Cocina del Barrio closed Wednesday, making way for the incoming restaurant Americana.

For 15 years, Barrio has been a popular Mexican restaurant on 50th and France. Ryan Burnet, Barrio’s owner, is teaming up with one of their chefs, Daniel del Prado, to open a new restaurant in the same location.

The closing came to the dismay of the many fans of Barrio, including sophomore Amelia Matthews, who said the restaurant was “phenomenal” and recalled ordering chips and guac service with her family and “laughing as they made it in front” of them.

Burnet said he needed a change and would rather create something new than have a shut-down restaurant added to his community. Burnet is still keeping his other Barrio location in downtown Minneapolis up and running; this way, people can have a taste of his old and new restaurants.

The restaurant will be new American cuisine with a ‘Mad Men’ style and an elegant and elevated vibe. He plans to have the building upgraded with completely new decor, such as a glass-enclosed rooftop patio. The rooftop would be a four-season patio for dining.

“It’ll be a beautiful place for events, celebrating milestones, and architecturally, it’ll bring more vibrancy to 50th and France,” Rebecca Sorensen, the executive director at 50th and France said. The new restaurant plans to open in the fall of 2026.

Del Prado is already a restaurant owner of multiple spots in the area. He plans to open another restaurant on 50th this fall, on his own. Del Prado and Burnet have been working alongside each other for multiple years and already have two restaurants open together, Porzana and Minari.

“Seeing the kids here and having all their friends come and make memories in this restaurant,” one of Barrio’s hostesses, Elise Scholl, said, “it’s very fun to be around… so it’s unfortunate that people can’t have it anymore.”

This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on Oct. 2, 2025