The family behind Charlotte staple Tacos El Nevado is rolling out a new venture on Central Avenue, a fast-casual spot called Sabores de Oaxaca that will zero in on traditional Oaxacan cooking. Set to fill a storefront at 3654 Central Ave, the restaurant promises guisados, sopes and regional specialties that are still rare in the city. The owners are eyeing a late April or early May opening and plan to run early-morning service through late-night hours on weekends.
According to Axios Charlotte, Sabores de Oaxaca will lean into Oaxacan plates such as torta de pierna, guisados, sopes and Oaxacan hot chocolate at the 3654 Central Ave address. The family told the outlet their business started with a rent-to-own food truck and “just $30,” and Víctor Santiago added, “There will be failures and barriers. But when you truly want to do something, you can.” The team is targeting a late April or early May opening pending final inspections and has already mapped out weekday hours and extended weekend service for the new spot.
Roots and recipes from Oaxaca
The Santiago-Juárez family traces its cooking roots to Oaxaca’s central valleys and the Mixteca region, and they say those home-style techniques will drive the new menu. Interviews documented by the Southern Foodways Alliance outline how the group launched from a trailer and built a following on handmade tortillas, tlayudas and slow-stewed guisos. That background helps explain why Sabores de Oaxaca is framed as a dedicated Oaxacan restaurant rather than another general taquería.
Where it will sit and what the space is like
Commercial records list 3654 Central Ave as a roughly 1,614-square-foot retail storefront, a size the family says fits their fast-casual model. Those details appear on LoopNet. The group already runs multiple Tacos El Nevado locations on Central Avenue and South Boulevard, and Axios Charlotte notes that Sabores de Oaxaca is meant to be a deeper, more region-specific complement to those existing restaurants.
Why locals care
Charlotte’s taste for regional Mexican cooking has grown in recent years, and neighborhood dining guides routinely steer people toward standbys like Tacos El Nevado. Charlotte Magazine and other local outlets have spotlighted the group in roundups of must-visit Latin American spots, signaling strong interest in specialized regional food. If Sabores de Oaxaca opens on schedule, it will join a small but growing lineup of restaurants bringing Oaxaca’s moles, tlayudas and chocolate traditions to Charlotte tables.
