Tex-Mex spot coming to Benton shopping center; Opening date Oct 30th

Original Article Aug 8, 2024. Updated Oct 25, 2024.

There’s a restaurant coming to Benton that will have you singing a familiar song. It took some digging for me to find who is moving into the location at 20770 Interstate 30. For reference, it’s behind Academy Sports, next door to T-Mobile, and most recently was a Pizza Inn. For a moment, for me, it was a mystery. All I had to go on was a notice in the window that someone applied for a mixed-drink alcohol permit. 

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I won’t take you through all the steps, but I did eventually find the answer. Edgar Castorena is behind La Bamba Restaurant and Cantina. It’s family-owned and independent – not a chain. Castorena owns a restaurant in Searcy called El Nopal Tapatio Restaurant. He said he wants to bring flavors from that restaurant to Saline County.

“La Bamba will have a mix of authentic and Tex-Mex Mexican dishes along with full bar service,” said Castorena. “It will be filled with art of different Mexican traditions as you enjoy a delicious meal.”

Since I already had the song stuck in my head, I had to ask about the name La Bamba. I’m pretty sure it’s a type of dance, so I wondered about the significance of the name in relation to a restaurant.

Castorena explained, “It’s fun! It’s artsy! I am a believer that anything that interacts with any of the 5 senses is art. From the delicious food and drinks, music playing, murals on the walls, I expect Saline County to leave with a bit of my culture.”

There will be lunch and dinner. There will be a bar. He said to expect a special La Bamba drink menu as well as classic drink choices. There will also be daily specials & happy hour. 

Watch for La Bamba to open this Fall – possibly as early as September, but we all know that can change because there are so many moving parts to opening a restaurant. Keep an eye out, and we’ll update here.