Less than a month after Red Mesa Cantina announced its closure, plans for another taco restaurant in the historic downtown St. Petersburg property are shaping up.Rreal Tacos, an Atlanta-based Mexican hospitality group, plans for an early 2027 opening — and more to come after that.
The group, led by chief executive officer Damian Otero, who spearheaded the deal, and chief operating officer Miguel Hernandez, plan to reimagine the space into three distinct concepts. Rreal Tacos will manage all the concepts in the building.
Rreal Tacos serves Mexican street food like chips and queso, costra tacos — a crispy brown crust of cheese griddled around a meat of your choice — and margaritas at price points fromhouse to Hennessy. The restaurant builds themed programming around holidays like Valentine’s Day and Christmas.
The property has three floors, five bars, a rooftop patio and a guest capacity of around 800. A Rreal Tacos restaurant is set for the ground floor in early 2027 with two bars, said a news release, thanks toan eight-figure investment in the project.
The group said it expects to create around 250 jobs.
Rreal Tacos “is coming to St. Petersburg to put down local roots, grow the community, and become part of the fabric of this downtown,” the news releasesaid.
The concept of the second floor of the space is forthcoming, though the group said it anticipates a full-service restaurant with both indoor and outdoor bars. One floor up, the Rreal Rooftop will be a cocktail-driven concept featuring Mexican drinks with extensive mezcal and tequila menus.
Upon hearing the news of Red Mesa’s closure in early June, Otero was on a plane and in front of the building’s previous owner, Dean Kucera, within hours. A young local retail leasing specialist with Commercial Partners Realty, Inc., Harrison Gault, is credited with bringing the sides together and closing the deal in record time, said the release.
Kucera and the Rreal Tacos team’s visions aligned: Both wanted to preserve the integrity of the landmark building.
Rreal Tacos is an independent, owner-operated group and does not franchise. Instead they give ownership equity to the people that run each location: the chefs, general managers and bar managers.
St. Petersburg will mark the second Florida outpost for Rreal Tacos, founded in 2015. Downtown Tampa’s location is slated to open later this year.
“This building has watched over downtown St. Pete for more than a hundred years. We didn’t buy it to change what it is — we bought it to honor it, fill it with life and hospitality for the next chapter of its life,” Otero said.
128 Third St. S., St. Petersburg. rrealtacos.com.
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