A new Mexican restaurant in Bangor will open later than planned after the business owner found the building needed more extensive and pricier renovations than anticipated.
Eriberto “Eric” Guzman, owner of Las Palapas Mexican Restaurant, leased the former Ground Round space on Odlin Road in April 2024 with plans to transform it into a new Mexican restaurant called Roca Azul in a matter of months.
At the time, Guzman had plans to install a new floor and booths and completely remodel the bar area and kitchen. Guzman told the Bangor Daily News in May 2024 he expected the work to take roughly three more months to complete.
However, a city inspector then told Guzman that the electrical system in the building, which city documents state was constructed in 1978, wasn’t up to code and needed to be replaced. That delayed the renovation by months and exceeded Guzman’s budget for the project, though he declined to share specific numbers.
“We had to rewire the whole place, so that has been a big challenge and that was holding us back,” Guzman said. “We had a budget, but we’re over it. We never thought it’d be this much.”
The update on Roca Azul comes more than a year after a major drain issue forced the building’s former tenant, Ground Round, to close abruptly in January 2024 after 45 years in operation, giving the restaurant’s employees 48 hours to find a new job. Dan Tremble, a Bangor city councilor and Penobscot county commissioner, had owned the business since 2008.
Tremble did not return requests for comment on Monday.
With the building’s electrical system replaced, Guzman said he now has to install the restaurant’s new kitchen equipment, including the walk-in refrigerator. The building will then need to be inspected again before it can open, he said.
The building also has a new sign, a fresh coat of paint, and the restaurant’s dining room and bar space is finished, Guzman said.
While Guzman doesn’t yet know exactly when he expects to finish Roca Azul, the new restaurant will open for business more than a decade after he launched Las Palapas. The business’ first location opened near the Bangor Mall in June 2014, then a second location on Wilson Street in Brewer arrived four years later.
Roca Azul’s menu still hasn’t been finalized, Guzman said, but it will feature new dishes while being similar to Las Palapas’ offerings, which include tacos, enchiladas, fajitas and other Mexican favorites.
Guzman said he still expects the restaurant to hold up to 200 customers and need 20 to 30 staff members.
