Just 3 1/2 months after El Sur Street Food Co. — the excellent Honduran food truck owned and operated by Luis Vasquez, a native of Honduras, and his husband Darren Strayhorn — announced that it would be moving into a brick and mortar, it is opening in its new digs in the former Esters at 1214 S. Main St. Friday, July 29 for a 5-10 p.m. dinner service.

Such a quick move is pretty rare these days with supply chain issues and staffing shortages. Vasquez said on a phone call this morning that they were able to move in quickly because he and Strayhorn did a lot of the work themselves. And, “Sadly, Esters had to leave a lot of equipment behind,” he said.

They were also able to do it by basically working double shifts. Vasquez said that after he and Strayhorn worked lunches at the food truck, they’d take a short break at home and then head to the restaurant where they painted, installed table tops, remodeled the bar and added a counter and awning for ordering.

As for the design, Vasquez said they didn’t want to create a new concept, so it’s modeled after the food truck. They painted the walls white and did some hand-painted murals. The building is 4,500 square feet, and Vasquez said there’s one window in the front and one in the back, so the the white walls would not only give it the look of the food truck but also brighten up the space.

Esters was  known for its game room in the back that included Skee-Ball and pinball machines. Those are gone, Vasquez said, but there’s plenty of options for people wanting to play games after eating baleadas. They have a pool table, two ping pong tables, a foosball table, a new dartboard, giant Jenga game and board games, he said.

“The giant walk-in [cooler] from Core [Brewing] is gone, so the space opened up a little more now,” he said. “We kind of want to create two kind of environments. The front where it’s more chill, relaxed if you want to have a meal, and the back is still going to be an entertainment room.”

Vasquez said they were approved for a beer and wine permit and a mixed drink permit. They will have draft beer, wine and margaritas starting out, he said. In the beginning the food menu will basically be the same as the truck while they get the new staff up to speed with the menu. If you’ve never been to El Sur that includes baleadas (a popular northern Honduran street food “like a burrito but better,” the menu states) arepas, street tacos and yuca fritas.

It will be quick-service style with a counter for ordering and food and drink runners who will be able to take additional orders once you’re seated, Vasquez said.

The schedule starting out will be Friday July 29 from 5-10 p.m. and Saturday July 30 from 5-10 p.m. Vasquez said they haven’t made a decision about Sunday yet, but it will likely be similar to what they’ve been doing at the food truck on Sundays, starting at 10 a.m. with the regular menu and breakfast baleadas.

The second week their hours will be 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Thu.-Sat. and then Sunday from 10 a.m. until whatever they decide.

El Sur will be closed on Tuesdays. The food truck isn’t being retired, Vasquez said, but this Sunday will be the last day they will be serving out it for the time being.

Vasquez said they’ve hired about 12 people and that he’s excited about the learning curve and being able to try some new things.

“It was sad to see Esters go, but we were looking at a places already,” he said, particularly a place to prep for the truck. “And then the opportunity here happened, and thankfully the owner of the building comes to the food truck a lot and he was like, ‘Oh, yeah let’s do it.’ It turned out really good, so we’re really very excited and happy about it.”

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