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Tonio's Mexican restaurant closes in Lexington

By Scott Sloan ssloan@herald-leader.com

Tonio's, a Mexican restaurant in downtown Lexington, closed earlier this month, but the building's owner is in talks with other potential restaurant operators to fill the void.

Building owner Tom Polites said Tonio's owner asked him a couple of months ago to begin looking for new tenants because "he wanted to close it."

Polites, who lives above the restaurant, said the restaurant closed Aug. 5, and he hasn't been able to reach the owner since. He said the owner went to Mexico during the first week of July and was not due back until later this month.

Polites said he's been in talks with two parties who are interested in renting the space for a restaurant. He wouldn't identify either of them or the type of food they would serve, but he said it would not be Mexican.

"It's going to be priced to accommodate the downtown worker," he said, adding it probably would serve beer, wine and liquor by the drink; Tonio's served beer.

Interest in the property, at Vine Street and South Limestone, hasn't really surprised Polites because "it's a great location, and location, location, location is truly the necessary part of a business."

He also noted that when the streetscape improvements along South Limestone are finished, "it'll be a great space."

Finding a replacement for Tonio's is another recent business move for Polites, who earlier this month sold Meadowthorpe Cafe. He's also shopping around the Clay Wallace Catering business that was operated out of the cafe, aiming to sell its name, phone number and client list.