Lacayo announces closure of Latin American restaurant

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Latin American restaurant in the New Bohemia district is set to close less than two years after it took over Caucho.

Lacayo, a concept at 1202 Third St. SE featuring cuisine across South America, Central America, Spain and Portugal, will be open through April 11.

“Through the challenges of the past year, we’ve made many sacrifices to keep our doors open. But today, we face our hardest one yet — we must say goodbye,” owners Armina and Daniel Lacayo said in a social media post. “To our regulars who have shown us so much love, thank you for embracing us, for your unwavering support, and for making us feel truly at home in this community.”

The Lacayos purchased Caucho from Cobble Hill owners Carrie and Andy Schumacher in April 2023. Armina helped open the popular upscale Mexican restaurant in 2017, before serving as front of house manager at Cobble Hill. Daniel has served as chef at several local establishments.

In an attempt to broaden the restaurant’s appeal, the Lacayos gradually started changing the menu in April 2023 to form a new concept they hoped would stand out from an abundance of Mexican restaurants.

“We’ve kept the heart of what Caucho was and expanded on it. We’ve created our own identity at this point,” Armina told The Gazette in November 2023. “There’s so many other cultures of Latin food people don’t know.”

The rebrand to its new name, Lacayo, launched in November 2023.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.

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