This Now-Closed Mexican Chain Was Once The Second Biggest In The US

Competition is fierce among restaurant chains, and Mexican food brands are no exception. Long before the likes of On the Border and Abuelo's filed for bankruptcy in 2025, though, another former Mexican food giant, Don Pablo's, closed its last remaining location back in 2019 after filing for bankruptcy in 2017. This marked the end of a once-thriving restaurant brand that is still missed by nostalgic fans, who have fond memories of the chain and the meals they once enjoyed there.

While Taco Bell is the largest fast food Mexican chain restaurant in the U.S., Don Pablo's was once the second-largest full-service Mexican restaurant brand in the country, just behind Chi-Chi's, which also went the way of the dinosaur after its own struggles and eventual bankruptcy. Unlike Don Pablo's, however (and unlike the dinosaurs), Chi-Chi's eventually made a comeback 20 years after closing.

Don Pablo's debuted in 1985 in Lubbock, Texas. The concept found its audience and grew rapidly, first spreading across the Lone Star State and then branching out across the Midwest. At its peak, the brand had over 100 U.S. locations. But multiple ownership changes, multiple bankruptcies among the companies that acquired the brand, and fierce competition in the Mexican casual dining segment led to ever-diminishing location numbers. By 2014, only 34 Don Pablo's remained, which rapidly dwindled to three by the end of 2018. In 2019, the last location standing — a New Jersey Don Pablo's restaurant — finally closed, finalizing the extinction of the once popular and widespread chain. Now, as of January 2026, Don Pablo's lives on in memory only.

Former customers still mourn the loss of Don Pablo's, from the food to its authentically festive atmosphere, which included working fountains inside some locations. Reminiscing fans have compared the restaurants to the Mexico Pavilion at Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park, saying that eating at Don Pablo's was like visiting a real festival in a Mexican town.

The cuisine was largely typical of most Americanized Mexican restaurants, featuring the sort of Tex-Mex fare one would expect to find. There were fajitas, salads and soups with Southwest flair, chimichangas, enchiladas, and burritos. Taco offerings ran the protein gamut from fish and shrimp to steak, pork, and Buffalo chicken. There was even an all-you-can-eat taco option on Tuesdays.

Certain culinary offerings did set Don Pablo's apart. Combo meals went beyond the typical refried beans and Spanish rice, giving patrons their choice of one additional side dish. Options included three different types of beans, along with coleslaw, french fries, soup, side salads, and more unique offerings like cornmeal spoon bread. Don Pablo's was also noted for its signature margaritas and an in-restaurant tortilla stand, which churned out freshly made flour tortillas all day. This was an interactive attraction for customers, who enjoyed watching the process unfold live in front of them. Chefs in the restaurants also reportedly handed out tortilla dough to younger patrons, letting kids shape their own creations.