Grande Sunrise Mexican restaurant
now open on Robert Street

Grande Sunrise Mexican restaurant now open on Robert Street
By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | November 2025

Dawn is breaking on the next chapter of a restaurant that began on the West Side a decade ago and is now returning near its roots following eight years in Minneapolis’s Nokomis neighborhood. Grande Sunrise Mexican restaurant opened October 20 at 1385 S. Robert St. in West St. Paul, formerly home to Beirut Lebanese restaurant. Major remodeling was done over the past six months to the kitchen and dining spaces, and owner Roberto Grande is putting everything he has into making the new location a success, placing extra emphasis on making it family friendly.

“I was planning to get a house,” said Grande of his decision to place the business’s needs above his personal goals. “Finally, I said, ‘Okay, what’s more important?…. I’m going to invest in my future [business] before buying a house….’ All of my plans and dreams and future are put into that place right now.”

The menu features traditional Mexican food like tortas, burritos, quesadillas and tacos, as well as other popular dishes such as ceviche and birria. Ceviche consists of seafood cooked in citrus juices, mixed with vegetables and herbs, and birria is a traditional Mexican meat stew. All in all, Grande said about half of the menu items include seafood. Those with a sweet tooth will be pleased to hear that tres leches cake and churros will be served. The approximately 60-seat space also has a small bar.

Grande immigrated to Minnesota from El Salvador 17 years ago to live with his father. In 2014, without any restaurant experience, he sold his car, got a loan from his stepmother and spent all his savings to purchase the former El Buen Sabor restaurant on Cesar Chavez Street. He was still attending school to learn English when he took the leap of faith, prompted by his entrepreneurial spirit and desire to be his own boss. He operated the restaurant for three years until the building, which Grande said had been neglected by the landlord, was condemned by the city. Shortly thereafter he opened the Nokomis site under the name Grande Sunrise Mexican restaurant.

“That was a really sad and frustrating experience because I never thought we were going to lose everything we had at that location,” said Grande. “It wasn’t my plan to leave. We wanted two locations, the West Side one and this one [in Nokomis]…. It’s very exciting [to return to the area], because West St. Paul, the West Side, and all of the area is like my hometown. I feel close to the people in West St. Paul.” Grande has lived on the border of West St. Paul and Inver Grove Heights for nearly two decades.

While working in the Nokomis neighborhood, his three brothers came to the United States and joined the now completely family-run business. Grande said the relocation is bringing the business closer to his home and to a busier commercial corridor.

Grande was quick to pay tribute to the cooks on the West Side who taught him their trade, one of whom has since passed away. The two that mentored him most were from the Mexican states of Michoacán and Jalisco, and their two styles of cuisine are still reflected in his menu today, he said. Grande plans to make an outdoor patio in time for spring 2026. The restaurant is open daily 10 a.m.-10 p.m. For more information, visit grandesunrise.com.

“Robert Street has always been my main goal to get there because it’s close to home and I like the area,” said Grande. “We want to be a nicer place. A cool, family friendly place…[where people can] enjoy the food and be comfortable with their kids and their family.”

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