Mezcalito, a North Carolina Tex-Mex chain, plans to open a new Cary location at 1102 Walnut Street in the former On The Border space near the intersection of Walnut Street and Southeast Maynard Road, as reported by the Triangle Business Journal and confirmed by The Cary Report. The site sits by the shopping area that once housed a Barnes and Noble, which relocated to Kildaire Farm Road in 2023.
Town permits indicate the Cary restaurant is in the works, though no opening date has been announced.
This will be Mezcalito’s seventh location in North Carolina. The company currently lists restaurants in Apex, Beaufort, Clayton, Durham, Goldsboro and Henderson.
There is already a Mezcalito just over the Cary–Apex border at 3675 Green Level West Road. That center is adjacent to the White Oak Creek Greenway, giving trail users a convenient dining option off the path.
On The Border’s Cary restaurant closed earlier this year amid the chain’s broader restructuring, leaving the high-visibility corner at Walnut and SE Maynard available for reuse.
What we know so far
- Address: 1102 Walnut St., Cary
- Concept: Mezcalito Tex-Mex
- Status: Permit filed, opening date not yet announced.
- Permit application #: 26-00000662
- Nearby landmarks: Intersection of Walnut St. and SE Maynard Rd., near the former Barnes and Noble site
It’s worth noting that the former Barnes & Noble site remains vacant since closing 2 years ago. The property owner’s website confirms that a new tenant is coming soon, but no further details are provided and no active permits were found at that address.
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