Owners Rocco Mangel & Big Time Restaurant Group will open the doors to the fifth and largest Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar on September 14. Located in West Sand Lake in Orlando, Florida, the new indoor/outdoor restaurant will offer the signature Rocco’s Tacos full-sensory dining experience complete with live DJs, dancing and free tequila pourings by Mangel himself.
Since opening the first Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar in West Palm Beach, Florida in 2007, the brand has become a go-to destination for authentic Mexican dining in a vibrant atmosphere. Diners can sample from the largest tequila menu in the Southeast United States (including Mangel’s own co-brand with Milagro Tequila), nibble on guacamole prepared tableside and enjoy a traditional Mexican dinner.
Executive chef Ken Stevens will present all of the Rocco’s Tacos favorites including soups and small plates, entrée salads and sandwiches, tacos, enchiladas and combo plates.
Signature menu items include: jalapeno rellenos, stuffed fried jalapenos poppers, with cotija, lime crema, avocado ranch; molcajete seafood, wild Gulf of Mexico shrimp, scallops, mahi & poblano chiles baked in a molcajete with calabaza squash, charred tomatoes, onions, cilantro; enchiladas mole poblano, pulled chicken breast, mole poblano sauce; and bistec con chiles rajas, grilled adobo skirt steak, grilled green onions, three pepper rajas, red rice, black beans.
Guests can also take advantage of the famous Taco & Tequila Tuesdays offering all-you-can-eat tacos including chicken, pork, steak, beef, mushroom, shrimp or mahi tacos, each outfitted with all the fixings, for only $14.95 per person along with $5 featured margaritas and $15 pitchers.
The 8,500 square-foot restaurant offers a variety of seating options to accommodate everyone from solo diners to large private parties. There is more than 2,500 square-feet of banquet space in a welcoming, lakeside setting. The focal point of the main dining room is a handcrafted bar from Mexico that straddles the interior and the exterior of the restaurant, uniting the two distinct spaces along with Rocco’s first open-air performance kitchen. There are eighteen 50-inch flat screen HD televisions for watching sports, as well as a state-of-the-art sound system and DJ booth.
Indoors, patrons can sit in the semi-private Milagro Room, a candlelit space that accommodates 10, enjoy dinner in one of the main dining room’s plush banquettes, or revel in the action at the Laine Bar, named after Mangel’s mother.
Outdoors, the expanded lakefront dining space includes: covered bar seating; intimate tables; a fire pit; and “El Cabana”, a private cabana that provides the ultimate VIP experience. Similar to other Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bars, the entire restaurant will be outfitted with authentic Mexican flair purchased by Mangel himself at small villages throughout Mexico and Mangel’s signature star-shaped, punched-metal lantern chandeliers.
Rocco’s Tacos will bring lunch, dinner and late-night dining options seven days and additional energy and traffic to the much-loved Restaurant Row. “We are excited to make Orlando our home and we welcome locals and tourists alike with open arms to the Rocco’s Tacos family,” Mangel says.
While the superior cuisine and cheerful décor have put the Rocco’s Tacos brand on the map, it’s Rocco’s “welcome to my house” attitude, contagious energy and ability to create an unforgettable experience that draws people in again and again. When regulars hear the buzzword “Tequila!” echo through the restaurant, everyone prepares for Rocco to take his spot on the bar top, dancing feverishly in his legendary shiny-white shoes. The scene reads like one out of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, sans the angry bikers. Mangel steps on “stage” with a bottle of Patron in hand, ready to pour into eager guest’s mouths. This exhilarating display of merriment has made Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar a cherished destination and this location will be no exception. Mangel is also known to gift fans with an entire bottle of tequila on their birthdays.
The new Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar is located at 7468 West Sand Lake Rd. in Orlando, Florida, and will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.
