A street food restaurant repossessed by its landlords three months ago has been reopened by the same owner.

Businessman Julian Ramirez, who runs the neighbouring Rico Sabor in Rochester High Street, has re-launched under a new name Margaritas/Bar 39.

Like its predecessor, Mexicano, it specialises in Mexican cuisine, including tacos and small Tex-Mex dishes.

It also sells a wide range of cocktails, including, of course, a variety of tequila-based fruity margaritas.

In March workmen were seen carrying furniture out of the building and subsequently a sign appeared on the door stating the landlords had taken back the premises.

Half-Spanish and half-Colombian, Mr Ramirez opened the diner selling food to eat in or take out in June last year.

To ensure he got the flavours right, he visited the Latin American country several times to see what authentic food worked.

Mexicano was the third eatery Mr Ramirez has been forced to shut this year.

Gravesend’s Rico Sabor, which is in a Grade-II listed building by the market, shut in April weeks after it received a poor hygiene rating.

He blamed Kent County Council for failing to make repairs to the historic unit, something the authority denied.

In February his branch of Rico Sabor in Dover had to shut after it too was served with a notice by the landlord.

Mr Ramirez, a trained chef, came to England from Valencia, a Spanish town famed for its tapas, and cultivated his culinary skills in restaurant kitchens in London.

He and his wife Marcella opened their first Rico Sabor in Gravesend in 2016 offering both Spanish and Mexican dishes.

Three years later they opened the Rochester branch and in October 2021 he launched his third restaurant in Dover.