Pablo’s Second Lansing Restaurant Has a Site, Not an Opening Date

By Marcus Bennett

A second Pablo’s Mexican Restaurant is slated for 123 S. Washington Square in downtown Lansing, but Pablo’s has not disclosed an opening date or operating schedule.

Pablo’s announced the expansion Nov. 4 on its official Facebook page. The second location will occupy the former La Cocina Cubana space. Its flagship sits at 2010 E. Michigan Avenue in Lansing’s Eastside neighborhood. The announcement arrived as 2026 brought both restaurant openings and closures across the local market.

What does Pablo’s plan to serve downtown?

Pablo’s team said it was excited to bring “the taste of Pueblo,” along with Mexican breakfast, chicken mole enchiladas and tamales, to the new downtown area. The announcement identifies Mexican breakfast as part of the offering, but provides no hours, pricing, check average or sourcing details for the downtown restaurant operation. It does not say whether the downtown menu will match the Eastside menu.

The announcement also omits sales projections, food costs and expected staffing levels. It does not identify Pablo’s ownership or clarify whether either location is company-operated or franchised. The announcement offers no basis for comparing purchasing, menu pricing or labor policies between the locations.

Why did La Cocina Cubana close?

La Cocina Cubana officially closed on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The restaurant said: “Despite our efforts to negotiate a new lease under fair and workable terms for an aging building with significant maintenance issues, we were unable to reach an agreement.”

The former tenant also said it had operated for a year without a lease. It paid rent month to month and covered significant building maintenance costs. Those statements place occupancy expense and building upkeep at the center of the site’s recent economics. The announcement gives no monthly rent, repair bill or new lease terms.

Pablo’s disclosed no buildout budget, equipment plan or working capital for the conversion, so no credible margin comparison with the Eastside restaurant is currently possible. The former tenant’s lease dispute also does not establish what financial terms, if any, Pablo’s has secured.

What does the move mean for Lansing?

At 123 S. Washington Square, Pablo’s is slated to make a one-for-one storefront replacement. La Cocina Cubana has left, and the Mexican restaurant plans to enter. Lansing would gain a second Pablo’s unit overall, but the downtown address changes concepts rather than adding an additional operating restaurant to the city’s restaurant market.

The announcement offers no hiring targets or wage figures. It does not quantify local jobs, payroll costs or customer spending. Any employment or economic-development claim would therefore exceed the evidence.

Cuban Cuisine, La Cocina Cubana’s sister restaurant, remains open at 219 E. Grand River Avenue in downtown East Lansing. Its continued operation shows that the lease failure affected one location rather than both concepts, although the announcement provides no ownership details for either restaurant.

What must happen before the second unit opens?

Pablo’s still needs a firm opening date. The announcement does not disclose:

• Lease economics, including rent and landlord repair commitments
• Construction scope, equipment reuse and opening costs
• Hiring plans, wage levels and labor allocation
• Opening menu prices, expected check average and food costs
• Whether the restaurant is company-operated or franchised

Those omissions leave the most important unit-level questions unresolved: who funds the buildout, what the landlord covers, how staffing works and when sales can begin. The aging-building description makes repair responsibility particularly relevant, but Pablo’s has not disclosed who will pay for work required before opening.

The first measurable milestone will be a lease, buildout and hiring update tied to a firm opening date. Until those terms appear, the project remains a selected site rather than a scheduled opening.