Monterrey Mexican Restaurant opens second location in Carrboro

Fajitas and margaritas will now be on a nearby menu no matter what side of town residents are on.

Chapel Hill's popular Monterrey Mexican Restaurant opened a second location in Carrboro Plaza Sunday.

Owner Jose Linares said that side of town needed an authentic Mexican restaurant.

Both locations are under the same ownership and will operate in the same way, he said.

“Same food as Chapel Hill, same portions, same service — we try to keep it the same,” Linares said.

But he said the Carrboro location is much bigger than the one in Chapel Hill and also includes a bar.

The restaurant has been busy since the opening, he said.

“People have been waiting for the restaurant to open,” he said. “Word is spreading."

The restaurant's menu will be the same as well, Linares said. Monterrey offers a variety of classic Mexican food options, from tacos to chimichangas to huevos rancheros.

Linares said the new location will allow more people to eat at Monterrey.

"If people are on one side of town or on another side of town, they have a closer restaurant to go eat,” he said.

Carrboro resident Daniel Meyers said he wants to go to the new location because it's so much closer to him than Chapel Hill's Monterrey.

"It's good food, and not too expensive," he said.

Carrburritos, a Mexican-style restaurant on West Rosemary Street, has been a longtime staple in Carrboro.

Owner Bill Fairbanks said he isn't worried about the new Monterrey opening because the restaurants offer different types of Mexican food. 

He said Monterrey offers a sit-down atmosphere. At Carrburritos, customers line up at the bar to place their orders and can get their food to go.

“Carrburritos is more of a cafeteria style with a California-Mex theme to it,” he said.

Fairbanks said Carrburritos’ emphasis is on fresh, seasonal and local food.

“They’re more authentic, even though what we serve is Mexican style,” he said.

But Fairbanks said the large number of other new restaurants opening up in Carrboro are affecting his customer base, and many have opened up very close to Carrburritos.

“A lot of restaurants opening up and vying for the same amount of people cut into business,” he said.