El Vaquero at Cross Country Plaza on Macon Road closes temporarily

Those Columbus-area diners hoping to get their fill of burritos, enchiladas and margaritas at the El Vaquero Mexican restaurant at Cross Country Plaza apparently will have to wait a couple of weeks.

The 3135 Cross Country Hill eatery, which sits to the rear of the main portion of Cross Country Plaza on Macon Road, has shut its doors “until further notice,” with a note telling anyone interested to call owner Irene Calhoun at the El Vaquero on North Lake Parkway on the city’s north side. Calhoun could not be reached there Friday evening.

Vickie Smith, property manager at Cross Country Plaza, said the Mexican eatery is making some sort of changes to the restaurant and that there are plans to reopen in a couple of weeks. She said El Vaquero, which has been at that location for a number of years, shut its doors last week. An employee answering the phone at the North Lake Parkway El Vaquero said work is apparently being done in the kitchen of the Macon Road location. She did not know specifics.

A check of Muscogee County Public Health Inspection records indicate the Cross Country Plaza El Vaquero is not closed temporarily for any food-service or major cleanliness issues. In its most recent inspection on Jan. 20, 2016, it received a score of 97 and an “A” grade. Each of its scores in 2014 and 2015 were also Grade A, with a 96 and 99 reported by inspectors.

This story was originally published January 13, 2017 at 7:47 PM with the headline "El Vaquero at Cross Country Plaza on Macon Road closes temporarily."