Cinco de Mayo Celebración

Honoring its Mexican heritage with some added contemporary spice, El Melvin Cocina Mexicana will be bringing downtown Sarasota to life with its annual Cinco de Mayo block party on Wednesday, May 5, 2021.

Highlights of the day-into-night fiesta include live music starting at 1 p.m., with DJ Nando adding some extra flair before segueing into the street party at 4 p.m. The block from El Melvin to Palm Avenue will be closed for the celebration. Food and drink specials include a preview of the upcoming debut of El Melvin’s new street taco enterprise, Taqueria Azul, as well as street corn and guacamole, chips and salsa stations. Margarita and beer specials will also be offered throughout the day.

Event Details:

Date:

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Times:

Lunch service begins at 11 a.m. with DJ Nando spinning starting at 1 p.m.

Block party starts at 4 p.m. and continues until midnight with live music, food and drink stations

Location:

El Melvin Cocina Mexicana

1355 Main Street | Block party runs from El Melvin to Palm Ave.

Sarasota, FL 34236

Lunch/Dinner Service:

In addition to the block party, El Melvin Cocina Mexicana will also be open for lunch starting at 11 a.m. and dinner, starting at 5 p.m., with call ahead seating for reservations.

More Information and Reservations:

Call ahead reservations for dinner can be made by calling 941-366-1618. For more information, visit elmelvin.com.

The El Melvin Story

Co-owned and operated by childhood friends and partners Mitch Good and Matt Hess, El Melvin Cocina Mexicana is an entrepreneurial spin off from a storied chicken farm and grocery store history. Mitch’s grandfather, Melvin Mitchell, for whom El Melvin is named, led this spirit, growing up and working on a chicken farm. The “farm” grew to Weaver’s Chicken and eventually sold to Tyson Chicken in 1989. It was Mitch’s grandfather, along with his father and mother who also followed the entrepreneurial way of live, that inspired the duo to take on restaurant ownership and do something, well, unexpected.

On the date of Mitch’s grandfather’s death, who also had an affinity for Sarasota, and with no restaurant experience between the two of them, the unexpected followed. After several years of looking for a business venture, Mitch and Matt decided to apply Mitch’s family philosophy of hard work and dedication and develop relationships to evolve the family and cultural history of the former Two Senoritas into a more elevated and modern and socially engaging experience. To do this, Mitch and Matt surrounded themselves with local industry experts who gave them a generous helping hand of support.

And then COVID happened. But this did not deter them. It only made them more determined. Facing and dealing with COVID challenges and periodic shutdowns, Mitch and Matt realized the need to adapt to a changing environment and provide additional emphasis on the customer experience – from food quality to safety and comfort and feeling welcomed and appreciated. To that end, they invested their time and resources to evolve and elevate El Melvin into it’s now engaging Latin-style experience and continue the family legacy’s commitment to hospitality and food and service excellence. Now, all neatly packaged into a fun and engaging vibe and dining experience second to none in Sarasota.