Sapo’s Mexican Cocina coming to former Johnny Carino’s space at Peachtree Mall

The former Johnny Carino’s Italian structure fronting Peachtree Mall in Columbus will have new life soon, with a Mexican restaurant preparing to open there in the next few weeks.

Sapo’s Mexican Cocina and Bar is the dream of Alejandro “Alex” Hernandez, 29, who has been working in the restaurant business since age 16 and having managed the El Vaquero locations in Phenix City for the past decade, he said Tuesday at the 3033 Manchester Expressway location now being remodeled.

“There’s nothing Mexican around here,” Hernandez said of the immediate vicinity of the mall. “They’ve got the college, Peachtree Mall and all of the houses around here. So I should be good. The location is great. But it’s going to be a lot different than everything else. It’s going to be a more upscale restaurant.”

A tour of the work now in progress at the former Carino’s structure showed crews from Warm Springs, Ga.-based general contractor RAN GC LLC adding a covered patio to the exterior, with many of Hernandez’s family members, including wife Sylvia, working inside. Their efforts include painting walls and refurbishing booths, with a stone-like facade accenting the interior. The restrooms are being refinished completely.

“It already looks kind of Mexican,” the restaurateur said of the Italian design currently in the building, which seated 236 when it was opened as Johnny Carino’s in 2005. The eatery closed abruptly in the spring of 2014.

Hernandez said he will bring a bit of the El Vaquero flavor with him to his first restaurant, although he plans a more upscale experience for customers, particularly overall service and the making of flour tortillas on site rather than using a supplier.

“We’ll do our own. The flavor is awesome,” he said of the tortillas.

Hernandez said he and Sylvia have been traveling to various areas in Mexico and the U.S. over the last couple of years to find various dishes and other elements they wish to incorporate into their new eatery.

A decision was made to go with the name “Sapo’s” because it translates to “frog.” Cocina is Spanish for kitchen. Hernandez, who came to the U.S. at age 10, is from the central Mexico city of Guanajuato, which loosely means “hill of frogs.” Sheet metal green frogs in mariachi costumes will be placed outside the restaurant as a decoration.

Though he declined to say how much money is being invested into the venture, a city building permit issued July 17, listing Sapo’s Inc. as the owner, shows an initial price tag of $65,000 for remodeling. The work by family members is saving him “huge” dollars overall, he said.

Other elements of the restaurant include a party room for large groups of people, a bar with plenty of televisions, and a smaller menu of non-Mexican food, such as steaks, for those who aren’t into south-of-the-border cuisine.

“Not everybody likes Mexican food,” he said. “So I’ll have a little menu for them.”

Hernandez acknowledges it’s a bit “scary” launching his own restaurant. That’s why he plans to continue managing the El Vaquero locations in Phenix City while also overseeing Sapo’s at Peachtree Mall, with his sister-in-law handling daily management duties. He hopes to grow Sapo’s into a chain of eateries eventually.

Overall, he said, it’s a labor of love for the man who started working as a part-time dish washer at El Vaquero while in high school. He also worked as a cook and a server before moving into management.

Hernandez said if all goes well, including no hurdles in obtaining an alcohol beverage license from the city, the timing for opening Sapo’s Mexican Cocina and Bar should be in the early fall.

“By the end of September, the beginning of October, hopefully we’ll be open,” he said.

The new addition on the Peachtree Mall property comes with general manager Chris McCoy embarking nearly a year ago on a major reshuffling of the city’s only indoor shopping center, which turned 40 years old this year.

A frenzy of work has added several retail tenants, including the popular H&M and Forever 21 clothing stores, with other store brands either shifting to new locations or exiting the mall altogether. Radio Shack, Books-A-Million and the f.y.e. entertainment store all have left the center.

The food court has filled holes as well over the past year, adding Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen and Charley’s Philly Steaks. Ruby Tuesday at the moment is the only full-service restaurant at the mall.

This story was originally published August 19, 2015 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Sapo’s Mexican Cocina coming to former Johnny Carino’s space at Peachtree Mall."