Ricardo’s still closing, but not without one final fiesta

First, the bad news: Ricardo’s Mexican Restaurant is still closing.

Now, the good news: But with a bang, not a whimper. Ricardo’s will go out in style with a Final Friday Fiesta on May 15 in the parking lot of the restaurant at 4930 W. Flamingo Road. Owner Bob Ansara, keeper of the 40-year tradition of Ricardo’s restaurants in a number of spots around the Las Vegas Valley, had planned to close May 15, which was the presumptive start of Phase One of the reopening of the state. When that date was moved up to Saturday, Ansara decided to continue with his plans, but to throw one last big party.

“It gives us a chance to say goodbye to our customers,” Ansara said Friday. “It gives my team a chance to spend a little more casual time with their customers. And we didn’t feel like walking away quietly was the right thing to do.”

And walk away quietly, they won’t. The party will run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. May 15 with a “socially-distanced” all-you-can-eat buffet for $20, margaritas for $10 each and beer for $6 each.

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.