Frank Chavez's Pepe's Cantina is taking over the former Lucille's space on Yamato Road in Boca Raton, marking the chain's first Palm Beach County location, per the operator's Instagram.
Chavez founded the concept in 2015, and in the decade since, Pepe's Cantina has expanded into a Florida chain with multiple locations. The Boca Raton entry extends that footprint into Palm Beach County for the first time, placing the brand at an established commercial address with existing restaurant tenancy history rather than an untested space.
The prior occupant, Lucille's, was a casual American concept. Pepe's Cantina represents a complete category pivot for the address: a full-service Mexican program built around scratch-made dishes and handcrafted margaritas. The operator describes the format as lively and colorful — the same positioning Pepe's has carried across its existing Florida locations and now transplants to Yamato Road.
No public opening date has been confirmed. The chain is actively hiring for the Boca Raton location, placing the project in its staffing phase without a posted window. A filed occupational license or a direct operator update would be the next concrete milestones to track.
The Palm Beach County entry marks the clearest geographic expansion yet in a decade of chain-building under Chavez. Whether Yamato Road becomes a standalone outpost or the first of multiple county openings is not yet documented — but the address, with its prior restaurant identity already established, is a practical starting point for a brand entering an unfamiliar market.
