Tables were set, menus available and the smells of Mexican cuisine filled the air as Toro Loco served its first meals Thursday.

Though it took a little longer than anticipated, the new Mexican eatery located in downtown Ironton inside the Crawford building at Third Street and Park Avenue welcomed customers Thursday afternoon.

"We are very excited. We have waited a long time to open the doors to the public," said co-owner Ricardo Ramos as he struggled to find the words to describe how it felt to see the hard work pay off. "This is a customer's restaurant. We want people to come try Toro Loco because it is the best Mexican restaurant in the Tri-State."

Many customers already agree.

Joined by friends and family,

Leann Pemberton and Jason Henderson

described the food as "delicious," and "good food at great prices."

"I would eat here every day if I could," Henderson said.

For the business owners, the opening was a long time coming. Ramos and partner Jose Garcia began renovating the building in November. Initially, they had hoped to open in January but remodeling took much longer than anticipated.

"It is a very old building. We had to redo everything to get it up to code," Ramos said. "Now, everything is ready to go."

The completely refurbished the dining areas, which can accommodate as many as 125 diners at one time in both tables and booths. The restaurant will target families and does not serve alcohol.

Now that the doors are open, Toro Loco has set the business hours. The eatery will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.

Toro Loco's Ironton restaurant currently employs 12 people. Ramos said they hope to add four part-time employees after they get on their feet.

The business partners also own Mexican restaurants in Wheelersburg, Portsmouth, Jackson and Chillicothe.