‘The community really likes’ new Los Altos location

GREENFIELD — Los Altos Mexican Restaurant has a new Greenfield location, and owners and customers alike seem to be very happy with the new digs.

Los Altos moved out of the old Pizza Hut building on Kent Street and are now located in a building at 609 NE Sixth Street, across from Immanuel Lutheran Church, that was most recently a dance studio. They opened there Aug. 24.

In the past, the building has served as a church and also a restaurant, which owner Luis Huerta says made converting the building back into a restaurant a little easier.

The reason Los Altos moved is that Huerta had been seeking a building to own rather than lease.

“Since we saw this building pop up a lot of people told us it was a restaurant. We figured there’s probably not a lot to do, so that’s why we decided to purchase it,” Huerta said. “We are able to have more seating and more things here.”

Advantages to the new building are that there is more parking, better spaced seating inside, patio seating and a conference/party room that is able to seat over 35 people. Televisions will be mounted inside the dining area at a later time.

Spanning the full length of one of the restaurant’s walls is a mural, painted by Iowa City artist Jesus Rubalcava, that depicts the place where Huerta and his brother, Ignacio “Nacho” Gutierrez originated from in Mexico, named Jesus Maria, Jalisco.

Nacho manages the restaurant here in Greenfield as Huerta has oversight of all Los Altos locations.

“We’re excited because we started in Greenfield. We’ve put a lot of work into this building and I’ve been really happy because the community really likes it and has responded really nice,” Huerta said. “We can keep adding things and keep upgrading it because it’s ours.”

Los Altos started in 2013 and has now expanded into five locations, including Greenfield, Stuart, Panora, Story City and Bondurant.

“This building is pretty good. It’s different, it’s more space and is better,” Nacho said. “There’s more access and the kitchen is bigger.”