Popular Mexican eatery Alto Cinco has spread beyond its Westcott Street location, with its owners opening Otro Cinco, the 13th restaurant to come to downtown Syracuse since last fall.

The expansion speaks to the energy and excitement of the downtown area, said Lisa Romeo, director of communications of the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, adding that 18 retail businesses have opened downtown in the same time frame.  “The energy that’s here, all of the investment that’s here,” she said. “(Business owners) know it’s the right time for them to be coming downtown.”

Jeffrey York, manager of Otro Cinco, said he hopes to attract those who live and work downtown through the new location on 266 S. Warren St., which was formerly the Red Rose Diner. The restaurant opened on Oct. 31.

With 27,000 people working and 3,000 people living downtown, Romeo said, there are plenty of potential customers. More than 450 residential units are either planned or in construction, she added, and an additional 2.5 million tourists come to Syracuse to shop and dine each year.

And with day-to-day traffic from a diverse demographic that notably includes university students and hospital employees, business is good in downtown Syracuse, said Noam Cohen, who runs Crepe & Gelato Boulevard on South Clinton Street with his wife, Meshi. This is part of what created a positive experience for them downtown, he said, adding that they also plan to expand to a new location.

“I think everything in life is timing,” he said. “It’s a good time to come to Syracuse.”

Like Gannon’s Isle Ice Cream and Jolime Café, both previously established businesses that opened downtown locations in May, Otro Cinco brings with it a major following in the Syracuse area, Romeo said. While York, Otro Cinco’s manager, said his restaurant shares an owner and some menu items with Alto Cinco, the new restaurant also brings a slightly different, more Spanish-influenced experience.

For example, Otro Cinco’s menu offers traditionally Spanish items such as paella, a rice dish, and tapas, or appetizer plates, York said, noting a difference between the taco- and burrito- heavy Mexican menu at Alto Cinco.

“We have parsley for the paella,” he said. “We don’t even carry parsley at Alto.”

By bringing Spanish cuisine to the area, Otro Cinco joins a variety of ethnic restaurants downtown, Romeo said. These include Lebanese, Persian, Italian and Thai menus.

“You can’t find that diversity anywhere else in Syracuse,” she said.

York said the new downtown restaurant has a small, intimate setting, allowing between 25 and 30 people to dine at one time.  The restaurant opens at 8 a.m. for breakfast, he said, when patrons can order at the counter for takeout or dine-in. For dinner, a wait staff will accommodate sit-down service.

And for dinner, York said, patrons will enjoy an intimate, fun, “European” atmosphere. “Once people catch on,” he said, “they will want to try it.”

York said takeout is available from Otro Cinco any time between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., with delivery available between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. The restaurant should be available on GrubHub soon, he added.

Published on November 6, 2013 at 12:47 am