Renowned Mexican restaurant La Recova opens doors in McAllen

The owners of McAllen’s new La Recova restaurant have conquered a big part of the Mexican coast.

They’ve opened 23 Mexican restaurants – La Parilla, notable by the yellow bull mascot – in cities like Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel, dating back to the restaurant’s inception in 1975. In recent years, they also opened a high-end fine dining restaurant in Merida, Mexico called La Recova.

It is this same chic eatery the group now brings to McAllen.

Opened at the end of January, La Recova boasts a menu so fine that some of the cuts of meat weren’t previously available in South Texas. Take the Akaushi beef, which you would have previously had to drive to Houston or Austin to order. It’s now available at La Recova.

“This is the very top line of our franchise,” says Gabriel Pelfini, one of the owners. “We want to be the best restaurant in McAllen.”

They have compiled a menu of upscale plates, costing on average between $25 and $35. The selections include seafood, steak and some original concoctions. To prepare for the opening, head chef Sergio Pineda spent eight months training at the existing La Recova restaurant in Merida. To oversee the opening, the company’s executive chef Jesus Salgado made the journey north.

The restaurant is a staging ground for La Recova’s Texas invasion. They picked McAllen as a test market for America because of its proximity to Mexico, culture and burgeoning status as a metropolitan population center.

“We believe McAllen is growing up,” Pelfini says. “It’s a city that will grow a lot.”

They’ve invested heavily in the ambience of the restaurant as well. The facade is an eclectic meshwork of sharp-looking girders and lighting. Inside, a circular dining room flanked by a full bar and an open kitchen create a cozy atmosphere. In the center of the room hangs an elaborate wine rack, suspended entirely from the ceiling.

The restaurants greatest innovation, however, is likely the ahi tuna carnitas, which is marinated for three days with 20 different spices. Yeah.

La Recova

2901 N. 10th St., Suite A and B, McAllen

(956) 631-8303

CUISINE: Argentine-Mexican-Japanese Fusion

TRY: Ahi tuna carnitas $34.95