Red Mesa Mercado will open second location at former Two Graces spot

ST. PETERSBURG — Mexican restaurant group Red Mesa is expanding with two new concepts, including a second Red Mesa Mercado inside the old Two Graces spot at 6001 Central Ave.

Two Graces closed abruptly a few weeks ago, after the restaurant’s owners sold the business to Red Mesa Restaurant Group. Red Mesa plans to open Mercado by this winter, according to a press release from the group.

The new restaurant will follow the same model as the EDGE District Mercado, which features a fast-casual format with burritos, bowls, street tacos, platters and snacks. The restaurant will also have a full liquor bar, meaning Red Mesa’s popular margaritas (including the Jalapeno-spiked Hot Carlos) will be featured.

The restaurant group opened its flagship Red Mesa Restaurant on 4th St. N in 1995, later expanding with Red Mesa Cantina, in downtown St. Petersburg, and Red Mesa Mercado in St. Petersburg’s EDGE District, which opened in 2014.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the group launched a separate ghost kitchen operation, Quatro. An “Americana” cuisine concept, Quatro will open as a food truck this month and will be stationed outside of Green Bench Brewing Company, near the original Red Mesa Mercado.