El Kapitan Mexican food truck opens restaurant in Rochester NY

Roughly five years ago, Eden Rita was one of the partners when he and his siblings opened the Neno’s Gourmet Mexican Street Food restaurant on Monroe Avenue. But even then, he had aspirations of a place of his own.

“It’s been in my head since five years ago ― something small like this,” he said.

Now, he has opened El Kapitan, a cozy Mexican restaurant at 695 Park Ave. in what was previously a Neno’s location. (Neno’s remains open on Monroe Avenue, in Star Cidery in Canandaigua, and it recently opened a new location in Brooklyn.)

The space has been given a fresh coat of bright paint but the setup largely remains the same: a counter in back for ordering, and seating at a counter on one side and at tables at the other. Outdoor seating will return in the spring.

Food truck origins

Chicken mole tacos are served at the El Kapitan food truck, and now at the restaurant.

El Kapitan got its start as a bright red food truck that hit the road in 2023. It initially focused on seafood dishes like ceviche and aguachile as well as tortas (Mexican sandwiches).

The early response from customers: “Where’s the tacos?”

“I guess people in Rochester are not into seafood,” Rita said with a shrug. But the experience gave him a chance to learn more about Rochester’s palate, and tacos were added to the menu. One delicious winner: chicken mole tacos, filled with shredded chicken in a mole sauce, a smear of beans, cotija cheese, crispy Romaine lettuce and a sesame seed garnish.

Now the approach: “Mar y tierra” ― Spanish for “surf and land.”

What’s on the menu

Ceviche at El Kapitan, 695 Park Ave. in Rochester.

While the menu is Mexican ― you’ll find tacos, enchiladas, flautas, burritos, tortas, chilaquiles, ceviche and more ― it’s quite different from Neno’s.

Some dishes are authentic ― the mole sauce is from Chinantla, a village in Puebla, Mexico that’s hometown to the Rita family ― while others fuse Mexican flavors with other cuisines. The La Bamba torta, for example, brings to mind a Buffalo chicken sandwich, with a fried chicken breast tossed in a spicy Mexican sauce and layered with Romaine lettuce, pickled onions and house-made smoky blue cheese.