Mexican restaurant and bar planned for downtown

Lafayette-based Aztecas Mexican Cuisine is once again entering the Baton Rouge market, this time in the heart of downtown. Restaurant spokesman Johnny Mekari says renovations have begun at 453 Lafayette St., and the plan is to open within three months. Aztecas closed a location at Airline and Old Hammond highways, which had been in business about six years, because evening traffic was just too slow, Mekari says. The restaurant’s new location, near the river and just a block off of Third Street, has much more promise, he says. “We’ve been eyeing downtown for a while now. There are a lot of activities and projects going on downtown, and we want to capture some of the action,” Mekari says. A balcony will be outfitted on the south side of the building to afford river views, and the restaurant and bar will also feature outdoor patio seating. —Steve Sanoski