A name with a story.
1840
Republic of the Rio Grande
On January 7, 1840, a constitutional convention along the Rio Grande declared an independent republic. Laredo was named the capital. Antonio Canales led the army. Jesús Cárdenas of Reynosa was chosen president.
Their cause was federalism, a rebellion against the centralist government in Mexico City. Their front stretched from Saltillo to the Nueces. Battles followed all summer along the river, villages taken and retaken.
By November, it was over. Canales surrendered at Camargo. The republic dissolved after 283 tumultuous days.
One hundred and fifty-eight years later, in 1998, the name came back to a table on 10th Street in McAllen.
Flag of the Republic of the Rio Grande · 1840
1998
Grill & Cantina
Republic of the Rio Grande Grill & Cantina opened in 1998 on 10th Street in McAllen. Fire-crafted cooking, Texas and Latin traditions, a covered patio worth returning to.
Twenty-seven years later, we're still locally owned, still cooking over fire, still setting tables where McAllen celebrates.
