A new Mexican restaurant is now open in Charlotte’s Wesley Heights neighborhood
Azul Tacos & Beer, a Southern California-style Mexican restaurant, has joined the growing lineup of food options along Thrift Road in Charlotte’s Wesley Heights neighborhood.
The counter-service restaurant brings fresh, handmade street food to Charlotte — including blue corn tortillas.
“We’re excited to bring food that we feel like Charlotte doesn’t have,” said Katrina Womack, who owns the restaurant with family members Anthony, Marissa and Hector Castaneda and Joseph Ramirez.
The food: Azul’s namesake blue corn tortillas will be made with Masienda, heirloom corn from Mexican farmers that Womack said is widely available on West Coast but will so far be unique in Charlotte.
Among the offerings with those tortillas are traditional-style birria tacos, made with goat. (Most birria in Charlotte is made with beef, according to Womack.) The menu includes birria ramen, as well.
Instead of serving pinto beans, Azul will use Mayocoba beans, re-fried in duck fat so people who don’t eat pork can still eat them, Womack said. Everything else will be made from scratch, too — right down to pickling the jalapenos, carrots and onions.
The drinks: You won’t find regular American sodas at Azul. Instead, a lineup of Mexican sodas and aguas frescas join the restaurant’s 12 beer lines for beverage variety.
“You know Charlotte, North Carolina is a beer place,” she said.
A full bar will be available in a few weeks. Once the bar is up and running, the restaurant will also focus on high end tequilas and mezcals for guests to enjoy. Micheladas, margarita flights and twist on a Moscow mule made with mezcal instead of gin will be available, too — “just putting a little twist on things,” Womack said.
The vibe: “Wesley Heights is an exciting area that’s building up,” Womack said. “There’s great neighbors around us — great support from everyone who’s there already and everyone coming in.”
She gave a nod to the surrounding businesses nearby on Thrift Road, including Pizza Baby, a sports bar and a whiskey and cigar bar. Azul plans to stay open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturdays, offering a late-night spot for people to come eat after having a few drinks across the street.
“We’ll definitely be another destination just have to have a good time. Good food, great atmosphere,” Womack said.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published Feb. 16 and has been updated.
Azul Tacos & Beer
Location: 2122 Thrift Rd, Charlotte, NC 28208
Cuisine: Mexican
Instagram: @azultacosandbeer
This story was originally published February 16, 2023 at 6:15 AM.
