Los Leones Restaurant Welcomed in La Feria

Updated: November 4, 2016

The crowd applauds as Adriana cuts the ribbon. (l-r) Tabitha Outlaw, Administrative Assistant; Sunny Philip, Executive Director STEMDF and STCHD; Gloria Casas, School Board member; Captain Armando Gonzalez, Captain LFPD; Cesar Diaz, Chief of Police LFPD, Clim and Mary Gonzalez, owners of El Centro; Adriana and Jimmy de Leon; Greg Percell, Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce; Eric Hoff, City Commissioner; William K.Friend, City of La Feria Right-of-Way agent and Project inspector; Jaime S. Sandoval, City Manager; Paula Rodriguez, City Planning Director/interim City Secretary, and Angelica Baldivia, former La Feria City Commissioner and resident. Photos: Bill Keltner/LFN

Bill Keltner

The City of La Feria turned out to officially welcome Los Leones Restaurant to the growing list of downtown businesses by participating in the Grand Opening celebration and official Ribbon Cutting.. An enthusiastic crowd of city officials, friends, well-wishers and political candidates were there to applaud and congratulate the owners of the new business.

Adriana and Jimmy De Leon celebrate the Grand Opening of their new downtown restaurant in La Feria.

Jimmy and Adriana de Leon are the new owners of this popular downtown Mexican restaurant which has a long history of satisfied customers. They were extremely pleased with the turnout of people for their grand opening. The new owners say they intend to carry on the tradition of the “best Mexican food in town.” Adriana says that because she has 25 years of experience working in fine Mexican restaurants. She was, in fact, working as manager of Don Beto’s restaurant when the opportunity came for her and her husband to buy it, “and we jumped at it,” she said.

The owners say they plan to carry on the Don Beto traditional Mexican/American dishes with some special additions. “We’ll be serving Mexican, American, Tex-Mex favorites, and we’ll be bringing a number of seafood specialties to the menu,” she said.

Adriana said, “I’m the one with 25 years of restaurant experience,” she said, adding, “Santiago is learning the trade fast, and loves it”. She explained that her husband has always owned his own businesses, including car audio stores and building homes as a contractor in Corpus Christi. He even had his own trucking business with five 18-wheelers. He was constantly on the road.”

City Manager Jaime S. Sandoval, Sunny Philip, Executive Director of STCHD, and School Board member Gloria Casas join Jimmy de Leon in Celebrating the Grand Opening of his new downtown restaurant.

“After so many years of being away from home so much, it got old,” she said. “He was lonely and wanted to spend more time with his family. That is how this new family business solves that problem,” Adriana said, and then she talked about her plans.

She explained that with her background of working in various restaurants and even managing a couple of them, it was easy for her to want to have her own restaurant too. “It’s going to be a family affair. My two brothers have managed restaurants for years,” she said.

“My sister also has owned first class restaurants. So, with the help of my brother and especially my husband who put all this time and money into making LOS LEONES RESTAURANT happen, we would like to welcome everybody to our restaurant, and thank them for their support.”