Page 18
January 22 - February 4, 2021
Greater Wilmington Business Journal
wilmingtonbiz.com
RESTAURANT ROUNDUP
BUSINESS OF LIFE
This is a sampling of stories from the Business Journal’s weekly Restaurant Roundup email. Subscribe at wilmingtonbiz.com.
Taco bar set to open on Carolina Beach Road Brothers and business partners Miguel and Ramon Villasenor have announced plans to open a third Los Portales Taqueria next month on Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington. Their original location is at 912 S. Kerr Ave., and the partners opened a second location at 39 Van Campen Blvd. in September 2019. The Villasenors also own Los Portales Supermarket on South Kerr Avenue and Tequila Comida & Cantina in Monkey Junction. Miguel Villasenor said he and Ramon had been seeking another location for a taco bar that would provide quick access to customers from neighborhoods and businesses off Carolina Beach Road. Miguel Villasenor said that when J. Russo’s Eatery went up for sale at the end of last year, they jumped at the opportunity to purchase the restaurant and take over the lease for the space at 3536 Carolina Beach Road in the newly renovated Cedar Plaza. “The fast-casual concept of the taqueria allows customers to get their food within minutes,” Miguel Villasenor said. “But if they only have 30 minutes for lunch, they don’t have time to drive across town.” For that reason, the Villasenors said they plan to continue to seek additional locations toward Carolina Beach and Porters Neck. The taco bar will be set up just like the others, with counter service and a salsa bar. The Villasenors hope to open by the end of February.
Eatery serving margaritas, more on New Centre Drive
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Ben Avalos is a native of Jalisco, Mexico, and was raised in a Wilmington restaurant family. His father, Benjamin Alvalos Hernandez, operated restaurants in Wilmington and Elizabethtown, and after a move to Ohio, Ben said it was a dream of his to return to the Port City and carry on his father’s legacy with a restaurant of his own. Las Margaritas Bar y Grill, 4719 New Centre Drive, in the building previously occupied by Incredible
Pizza, opened Dec. 18 and serves modern Mexican cuisine with a Baja influence. Margaritas are of course a mainstay of the bar menu, with well over a dozen flavors to choose from, including several frozen varieties – all of which can now be purchased for carryout under the current state guidelines. As for the food, guests will find Baja-style Mexican favorites such as tacos, fajitas, chimichangas, enchiladas and burritos, all with a choice of protein.
Area restaurants announce temporary winter closures Two local restaurant groups in early January announced temporary closures to help them weather the winter season now plagued by rising COVID-19 cases throughout the Cape Fear region. Rebellion NC, 115 S. Front St., announced that the rising cases of COVID-19 in New Hanover County, coupled with a staff member testing positive, have prompted owners to close the restaurant temporarily. A Facebook post from Jan. 4 stated: “We plan on getting everyone through the next few weeks healthy, performing some much needed maintenance and reopening in time for Super Bowl Sunday.” Co-owner Brian “Wes” Westlye said that rather than face a constant cycle of opening and closing because of quarantine measures, the decision was made to close temporarily for maintenance and to allow employees to file for unemployment. Circa Restaurant Group owner Ash Aziz as of early January had temporarily closed Pizzeria Il Forno, 1474 Barclay Pointe Blvd., and Circa 1922 at 8 N. Front St. Nearly identical posts appeared on the restaurant’s Facebook pages Jan. 7, stating that there would be a pause in operations for the next several weeks. The restaurant group stated that the decision was not made on account of any direct exposure to COVID-19. “We would like to make it clear that this is not because any of our employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and we have been doing everything we can to keep our guests and employees safe. We feel it’s in everyone’s best interest to take this next precautionary measure to keep our guests and staff safe.” -Jessica Maurer
