Mill Avenue mainstay Restaurant Mexico closing after 4 decades

Restaurant Mexico, a downtown Tempe favorite for more than four decades, is closing its doors for good on Thursday, Aug. 15.

The no-frills cafe, which built its reputation serving good but inexpensive tacos, enchiladas, and beans, is one of the last vestiges of Mill Avenue’s 1970s and ’80s heydey.

The tiny restaurant, which opened in 1978, has been tossed about — occupying four different locations on or just off Mill:

• Mill and University;
• Mill and Seventh (next to the long-gone 6 East);
• The Arches on University Drive;
• Mill just north of Fifth Street.

The last one (pictured) has been the restaurant’s home since 2007.

Restaurant Mexico’s food has been labeled everything from ‘‘Sonoran style’’ to ‘‘Mexico City style’’ to ‘‘Jalisco style,’’ but really has elements of all three.

Prices have gone up substantially in recent years. A decade ago, many of the cafe’s combination plates were under $6. Today, most are more than $11.

The restaurant has been up for sale, but the owners have been unable to find a buyer.