Jose’s Mexican Restaurant on Dickson Street closed for repairs

Dickson Street-staple Jose’s Mexican Restaurant is closed for HVAC and plumbing repairs. As of Tuesday afternoon, the timeline for reopening the well-known establishment is uncertain.

Staff photo

When we heard that Jose’s Mexican Restaurant, the well-known establishment that has become a 30-year staple on Dickson Street was closed earlier today, we had to see for ourselves to believe it.

We arrived to find the doors locked at around lunchtime on Tuesday, but Neal Crawford, owner of the long-time Fayetteville restaurant and watering-hole told us this afternoon that the closure is only temporary.

“It’s an old building, and we’ve got some problems with the HVAC and some plumbing issues we need to look into,” Crawford said. “It’s a slow time of year, so we decided now was the time to get it taken care of.”

Crawford said he wasn’t sure what specific repairs would need to be made, or what the timeline would be to make them.

“It could be a day. It could be a week, or it could be a month. I just don’t know at this point. We’ll know a little more once the contractors get in there and tell me something,” he said.

Jose’s was opened by Fayetteville resident Joe Fennel in March of 1980. The restaurant has gone through several renovations and expansions over the ears, notably adding the popular Streetside patio in 1997.

Crawford, a long-time manager at Jose’s, bought the restaurant from Fennel in 2004.