Su Casa #2, expanding into the Roseland neighborhood felt like a natural move, even though he recognizes the tight competition among Mexican restaurants on the west side compared to the east side of town.

“We are already well known in Rincon Valley,” he said. “But I’ve always wanted to come to this side and see how it goes… I enjoy being part of the Latino community.”

Sandoval, a Michoacan native, said the menu will closely mirror the original Su Casa, popular for its American and Mexican breakfast offerings, while adding molcajetes and seafood dishes.

Alma Mendez, owner of La Texanita, said she is content transitioning the restaurant back into a food truck at 1410 Sebastopol Road. That Roseland spot is where her taqueria first became a local staple for its handmade tortillas, before she moved into the restaurant location whose lease was transferred to Sandoval in early July.

La Texanita’s popularity exploded in 2009 when Fieri featured the taqueria on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, highlighting their pozole and handmade carne asada tacos. Mendez’s restaurant was featured again in 2019, and later in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic for a remote “Takeout” segment.

“La Texanita has a lot of history,” she said.

Mendez, a Jalisco native, feels hopeful, just as when she started in 2001. Three years ago, she purchased the lot where her business originally began. Having both a lease and a mortgage made it impossible to stay profitable in the current economy, she noted.

“I’m glad I won’t have to pay a rent increase year after year,” she said. “I am happy for this new beginning, even though I have to serve on a patio instead of an indoor dining area.”

Sandoval and Su Casa’s co-owner, Vicente Campos, opened their second location on July 27 in the Roseland space previously occupied by Mendez. A sign bearing the new restaurant’s name now stands where La Texanita’s lettering once was.

“I worked at Su Casa in Rincon Valley for 17 years before buying it six years ago,” Sandoval said. “I’ve been in this business a long time.”

Mendez will host the soft opening for the next chapter of La Texanita as a food truck on Tuesday, Aug. 18. The food truck will be open from 9 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and Sunday, and until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Looking ahead, she envisions turning her property into a community gathering space where families can relax and enjoy as other food trucks join the lot.

“I want to do so many things here,” she said. “But I’m taking it step by step.”