Right in the heart of downtown Binghamton, a beautiful and nice-sized space sits empty waiting for its next purpose.

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Each day, twice a day, I drive past the former Dos Rios Cantina on Court Street in Binghamton and crane my neck to see if anything is being done in the space that once housed a popular eatery. Each day, I’m sad to see that it still sits forlornly.

Loads of controversy swirled around the former establishment in 2022. In the Spring of 2022, the doors were closed for the last time following a months-long investigation by the Binghamton Police Department into alleged suspicious activities of the owners. The managing partners of Dos Rios as well as its next-door neighbor, The Colonial, voted to permanently close both restaurants in April of 2022.

In just three short months, it will have been a year that such a prime location on Court Street downtown has sat empty.

Many people have speculated on what new business venture would fit in the space. Bob Joseph of Townsquare Media Binghamton mentioned in an article he wrote a week ago that there was speculation that a new restaurant might open in the space and that a representative for the building owner told him that there have been talks, but did not comment any more than that.

I’ve got an idea for something that I think would be perfect for the Dos Rios space, something that could incorporate the already existing and incredible murals. Hear me out on this – a grab-and-go Mexican eatery and Mexican food market.

Bob Joseph
Bob Joseph
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It would be such a shame for the murals to be painted over and there’s not only an existing kitchen but plenty of space to place pre-cooked grab-and-go Mexican dishes on one side and grocery items on the other side.

Binghamton is a unique melting pot of ethnicities and other ethnic markets have done well. I can’t see why a concept along these lines wouldn’t. It would appeal to commuters and college students alike who don’t have time to sit down but just enough time to pop in and grab a hot meal and some staples.

What would you do if you could put anything into the old Dos Rios space?

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