What was once the Ionian Grill, a traditional Greek restaurant popular amongst students seeking off-campus dining options, is now home to the North Avenue Café, a newly owned and renovated eatery with a wide-ranging menu selection.

Owner Joel Argueta Leon was in the market for a restaurant that would appeal to local families looking to enjoy a sit-down meal at an affordable price.

He acquired the property after realizing the potential business they could also reap from students due to its relative proximity to the college.

Leon is also owner of El Sabor De Mi Tierra (which loosely translates as “The taste of my land”), a popular Mexican restaurant located on Huguenot Street in downtown New Rochelle.

Though business was thriving at El Sabor, Leon noticed that his patrons often frequented the establishment more for the bar experience than the food, which prompted his decision to open North Avenue Café.

Though the café opened months ago, they have only just begun accepting the Iona meal plan, which was attributed to a back ordering on the card-swiping machine.

“We ordered it as soon as we knew we were going to be opening here,” said Jorge Monroy Argueta, Leon’s nephew and a waiter at the Café, “but the processing took forever for us to get it.”

During their renovations, the family chose to stick with the previous restaurant’s decor in favor of expanding the bar.

The bar will temporarily accommodate additional seating while the Café awaits a liquor license that will allow them to serve beer and wine in the establishment.

In addition, they extended the open-grill concept slightly so that guests are able to view their food as it is being prepared.

The menu was entirely reconstructed to offer American style breakfast and lunch, traditional Mexican lunch specials such as Pupusas (similar to corn tortillas, that can be stuffed with a variety of proteins) and Italian inspired dinner options like Tortellini Primavera and Pork Chops Pizzaiola.

With a family that hails from several Latin American nations, it was important for Leon to impart the influence of Mexican flavors into some aspects of his menu, which he feels will also cater to their patrons’ tastes.

“Although I probably wouldn’t go for the Italian, being that I can get that at home, I’m definitely interested in going for their Spanish food,” said Michael Foti, senior. “I like to try different things, and it’s good to know that they have a little bit of everything on their menu.”

Argueta said that the chef who works for them at El Sabor is also in charge of preparing the Café’s Mexican specials.

“They’re made to taste authentic, but not too spicy that it would scare people away from trying them,” Argueta said.

Argueta and his family hope that since the Café is now up and running on the meal plan, they will see more students coming to try their cuisine.

North Avenue Café is open 9 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.