A Mexican-style restaurant on Victoria’s Main Street, at the former Central Cafe, is set to hold a soft opening Feb. 14.

Thomas Houts, in an interview Thursday, said La Taberna would succeed Central Cafe.

Houts said he will remain as the name on the building lease, but said the restaurant will have a new management team take over the site.

Houts said he has a lease on the building with Jason Mattox. Mattox is the landlord of the building. Mattox owned Uptown Coffee Cafe in Victoria, which closed in January 2018. Central Cafe, operated by Houts, opened soon after.

“I’ve been kind of talking to people around town, gathering some feedback on what people wanted in town,” Houts said. He said a restaurant that served Mexican-style food was a frequent comment he heard.

Houts said a full international-focused menu for La Taberna is in the works, in addition to remodeling the inside of the building to include new decorations. Houts said a majority Tex-Mex-style menu that could include fajitas, enchiladas, tacos and chimichangas. He may contribute some European-style dessert items such as crepes.

Houts said the management team consists of business owners and managers from the region.

He said the restaurant is currently open only three days a week, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. He said Central Cafe only has two employees, citing other employees who left after receiving other opportunities such as attending college.

Houts said the restaurant would be set with new staff, including chefs with experience cooking Tex-Mex foods.

Houts said the soft opening is set to come with Valentine’s Day specials.