Walking in to Casa Del Sol, customers are entrapped by a spacious area of yellow, orange and brick walls decorated with majestic paintings of the sun and Mexican landscapes. Since its opening in January at 204 S. Walnut St., downtown's newest Mexican restaurant pairs an authentic atmosphere with an inexpensive, yet inventive, menu.
Sophomore manufacturing engineering technology major Josh Coleman said he appreciates the atmosphere and service of Casa Del Sol.
"For living only a block away from the restaurant, it's the best place to get really good food for the price," Coleman said. "The owner of the restaurant is very polite and I can have conversations with him when they are not busy."
Coleman has attended the restaurant three times, and each time has proved to be a great experience, he said.
"Along with the ambiance of the restaurant, the service and food is amazing," Coleman said. "I have no complaints."
For owner Manuel Rodriguez, working in the restaurant business is nothing new. His days are spent busy running Casa Del Sol along with Ciudad Colonial on Granville Avenue, which he has been in charge of for six years. Before that, he managed a restaurant in Kokomo, Ind., for seven years.
"After seven years, I wanted to make my own place," Rodriguez said.
Three years ago, Rodriguez was offered to open a restaurant in downtown Muncie. At that time, Rodriguez refused the offer due to lack of customer appeal to the downtown area.
"Back then, [downtown] was slow and more lonely," he said. "After a few years, they brought Ivy Tech to downtown which brought more people."
Toward the end of 2011, Rodriguez was given another offer to open a restaurant downtown, where the attached establishments Restaurant 2(oh!)4 and Blue Bottle Coffee Shop stood until they closed in October. With a good deal and a more populated downtown, Rodriguez accepted the offer.
"I fell in love with the place and wanted to expand downtown," Rodriguez said.
Working quickly after accepting the deal, Rodriguez, his wife and a few other people took two months to start and finish construction.
"We didn't want to hire a company to do the work because we wanted to save money," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez credited the current success of Casa Del Sol to a mixture of aspects.
"In order to have a successful restaurant, there must be a combination of good service, good attitude, a decent place and good food," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez has also learned much from the operations of Ciudad Colonial. When he opened Ciudad Colonial with his wife, they liked using the Colonial or Victorian style to set up their restaurant.
Casa Del Sol has a similar environment to Ciudad Colonial, with the exception of four or five new menu items such as tropical fajitas, Rodriguez said. He also said the customers are different between his two restaurants.
Paintings of the sun are spread throughout the restaurant, along with different atmospheres of Mexican culture, which they obtained from Chicago at a location that works specifically with art from Mexico.
Freshman journalism major Samantha Smith said she enjoys the environment.
"I thought the food was very good and the restaurant itself gave off a friendly and authentic feel," Smith said.
Rodriguez said he does not expect to make a fortune off of his establishment, but he is satisfied with the amount of customers and business that takes place. He said the success of Casa Del Sol can be attributed to the low menu prices.
"My food is not expensive," he said. "Sometimes, I go with my family to different restaurants and easily spend $200 among four to five people on food and drinks. Here, I've seen groups of around 10 or 20 people spend roughly $200 at Casa Del Sol."
Casa Del Sol has a variety of lunch specials that range from $4.75 to $5.75, and while the prices for dinner cost a few more dollars, the food is still of excellent quality, Rodriguez said.
As far as recipes and trade secrets, everyone has their own recipe, he said.
"Our recipes are mainly from the Southwest," he said. "We do have a few recipes of our own origin, such as the one for our shrimp cocktail."
Rodriguez said he personally enjoys the fajitas, but he appreciates those who come and try different food, not just sticking to one option each time.
"I tell people try something different, especially those who stick to a certain meal," Rodriguez said. "We have over 200 items on the menu, everything's good."
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