Chago’s Cantina, the Belmont Boulevard restaurant beloved for its queso, tacos and burrito bowls, announced via social media on Monday that this week is the eatery’s last. Owner Chad Head is planning several days of menus featuring favorite dishes from over the years as well as drink specials, ending with a pig roast on Friday.
Head, a lifelong hospitality industry veteran (he was co-owner of Corky’s Ribs and BBQ in Brentwood before opening Chago’s), used the hashtag #notatallsad in his post, underscoring the upbeat note on which he’s ending 11-and-a-half years of Chago’s. “This is the only job I have had since I was a child,” Head says. And as much as he loved it, he says, he is the father of a 9-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son and wants to be able to read them stories and be there for dinner and bedtime. Restaurant schedules don’t often accommodate that kind of family time.
In the wake of the announcement, Head says he is “overwhelmed” by the outpouring of well wishes he received, and that underscored his decision to make this week a farewell party. He hopes to be behind the bar to say thank you to customers and longtime employees.
“I am ecstatic about the opportunities ahead," he says. "And everyone reaching out just makes me that much more happy."
The Instagram announcement reads as follows:
We are happy and excited to announce that this will be our last week in service. After 11 1/2 years we have decided to follow a different path. I want to thank each and every team member that has ever been apart of the chagos family. Thank you to all of my bar regulars over the years that kept us going. Thank you to my Nashville and belmont families for all of your support. Thanks to my immediate family for giving me this great opportunity. Thank you to my wife who has been there with me every happy sad and shitty moment. We will be open tuesday - Friday cleaning house at the bar and serving some of our favorite tacos and dishes from the past. Please come in and see some old friends and help us celebrate. #notsadatall #newendeavors #familytime #thankyou
While the restaurant is closing, Head won’t be far away. He is the owner of the building in which Chago’s is located and says he will be “picky” about finding a new tenant who will support and serve the neighborhood in the same way he did. “We want someone dynamic to come into this cool spot in this neighborhood,” he says. He’s not ruling out the possibility that someone could buy Chago’s Cantina (and yes, the queso recipe) in the future.
Chago’s Cantina will open at 3 p.m. this week, Tuesday through Thursday, for the special menus and Friday for the pig roast. Chago’s is located at 2015 Belmont Blvd.
