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The avocado margarita is a specialty from Curra’s Grill. (Olivia Aldridge / Community Impact Newspaper)
After 26 years in the business, the family-owned Mexican restaurant Curra’s Grill is a well-established name in the Austin dining landscape.
However, according to owner Julieta Rodriguez, Curra’s first had to win the trust of local customers. The restaurant’s location at 614 E. Oltorf St. was occupied by Austin mainstay Guero before Curra opened in 1995, and Rodriguez’s mother – one of the original owners of the business – had to convince people who walked into Curra to stay when they realized the location had changed hands. “They tried to go out. But my mother said, ‘Well, try it. If you don’t like it, you don’t pay for it, ”said Rodriguez.
With an indoor Mexican menu, Curra’s menu was different from what many customers were used to, Rodriguez said – but many of them liked it. Dishes like Conchinita Pibil, a traditional Yucatan dish made from marinated pork and plantains, are still popular today. Michoacan-style carnitas, marinated in Coca-Cola, milk and orange juice, are also bestsellers.
The characteristic menu item of Curra’s Grill, however, comes behind the bar: the avocado margarita. When Rodriguez’s brother Marco developed it, he raised a few eyebrows – even his sister was skeptical – but the creamy, frozen cocktail was an instant classic. People often come to Curra to try the avocado margarita, Rodriguez said, including people traveling to Austin from other states and countries for the South by Southwest Conference & Festivals and other major events.
“Other restaurants try, but it’s not the same,” she said. “You don’t have the whole recipe.”
Of many years of doing business, 2020 and 2021 were some of the toughest, but Rodriguez said that Curra’s focus on family and work ethics was enforced. She and her brother work six days a week, and Rodriguez even served tables himself at times. With the support of loyal customers and donations from the local cooler manufacturer Yeti, Curra has succeeded in keeping all employees on the team.
Now Curra’s is gearing up for growth with a new location in Hyde Park slated to open on June 1st. But Rodriguez is confident that the new space that used to be Mother’s Cafe at 4215 Duval Street will be a success.
“I think the sun is coming out for everyone,” she said. “Fingers crossed!”
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