It’s a sad day in St. Pete. After 16 years, the popular Mexican restaurant and rooftop Red Mesa Cantina is closing it’s downtown location “effective immediately” as stated on social media.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce that, effective immediately, Red Mesa Cantina will be closing after 16 unforgettable years in downtown St. Petersburg, along with the Red Mesa Event Spaces located above the restaurant, which became home to so many celebrations, milestones, and memories over the years.”
“I just fell to my knees in Publix” a user wrote on social media.
St. Pete looked a lot different 16 years ago when Red Mesa first opened. As of now, there are no plans or announcements as to what comes next for the prime real estate spot. As Downtown St. Pete and Tampa keep getting flipped into modern luxury restaurants and hi-rises, we hope we don’t lose the little bit of “whimsy” that made this town so unique.
Red Mesa’s parent company, Veytia Ventures LLC, recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Middle District of Florida. However, they did not mention bankruptcy as a reason for it’s sudden closure.
The good news is the closure only affects the downtown location. Other concepts within the Red Mesa family, including Red Mesa Restaurant at 4912 4th Street North, Red Mesa Mercado at 1100 1st Avenue North in the EDGE District, and Red Mesa Mercado’s west St. Pete location at 6777 Central Avenue, will remain open.