Gonza Tacos Y Tequila new Cary restaurant opens, just in time for Cinco de Mayo

Gonza Tacos Y Tequila, whose Mexican-Colombian menu and eclectic decor has become a local favorite, has opened its newest location in Cary, just in time for Cinco de Mayo.

The Cary restaurant is in Waverly Place, which is at the corner of Tryon and Kildaire Farm roads. This is the fifth free-standing full-time restaurant.

“We’re very excited,” co-founder Gonza Salamanca said. “Five years ago, we had no means, we had nothing. We wanted to open something to make a living. After Leadmine (the first location) was such a success, we just keep having offers.”

The company is owned by Salamanca, who moved from Colombia to the United States 10 years ago, and Carlos Rodriguez, his first cousin. The company has grown rapidly in recent years since the original location opened in North Raleigh on Leadmine Road in 2011.

A second restaurant opened in Wake Forest in 2013. A third location opened in Durham in early 2015 in the West Village complex.

The fourth opened in late 2015 on Raleigh’s Hillsborough Street in the Aloft Hotel.

Last month, Gonza opened another location at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. That Durham location is open during home games and is considered seasonal.

Gonza on Wheels, a food truck, launched in February.

Even Salamanca seems surprised at the pace of the expansion.

“We wanted to open a restaurant where people can have some fun and don’t break the bank,” he said. “That was it. We weren’t sure about two, three, four or five. That just happened.”

But they were opportunities he said they couldn’t turn down. The Durham Bulls stand, for example, is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“I’m serious, how do I tell the Durham Bulls, no?” he said.

The menu is the same at all the restaurants and features authentic Mexican and Colombian cuisine. In addition to a variety of creative street-style tacos, there are fajitas and burritos. There are Colombian-fusion dishes like Arro e Coco con Pecao (a catch of the day served with coconut rice) and ceviche.

Dessert features flan de coco and the popular Talega de Platano (banana wrapped up in a deep-fried tortilla with ice cream).

Plus, there is an extensive tequila selection – 75 types – and local brews on tap.

Each restaurant has a similar Day of the Dead decor with its trademark of hanging star lanterns.

“We try to carry the elements of Gonza,” Salamanca said. “The stars are one of them. The Lucha Libre. The murals.”

But there is some variation to personalize each location. The shape of the Cary restaurant allows 200 stars to sparkle for the ceiling – much more than the quantity at other locations. They can be seen through the restaurant’s windows, which overlook the middle of the shopping center and its performance stage.

“It really adds to the place,” Salamanca said.

There will be live music on the lawn in front of the restaurant for Cinco de Mayo on Friday.

Info: 525 New Waverly Place, Suite 104, Cary. 919-846-5478. gonzatacosytequila.com, facebook.com/gonzatacosytequilaCary/

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Gonza Tacos Y Tequila new Cary restaurant opens, just in time for Cinco de Mayo."