Catalina’s Restaurant
Where: 130 John Morrow Parkway, Gainesville
Contact: 678-971-5556
Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
A new Gainesville restaurant is offering a variety of Hispanic cuisine options.
Catalina’s Restaurant specializes in food from El Salvador and Mexico. Catalina’s opened Jan. 29 in the former Rick’s Smokin’ Pig building at 130 John Morrow Parkway.
Manager Ivan Burciaga said pupusas, a Salvadoran dish, are the most popular item at the restaurant. Hen soup is another frequently ordered dish.
He said the restaurant’s dishes are like food you would eat at home.
Catalina’s also delivers food and caters. Deliveries must be within a 10-mile radius and are available on orders costing $25 or more.
In addition to pupusas, some of the Salvadoran dishes on the menu include fried plantains, yuca (a root) and curtido (similar to slaw and served on many of the menu items).
The restaurant serves breakfast, including items such as scrambled eggs with peppers, tomatoes, onions and sausage. Beans, fried plantains, hoagies and tortillas are among the breakfast options, as well as pancakes, waffles and oatmeal.
For parents who want to try the Salvadoran or Mexican dishes and also bring their children, the kids’ menu includes chicken nuggets, corn dogs and hot dogs, each of which come with french fries.
Burciaga pointed to a heavy-traffic area and low prices as advantages for Catalina’s. He noted diners can get four tacos for $6 or a burrito with rice and beans for $7.50.
Catalina’s taco offerings include steak, chicken, marinated pork (al pastor), Mexican sausage (chorizo) and Mexican barbecue (barbacoa).
He encourages customers to come in and “try something else new.”