New World War II-Themed Buffalo Bar Is A Throwback To A Vintage Officers Club

BUFFALO — Luis Elizondo’s father was a successful restaurateur, but growing up, Elizondo swore he was never going to work in a restaurant.

Life has a way of twisting such youthful vows and making them come true anyway.

So it is that Elizondo finds himself opening a place he calls Bombshells American Cantina in Buffalo, Wyoming. It’s a cocktail lounge and restaurant project he’s started with his best friend, Tucker Alger, whom he met in Buffalo.

The path for an Army veteran landing in Buffalo and starting a restaurant despite that childhood vow to never work in or own a restaurant is a long and winding one.

It started when he was a boy, hearing his father tell him that if he wanted to learn about leadership, he had to first learn to serve.

That led him to join the Army right after college. It was a way to not only learn about leadership, but to give back to a country he felt had given so much to him and his family.

“Everyone calls me Lou,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “Because despite being Cuban, I look like I’m from Iowa. But Spanish is one of my primary languages. So, after college, I decided to serve our nation, and after that, I became a special agent in the intelligence community.” 

The Army sent him to Asia, where he encountered a curious thing — officers clubs. But these were not modern at all. They were vintage, with a cool, World War II vibe. 

It felt like stepping back in time, and it planted a strange thought in his head.

“Wouldn’t it be cool if we could recreate that environment for our fellow veterans and law enforcement back home?” he recalled thinking. “Play some authentic 1940s music like the Andrews Sisters and have stuff in there from the war that is authentic, museum-quality.”

But the biggest thing Elizondo realized he wanted to bring home to such a club was something intangible — something he feels America has been missing of late.

“Wouldn’t it be great to experience what one of those is like, I mean, the camaraderie?” he said. “And that sense of patriotism and pride that we used to have as a country and that somehow we’ve lost over the years.”

Empty-Nesters Fly To Buffalo For Adventure

At the time, it was just a passing thought. Elizondo still had many years left of chasing, as he put it, “bad guys” in Afghanistan, and he was definitely not yet ready to break his boyhood vow against restaurant work. 

But eventually, he came home and hung up his uniform for civilian life. He wasn’t done having amazing adventures, though. He and his wife, who are empty nesters, decided to go west to Wyoming, where they landed in Buffalo about five years ago. 

It was a place that instantly felt like home — a community where they could give back and create something meaningful. 

Before long, Elizondo had met Tucker Alger, a man he now considers to be his best friend. 

“We met three, four years ago, and he’s actually my boy,” Alger said. “He’s the best man I’ve met and, ever since then, it was just history. We’re pretty much like the same person.”

“We go everywhere together,” Elizondo agreed. “We get along very well, and our families even vacation together.” 

They quickly became business partners, and, when that went well, they started sharing ideas for other businesses.

That’s when Elizondo remembered his idea for a vintage officers club. A place where American camaraderie and patriotism would not just be celebrated but would be a motto. 

“We just started putting our minds together and building off that,” Alger said. “And I think that it’s going to give back, like we want it to, and it’s going to be good for the community. We have been blessed more than we deserve. Our families are healthy, our kids are happy, I mean, they’re doing good. We’re doing better than we deserve, so it’s time for us to give back.”

Vintage Cocktails, Artifacts And Events

One of the things that Alger and Elizondo believe will make Bombshells American Cantina feel authentic is all the military artifacts they plan to display.

“I have a lot of military stuff from my various adventures around the world,” Elizondo said. “Stuff that’s absolute museum-quality, one-of-a-kind.”

Among these special artifacts is an old 1952 military jeep that they have converted into a bar top for people to sit at. There’s also an airplane wing they’ve used to build a different bar top.

“We have old back and white televisions that show reruns of old black and white, ‘I Love Lucy’ (shows),” Elizondo said. “And all of our waitstaff is dressed in period-appropriate attire.”

Some of the features of the restaurant make the best of a bad situation. Like the freezer, whose compressor is broken.

“We turned that into a vintage, 1950s fallout shelter,” Elizondo said. “And so, there’s a real Geiger counter, a Russian Geiger counter on the left of it, so we’re just trying to do things that will make the place very interesting and unique.”

Vintage Cocktails Meet Allied-Inspired Foods

They also turned one of their walls into a 3D mural, using the actual cone of a vintage airplane.

“Everything on our cocktail list is vintage,” Elizondo added. “And it’s inspired by the time period.”

Like the French 75 cocktail, whose name was drawn from the French 75-milimeter mortar. The drink originated in Paris in 1915, but was made popular by the movie, “Casablanca.”

Food, meanwhile, will draw on the entire community. Elizondo and Alger plan to circulate area restaurant menus that customers can order from. They’re also working on completing a full-service kitchen, likely by sometime next year.

Eventually, the plan is to offer a “five-star dining experience on a two-star budget” at the cantina, Elizondo said, with an “Allied-inspired” menu that draws ideas from places like London, France and other countries who joined in the effort to defeat Nazi Germany and Japan.

There will be themed nights from the period as well, such as a “Great Gatsby” evening or a “Casablanca” night. 

“We have a piano and a bar, so imagine having an evening where you and your significant other dress like (Humphrey) Bogart and (Lauren) Bacall, and you sit down to watch ‘Casablanca,’” Elizondo said. “And whenever Sam plays the piano, we’re going to have a real pianist playing the same song, and we’ll serve whatever cocktails they’re drinking in the movie.”

Honoring Americans Who Serve

Although the Cantina will highlight World War II with hands-on living history experiences, it’s not a “guts and glory” place, Elizondo said. 

It’s more about reviving esprit de corps, which he feels has gone missing in America amid rancorous partisan divides.

“There were hard situations where an entire country pulled together,” he said. “Like remember after 9/11 how everybody just kind of got together, and everybody was flying flags for a little while, and we were all locked shoulder to shoulder?” 

“That sense of purpose and pride,” Alger agreed. “It’s very important, and we’re going to bring that. We’re proud of our country, we’re proud of our men and women who sacrifice so much so we could have the privilege of living the life that we have, the freedom we’re able to have.”

The two have plans to recognize servicemen and women with quarterly breakfasts for veterans, barbecues, and the like. 

The cantina is also partnering with the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois to highlight World War II history — a history they both fear is being lost as more and more of the nation’s Greatest Generation pass away.

But service doesn’t just mean military. To them, the concept extends to teachers, nurses, law enforcement — and all the many professions that come together to create a modern, American community.

“If you are doing something to give back to the community, then that’s service,” Elizondo said. “And we want to recognize it.”

If You Go

Bombshells American Cantina is located at 58 North Side Creek in Buffalo. Hours are from 1-10 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.