Just last week, the usually summer-only restaurant, Calaveras, opened for the Block Island winter season. Open Thursday through Monday, for lunch only, Julio Mendoza and his 18-year-old daughter, Julianne Mendoza, commute every morning from the mainland to the island by ferry to open at 11:30 a.m. Closing time varies from 2 to 3 p.m., depending on the ferry schedule. Therefore, if there are ferry cancellations the restaurant will be closed.
Starting in 2015, Calaveras has been a popular Mexican restaurant. Another Calaveras restaurant opened in 2017 for two years in Peacedale and moved to Narragansett for another two years. Julio Mendoza grew up in Mexico City, and Julianne Mendoza grew up in Connecticut until she was 14 years old when she moved to Rhode Island. Julianne has been working at Calaveras since she was 12 years old. “It’s comforting to feel like I have a purpose. Keeping the tradition of cooking alive,” Julianne said. “Working with family can bechallenging, but I wouldn’t have become the person I am today without it.”
Calaveras has come out with a new winter menu, consisting of a build-your-own bowl meal, burritos, and soups. Every day there is a different choice of protein
