In 1964, Chef Leticia Mitchell’s father brought her family from Mexico City to Las Vegas to pursue his career as a musician on the Strip.

Now, more than 50 years later, Mitchell is a household name in the Mexican food scene since opening her first restaurant, Leticia’s Mexican Cocina, in the northwest Valley in 2009. After that original location closed due to a rent increase, Mitchell joined into a partnership with Station Casinos, operating restaurants at Santa Fe Station and Fiesta Henderson (the latter is currently closed due to COVID-19).

In February, Mitchell signed the lease for a third operation, Letty’s de Leticia’s Cocina, a fast-casual Downtown restaurant at the former site of popular eatery El Sombrero. But a month later, the pandemic brought that to a screeching halt.

“We were supposed to open in April, but we didn’t open until September 1,” Mitchell says. “We rode it out and held on.”

Now, Downtown is home to the big and bold flair for which Leticia’s is known. “My mother was my heart and soul and inspiration,” Mitchell says. “She was the life of the party, and she taught me everything. It was our dream to open a restaurant.”

The menu at Letty’s is significantly smaller than the enormous ones at the casinos, but there’s still plenty to excite the taste buds. Aperitivos, or small eats, are an affordable way to sample the menu, from lime ceviche ($8), shrimp cocktail ($5) and Carlito’s seasoned fries with chorizo, Oaxaca cheese and two eggs ($6).

Move down the menu to the taquizas for Letty’s signature tacos, served on fresh, fluffy tortillas made in-house. With seared cheese, chipotle crema and your choice of protein, the quesataco ($4), which took the top prize on Best in Chow’s 2014 Las Vegas Taco Wars episode, is a must.

Tortas are where Letty’s truly stands out, fusing authentic Mexican flavors with unique ingredient combinations, like the chilaquiles version ($8), which combines ranchera, tomatillo or molé sauce with refried beans, crema, cotija cheese and tortilla chips in a traditional botillo. Also notable: the Cubano ($13), a protein monster of a sandwich loaded with adobo pork, serrano ham, chicken and a grilled salchicha (hot dog), topped with grilled Oaxaca cheese, avocado and chipotle aioli.

Whether you choose more traditional items or opt for less familiar dishes, everything inside the Downtown eatery—from horchata to salsa—is made fresh daily. Whether it’s Leticia’s or Letty’s, Mitchell says she wouldn’t put her name on it if weren’t.

LETTY’S DE LETICIA’S COCINA 807 S. Main St., 702-476-9477. Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday-Friday, 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m.