Rockville Centre's El Mariachi To Close Its Doors Next Week

After more than 40 years serving the residents of Rockville Centre and the surrounding communities, El Mariachi Restaurant announced on its Facebook page that it would be closing its doors next weekend.

The establishment, located on Sunrise Highway, has been a staple of the Rockville Centre restaurant scene since it first opened in 1977. Original owners Carlos and Mercedes Salazar opened the restaurant after immigrating to America. It was later taken over by their children.

In a post to the restaurant's Facebook page, the owners explained the closure was not voluntary, but because they had lost their lease.

"In recent years, our efforts to secure the future in our space have been ineffective as irresistible monetary offers were made to our landlord, by local businesspersons vying for our space in exchange for non-renewal with us," they wrote. "Shady tactics and literal disguises were used to gain access inside our restaurant to get a closer look at their intended conquest. We simply could not match those offers and even more so could not believe the indecency, ruthlessness and covetousness in the name of business."

In the less than a day since El Mariachi made the announcement, hundreds of people commented their support for the restaurant, their sadness to see it go and some of their fondest memories of the establishment.

The restaurant will hold its last Fiesta Weekend on Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14. After that, it will be closing.

"While our hearts are broken, still, they are filled with gratitude to you for all that we’ve experienced together," the owners wrote on Facebook. "There aren’t any words to convey to you how as we prepare for this, when we’ve thought the tears might ease, they’ve only grown more."

Photo: Google Maps