Photo by Erica Techo.
La Paz in Mt Laurel will have similar decor to the restaurant’s Crestline location, with a few unique touches, such as this custom metal sign bearing the restaurant’s name.
A well-known restaurant in Crestline is making its way down U.S. 280.
La Paz, a restaurant that serves Americanized and authentic Mexican food, is opening a location in Mt Laurel.
The location, set to open in mid to late spring, will feature the same menu as La Paz’s Crestline location, while adding a few new items.
“The same high-quality, fresh, daily-made food we make in Crestline, we’ll bring here,” said General Manager Ellen Prince. “It’ll taste the same; the cheese dip will be the same; chips will be the same.”
The Mt Laurel location also will include a lunch and brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday, which will be the only day this location is open for lunch. While the Crestline location, which opened more than 20 years ago, used to serve brunch, Prince said that was before many Mexican restaurants served brunch. Reinstating it in Mt Laurel, however, feels like a good move.
“It’s time to bring brunch back,” she said. “We’ll probably take what we do here and bring it back to Crestline. We’re going to perfect it here.”
The location will be managed by Red Mountain Restaurant Group, and Prince said the community of Mt Laurel was selected because it’s the ideal space for a family and community-friendly restaurant.
“It’s the right kind of community for us,” she said. “Where we are at Crestline right now; that’s a great community, a family community. People stick together. Out here, it’s the same. They have the same values, the same family structure, and there’s just a need out here. This is a perfect spot for us.”
Since announcing the opening, Prince said they have received “all positive” reactions, including a few people stopping by the restaurant.
“I’ll be working outside on something, and someone will walk by and say, ‘Oh, we’re so excited.’ Their hands are in the air; they can’t wait,” Prince said, adding some diners have come to Crestline to check out the restaurant and its menu.
The square footage of the Mt Laurel location is larger than the Crestline location, Prince said, but there will be slightly less seating inside. However, covered, outdoor seating next to and behind the restaurant will accommodate more guests overall, she said. The new location also will take some of the décor items from Crestline while incorporating new facets of the Mt Laurel building, including touches of reclaimed wood.
“It’s always exciting to open another location,” Prince said. “There’s always new challenges, new ideas. You can only do so much with the restaurant you have … but then you get in a new location, especially if you don’t do cookie-cutter restaurants, and it’s so fun to figure out what to do with a new [building].”
After the restaurant opens, Prince said they hope to create a following among residents, similar to what they have seen in Crestline.
“We want to build a repeat-customer base. We want them to feel like this is their home, like they can come and have happy memories and make happy memories,” Prince said.
La Paz will be located at 3 Mt Laurel Ave. It will be open from [double checking hours]. For more information, go to eatatlapaz.com.
