Blending rock and tacos

By RAY ESTRADA — June 11, 2009

Javier Cadena is continuing to combine his music career and status as a  third-generation Santa Barbara restaurateur by opening a new hot spot on State Street.

The Chino’s Rock & Taco owner has planned its grand-opening celebration at 714 State St., Santa Barbara, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. This is Cadena’s second location. His original Chino’s opened July 3, 2006, in downtown San Luis Obispo.

“We were seeing  a 30 to 40 percent growth from the previous year,” Cadena said.

After two months of construction, Chino’s quietly parted its doors to the public with a June 6 soft opening in what used to be Matador’s, a Spanish-style restaurant that didn’t last much more than a year after charging $8 for a glass of sangria.

At his weekend grand opening, Cadena will roll out some of his Mexican food favorites on the menu, which has no single item for more than $10, he said. Higher-priced party platters also are offered.

The food will be followed by plenty of rock music.

Chris Pontius from MTV’s “Jackass” and “WildBoyz” will host the grand opening, which will include games, food and giveaways.

The restaurant is a fusion of Javier’s two passions: Mexican food and rock ’n’ roll.

As a third-generation restaurateur, he is no stranger to the business. His grandfather, also named Javier Cadena, originally opened Maya Mexican Food Restaurants. The elder Cadena’s first restaurant opened in the Five Points Shopping Center in February 1966.

“He started most of the  Mexican restaurants on State Street back then,” the younger Cadena recalled. “He started most of the Mexican restaurants from North Hollywood to Paso Robles … he had to show people how to eat a  chile relleno.”

Even though he grew up in the kitchens and booths of his family’s restaurant, the younger Cadena decided to pursue a career as a rock musician.

However, after seven years of touring as a bass player, four years on the Warped Tour with a punk band called the Pathetics and a three-month nationwide tour, he decided to put a new take on his family’s recipes and created Chino’s Rock & Tacos.

The success of his San Luis Obispo restaurant prompted the company’s decision to grow. Cadena has expanded his team – which includes his wife, Laurel – to allow growth into new markets.

“We grew up in a generation with a mixture of fast-food and full service,” Cadena said. “We’re offering a mixture of  both.”

While Cadena said he does not expect to open franchises very soon, he still sees a bright future in the restaurant business because he believes patrons will continue to go out to eat in places like Santa Barbara and listen to rock while they enjoy the cuisine.

Cadena’s new restaurant also features an upstairs Rockstar Lounge, which is decorated in Los Angeles Lakers colors and has a cooler filled with cans of the with the popular energy drink. He said the lounge will be a great place to watch a game or just chill at the end of the evening.

The main floor in the restaurant is brightly painted and features skylights that light up the walls, which are adorned with rock-style paintings and some musical instruments. Over the bar hangs a low-rider bicycle that Cadena said he could take down and ride.

Cadena admitted State Street is a tough spot to start out, but he's confident his theme, low prices and food quality will give places such as Sharkey's Baja Cantina a run for the money.

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won't last even a year : 6/12/2009

ya this town doesn't have enough taco places

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hate to agree... : 6/15/2009

I hate to agree with the previous poster, but restaurants in SB come and go, particularly in that area of State... Theme restaurants, ie; "rock n roll and Tacos" just doesn't float here

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stir the pot : 6/15/2009

Excellent food and atmosphere. Way better than what state offers right now.

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3 generations ago.... some ignorant ass said the same thing : 6/15/2009

and look...... the Cadena family is still working their majic. Try is before you knock it.

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: 6/16/2009

Maya restarant SUCKED

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Great Food by Great People : 6/17/2009

The Cadena's are great people and Chino's will be around for a long time because they know what they are doing. Restaurants come and go around here mainly because they're mismanaged. That's what sunk Matador, those people had no clue what they were doing and it was obvious from day one. Chino's will be around because the food is great and affordable. Los Arroyos has good food, but its highly overpriced, a burrito and a drink for lunch costs $13. Wahoo's is overpriced and mediocre. Sandbar? Seriously, I don't know how anyone eats there since it still has the stench of drunk vomit from its Calypso days. A coat of paint and a name change doesn't clean up the kitchen. Chino's will be around for a number of reasons, its location is superior, its food is high quality and authentic, and most importantly the owners acutally have a clue how to run a restaurant.

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