Tequila’s Waterfront

Three brothers’ latest venture brings authentic Mexican cuisine downtown

By Judy Royal  »  Photos by G. Frank Hart

14 Harnett St. Wilmington
910.408.4805
tequilaswaterfront.com

The Villasenor family, who came to Wilmington in the late 90s from Degollado, Jalisco—a small village on the Pacific coast of Mexico—have come a long way since their first foray into bringing authentic Mexican food to the Port City 22 years ago. Their Los Portales Supermarket first opened in 2002 in the University Square shopping center, later moving to its current standalone location at 912 S. Kerr Ave.

Since then, the three brothers—Fernando, Miguel Angel and Ramon—have opened three Taqueria Los Portales locations and two Tequila Comida & Cantina restaurants, including the newest one along downtown Wilmington’s riverfront, which launched in January at 14 Harnett St.

“The owner of Marina Grill came to us and was interested in investing,” Ramon says. “That space was empty for many years. He liked our food and style, and that’s how we ended up in that spot. We were looking for a spot to open a second location but couldn’t find it, and then the opportunity came up and we took it.”

Tequila’s Waterfront offers the same menu as the original Monkey Junction location, which opened in 2018. Ramon, who completed the culinary arts program at Cape Fear Community College in 2014, is the chef for all the restaurants and strives to bring something different to the local culinary scene.

“Mexico has a variety of cuisine,” he says. “We have plates from all over Mexico. I love to do salsas and sauces. I love the peppers and how they all blend together. It doesn’t have to be hot. We can make a lot of things with those peppers and bring a lot of flavor into a dish. Anybody can cook chicken or steak, but it’s hard to make a good sauce to go with it, and I think I’m good at it.”

Ramon says the tourist-heavy customer base of Tequila’s Waterfront brings in adventurous diners who are willing to try new things. Among the most popular dishes at the restaurant are octopus, ceviche, quesabirria, mole poblano and chile relleno, he says.

The seating capacity at Tequila’s Waterfront is more than double that of the Monkey Junction restaurant, and there is also a tequila lounge on the second floor of the space. The restaurant offers tequila flights daily as well as monthly ticketed tequila pairing dinners that feature dishes not found on the menu. The west-facing orientation and riverfront patio offer the perfect vantage point for sunset views.

“It’s always busy,” Ramon says. “There is always something going on downtown. Every weekend is something new and different.”

While the new venture is keeping the brothers busier than ever, Ramon is also finding ways to keep things fresh and exciting at the Monkey Junction location. He recently rolled out a new brunch menu available there 11 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, featuring items such as chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, a cochinita pibil grilled cheese sandwich and brunch cocktails including Bloody Marys and six kinds of mimosas.

In addition, there are plans to add two more Los Portales Supermarket locations in Wilmington within the next year, Ramon says. This is driven by the trend of people wanting to do more cooking at home with Mexican, Central American and South American ingredients that were previously difficult to find, he adds.

“We find that people from all over come in and get our product,” Ramon says. “These are things you can’t get at a traditional store. We’ve been growing. We grow because we listen to our customers and what they need, and we bring it to them.”

The brothers, whose dad had a taco stand in Mexico when they were growing up, have used each new business venture as a bridge to something new. The supermarket paved the way for the first Taqueria Los Portales, which offers a modestly sized menu of Mexican street food and a salsa bar in a small, quick and casual atmosphere. After success with this, they decided to expand their offerings with the full-service experience of Tequila Comida & Cantina, which has a more relaxed vibe and an extensive menu that includes craft cocktails, and now they have extended that concept to the larger Tequila’s Waterfront space. This constant evolution has been challenging yet satisfying, Ramon says. 

“We step up and manage it and grow from it,” he says. “Once you have a good team and you take good care of them, it is easy when you have their support.”

Customers are also an integral part of the equation and drive many of the business decisions, Ramon adds. 

“Without them we are nothing, and we learn from them to get better,” he says. “We are open to feedback, which makes us grow and think differently. Anything good or bad, we take it for the best.”