CINCINNATI — College Hill residents will not only have a full day to celebrate the grand opening of a new neighborhood restaurant, they'll also have the chance to grab some free grub.
Tortilleria Garcia will open 10 a.m. Tuesday with a short speech by Cincinnati Vice Mayor, Christopher Smitherman, according to a press release from the College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation. The restaurant, located inside the former Doll House building at 5917 Hamilton Ave., will then give the first 200 guests from 5-7 p.m. free tacos.
The College Hill store is Tortilleria Garcia's second location in Greater Cincinnati. Owner Omar Garcia opened his first fast-casual Mexican restaurant at 11774 Springfield Pike in Springdale in 2014.
"My team and I could not think of a better place to open our second location," Garcia said in the press release. "We are excited to bring a piece of our culture and family tradition to the College Hill community."
College Hill's redevelopment corporation first announced Tortilleria Garcia's new location in October 2017. The non-profit organization purchased the historic Doll House in 2014 as part of a $200,000 matching grant challenge.
"Without the community’s continual support, this would not be possible," said Seth Walsh, executive director of College Hill CURC. "Today is a monumental step to see those dreams becoming a reality. We still have a long way to go, but today we celebrate."
CURC currently owns 19 buildings in College Hill that it has either helped remodel and fill with tenants or has plans to do so in the future.
CURC has also stated Hideki Harada, the former owner-chef of Kaze in Over-the-Rhine, will open Kiki, a new Japanese restaurant inside the former National City Bank building, located at 5932 Hamilton Ave., within the next few months.
