A fast-casual restaurant blending Miami Cuban cooking with Texas Tex-Mex flavors has opened at 826 Cabela Drive in Augusta, taking over a suite directly across from Costco. El Tejano Latin Cuisine Express serves counter-ordered meals with the seating and speed of a traditional dine-in spot, from Cuban sandwiches stacked with ham, shredded pork, Swiss cheese, mustard, mayonnaise and pickles on Cuban bread, to chicken fajitas piled with grilled onions, tortillas, salad, rice, plantains, tostones and avocado slices.
The restaurant was opened by Oscar and Lei Moreno, according to the Augusta Chronicle. Oscar Moreno’s first restaurant was Aroma’s Italian Grill, and he described the new venture’s identity simply: “It’s the Texas guy making Latin food,” he said, per the same report.
A Family Operation With Deep Local Roots
Moreno already runs Aroma’s Italian Grill at 1452 Walton Way in Augusta’s Medical District, and he and Lei Moreno are associated with The Fitness Gallery, an indoor cycling studio in Evans, according to ClassPass. The couple has six children, and the family keeps El Tejano running as a household affair — two of Moreno’s sons work at the restaurant, and his daughters sometimes come to the restaurant as well, the Chronicle’s report notes.
The retail suite itself, listed at 1,544 square feet and built in 2018, was previously occupied by fast-casual chain I Heart Mac & Cheese, which closed in October 2025, according to HappyCow. The center’s multi-tenant restaurant suites helped smooth the transition to a new dining concept.
Sitting Inside a High-Traffic Retail Corridor
Cabela Drive sits within the Village at Riverwatch, a commercial development off Interstate 20 anchored by Costco, Cabela’s, Topgolf, Dave & Buster’s and Riverwatch Cinemas, according to Visit Augusta. Riverwatch Parkway, the arterial route feeding the district, connects Columbia County suburbs to downtown Augusta and the Medical District, LoopNet reports. The road network is part of Georgia’s transportation system. Cabela Drive serves the Village at Riverwatch commercial development.
That retail corridor, paired with the local Hispanic community, frames the market El Tejano is stepping into.
Regulars Praise the Food and Atmosphere
Inside, El Tejano leans into colorful Spanish-style decor with upbeat Latin music playing throughout the dining room, the Chronicle reports. Tara and Eric Anderson visited El Tejano. Outdoor seating remains a possible future addition.
The menu’s tostones sit alongside the Cuban sandwich and chicken fajitas as menu items bridging the restaurant’s Miami and Texas influences. El Tejano has also passed muster with regulators: the restaurant scored a perfect 100 out of 100, earning a Grade A, on its Georgia Department of Public Health food service inspection, according to KrudAlert. El Tejano Latin Cuisine Express is open 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Dining and Cooking