An iconic spot for San Lorenzo Valley locals to eat, drink and be merry, Henflings came under new ownership recently after being purchased by Mario Ibarra and his business partner, Antonio. Born and raised in La Paz, Mexico, and now a Ben Lomond resident, Ibarra has over 25 years of do-it-all industry experience, starting as a dishwasher before evolving to cook, server, manager and then ultimately becoming an owner of several local spots. Upon learning Henflings was for sale, he leaped at the opportunity to carry on its long-standing legacy, making it the fifth place he has owned.
Ibarra’s love for socializing and serving people with an “everyone is family” mindset makes for a perfect pairing with Henflings’ ethos, a place he describes as a rustic biker-vibed restaurant/bar/nightclub with themed nights and plenty of live entertainment. The elevated bar food menu features classic finger food options of buffalo chicken wings, onion rings, jalapeño poppers and garlic/parmesan fries, and bigger plates like ground ribeye hamburgers and salads such as the Italian Chop. Mexican options abound as well: al pastor tacos with homemade tortillas and even a popular birria “pizza” with slow-cooked shredded beef, mozzarella, onions and cilantro between two flour tortillas.
Tell me more about your special nights.
MARIO IBARRA: Henflings has been here for over 40 years with an already great local following. Live entertainment has always been a big part of that, so we continue to offer fun events that bring the community together. We do trivia on Tuesdays, bingo (“Flingo”) on Wednesdays, karaoke on Thursdays and live music on Friday/Saturday. We are also planning to offer stand-up comedy soon too. Henflings is a really special place and it’s always fun to be here.
To what do you attribute your success in the industry?
I have a positive mentality that when you want something, you have to go for it and really fight for it. Owning my previous restaurants, I really had to commit myself, put myself out there and hustle to make it happen. And now up here in the mountains, I have found a really amazing community and I am blessed to call my customers my friends. Owning restaurants is not easy—there are a lot of stresses and responsibilities—but seeing happy faces on my guests makes it all worth it.
9450 Highway 9, Ben Lomond, 831-289-3019.
Thanks for the update on Henfling’s. Spent New Years Eve here a couple years ago w Coffis Bros on the stage; great evening, friendly crowd. Looking forward to dropping in soon