WATERVILLE — A new Mexican eatery catering to families will open on Silver Street downtown later this month if all goes according to plan.

Charros’ Theater Mexican Restaurant, owned and managed by Juan Carlos Sanchez, will be in a renovated space that formerly housed Cancun Mexican Restaurant.

Sanchez, 23, said the restaurant will serve everything from tacos, burritos and fajitas to special offerings such as carnitas, or pork fried pork shoulder that is deep fried and then lightly grilled for a tasty exterior.

“It’s served with rice and beans on the side and a flour tortilla with green sauce,” Sanchez said Thursday.

He said he hopes to have monthly or bi-weekly specials and if patrons like them, they will be added to the full-time menu. He plans to feature a Mexican cheesecake which he says is different from typical cheesecake as the cake and homemade crust are a lot sweeter.

Sanchez managed restaurants in Georgia and decided to open Charros’ Theater in Waterville as his father, Jose Sanchez owns the building. His father and uncle have for many years been in the construction business, he said.

Before it was Cancun, it was the home of Steve’s Restaurant. Earlier in the century, it was a movie theater called Silver Theatre which eventually closed. Sometime after 1941 it became State Theater and continued to show films. Sanchez named his eatery to reflect that history, with the word “Charros” being a word for Mexican cowboys who were considered the first movie stars in that country.

The restaurant itself is not connected in any way with the former Cancun Mexican Restaurant, which closed in 2021 because of numerous health violations.

In 2020, the city dealt with complaints about the restaurant’s having late nightcrowds outside where people drank alcohol, fought and took part in unsavory activities that drew police.

Several years earlier the restaurant faced legal issues related to the hiring of undocumented workers.

The City Council at its meeting Tuesday welcomed Sanchez, who said that, given the history of the building, he wanted to make sure that families feel safe at the new restaurant and that it is a good place for people to dine on a Saturday afternoon or after church.

The council unanimously approved food, liquor and special amusement licenses for Charros’, which will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Sanchez said he wants to learn from people in the community about what they’d like to see for special activities at the restaurant. For instance, if Thomas and Colby College students want to have karaoke/trivia events there, he would integrate that.

The restaurant will seat about 200 people depending on Waterville Fire Department approval of the numbers, he said.

New flooring, freshly painted walls, and improved aesthetics in the bar area are some of the improvements Sanchez has made to the space.

He plans to add historical touches to the building that reflect on its past. For instance, the circus passed the building in the early 1900s when it was a movie theater and there is an old picture of that.

Sanchez said he has hired a chef and a couple of kitchen workers so far and is accepting applications for other employees. He has already received more than 30, he said.

City officials and the community, he said, have expressed enthusiasm about the new business.

“I appreciate the town being so welcoming in this process,” he said.