Let's be honest here. When the original Herrera's left its first location on Maple Avenue, the one that eventually became the Grapevine bar, a lot of romance was lost.The second location, tucked into a strip mall that was slowly deteriorating on the other side of the street left a lot to be desired, at least as far as character was concerned. The new spot did have a lot more space though, which may have been nice for the people who were previously forced to sit on the front stoop drinking beer from a cooler while they waited for one of a handful of tables.
That location came to an untimely demise when the land beneath original Herrera's No.2 was gobbled up to expand the Old Parkland facility. The third location was back on the other side of Maple and boasted a dining room with bright yellow colors and even a patio. But still, it was still a strip mall space. It lacked the ambiance of that tiny, first location.
It's still a little early to tell, but so far it's looking like the latest Herrera's to grace Maple Avenue could have character in spades, at least in comparison with recent iterations. Construction started earlier this year, and now that the roof lines have taken shape its quite clear that Herrera's No. 4 will reside in anything but a strip mall.
The 4,500-square-foot building will boast a regular dining room, with mezzanine and patio seating, too. It will still serve your favorite combination platters and weekend menudo. It's impossible for any new building to recreate the romance captured in that famous National Geographic shot of the original building that still hangs in the Herrera's dining room. But the new building taking shape just down the street looks like the sort of place Herrera's could build some history into.
