Mi Rancho Alegre plans new Bridgeport restaurant in Cicero

Mi Rancho Alegre is planning a new restaurant at 7991 State Route 31 in Bridgeport, bringing the family-owned Mexican chain into the former Traveling Gnome Diner space on the edge of Cicero near the Onondaga-Madison County line. The move would give drivers, families and commuters along Route 31 another sit-down option in a corridor that already connects homes, schools, errands and cross-county traffic.

The Bridgeport address is listed as coming soon on Mi Rancho Alegre’s website, and the company already runs a Syracuse location at 201 Lawrence Road East in North Syracuse. That existing restaurant gives the chain a second foothold in Onondaga County if the Bridgeport plan moves ahead, adding to a local dining scene where Mexican and fast-casual operators have been gaining ground in recent years.

The site itself has already changed hands. The Traveling Gnome Diner closed in April 2025 after three years in business, and county records show the property sold over the summer for $275,000. The building sits on State Route 31 in Bridgeport, a stretch that serves daily traffic between Cicero and the rural edge of Madison County, making the location visible to both local residents and passing motorists.

Mi Rancho Alegre is not limiting its growth to Onondaga County. Its website also lists upcoming locations in Queensbury and Albany, and the chain opened a Salina restaurant in late 2025. At that time, the business was described as a family-owned Mexican restaurant with two other New York locations, underscoring how quickly it has been adding stores across the state.

For Onondaga County, the Bridgeport plan fits a broader pattern of restaurant churn turning vacant buildings into new neighborhood stops. The former diner sat empty after its closure, and the new tenant would replace a short-lived local landmark with a larger regional brand that already has name recognition in North Syracuse. If the opening goes through, Bridgeport would gain another affordable family dining choice on one of the busiest connectors in northern Onondaga County.