Efren’s Mexican Restaurant, a longtime favorite on the Central Coast, has opened a new location at the corner of Main Street and Broadway under the Gateway Apartments, offering a full-service dining experience and a menu inspired by the family’s Michoacán roots.

The restaurant is co-owned by Efren Alvarez, Efren Alvares-Ramos Jr., Edgar Alvarez, and Santa Alvarez. The family-owned restaurant has been serving Santa Maria and Oceano since 2008, and the new location is part of one of downtown’s first mixed-use projects, adding to the city’s effort to create a more walkable core.

“The people haven’t stopped coming, it’s been packed since we opened, from 7 a.m. until 2 in the morning on Friday's and Saturday's,” Alvares-Ramos said. “So it’s good to know we’ve been well received so far by the

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