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After back-to-back hits from summer road construction and winter Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant in West St. Paul is closing.
“We don’t want to leave without thanking those who gave us their enormous support during these difficult times,” said co-owner Maria Penaloza.
When: Their last day open will be Saturday, March 28. Until then, they’re offering 10% off and free fountain soda with purchase while it lasts.
What happened: We reported on the restaurant’s difficulties back in December. The Smith/Dodd closure hampered business all summer, then customers stayed away during the ICE surge—something many local businesses reported. Last week, co-owner Pablo Alcaraz announced the closure on social media.
- Paster Properties, who owns Doddway Shopping Center, asked Garibaldi’s owners to leave by the end of the month because they’re behind on rent, Penaloza said.
- Garibaldi’s owners tried to negotiate more time, but Paster Properties refused, citing the tenant’s mounting debt and future plans to demolish the building, according to Penaloza.
- Paster Properties first pitched a redevelopment plan for Doddway Shopping Center in 2021, though nothing has progressed since then. Speculation has been rampant since Oxendale’s closed in December, but the city reports no new redevelopment plans and Paster Properties did not respond to our request for details.
- The closure of Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant will leave just three tenants in Doddway Shopping Center—No. 1 New China, Domino’s Pizza, and Pam’s Hair Design. The strip mall has had multiple vacancies over the last decade or more, but the closure of anchor Oxendale’s marked a significant downturn.
What’s Next?
“What will I miss? Definitely our customers, wonderful people we met over these two years, but especially during these tough months,” said Penaloza.
Alcaraz will continue to run Alcaraz Auto Repair, also in West St. Paul.
March 10, 2026 Update
We did hear back from Paster Properties:
- They confirmed that Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant was too far behind on rent.
- In terms of the future of Doddway Center, they are exploring both replacing Oxendale’s with a new anchor as well as potential redevelopment with apartments. They did not have news to announce on either front and there is no definitive timeline for moving forward.
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