Pedro Aguirre wanted to bring the taste of Tulum, Mexico, and the feel of a Miami-based Mexican restaurant to Southwest Florida. In opening Casa Blanca Modern Mexican Tequila Bar, he said he has done exactly that.
Aguirre, 36, spent about $1.2 million in gutting the entirety of the building at 9510 Marketplace Road in south Fort Myers at the northwest corner of Interstate 75 and Daniels Parkway.
The building previously had been Stevie Tomato’s Sports Page sports bar and originally a Pizzeria Uno. The rehabilitation and internal reconstruction took more than a year and included some delays related to Hurricane Ian and construction supply-chain disruptions.
Now, Casa Blanca is ready to serve. It opened Aug. 7 and is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Entrees start at $16 and go up to the $30 range. A house margarita costs $12.
Although Aguirre was born in California and raised in North Carolina, his parents are both from Jalisco, Mexico, which is known as the birthplace of tequila and mariachi dancers.
“I believe that when you put the love and the time into it, you can make things happen, especially when you sell good quality food and have good service,” Aguirre said.
“I think we’re bringing something different to the table, which people will be attracted to. On the menu, we have seafood. We have enchiladas, burritos, we have a lot of salmon plates. We’re pretty big on the seafood plates.”
Aguirre also owns La Santa Tacos & Tequila, 2405 Tarpon Bay Blvd., in North Naples and two other Mexican-themed restaurants in Massachusetts.
With the new location, Aguirre enlisted several Mexican artists to paint wall murals inside.
“It was important to me,” he said. “It speaks a lot about our culture. We’re not just one color. We’re a mixture of colors. We’re just a lively culture in Mexico. We can mix and match colors anywhere that we want, and it just makes it fun.”
Casa Blanca has 36 employees. It opened with a soft launch, meaning Aguirre plans to celebrate with a grand opening a couple of months down the road.
“Casa Blanca … it’s a mixture of Tulum, Miami, fun, music, good food,” Aguirre said. “Like it says it outside: eat, drink, socialize.”
