Que Onda Tacos + Tequila is planting its flag in Montford Park, with plans for a $2 million restaurant that will become the Charlotte-born chain's sixth location. The new flagship at 1515 Mockingbird Lane will seat 228 guests across a dining room, bar and patio, and it's slated to open in February 2027.
The expansion was first reported by Axios, which detailed plans for a 64-seat dining room, a 44-seat bar area and a 70-seat outdoor patio, along with a large central bar anchoring the space. Sliding partitions will connect the main dining area to the patio, giving the location what Que Hospitality founder and CEO Manny Flores described as a more elevated cantina feel. The Montford location will also be the first Que Onda with a dedicated private event room, built to hold 50 people.
Flores told the outlet that Montford Park is one of Charlotte's best dining corridors, a comment that lines up with the chain's decision to plant its newest and largest location there. The restaurant is expected to create about 40 jobs and will serve lunch, dinner and weekend brunch once it opens. It will sit directly across from L'Ostrica, per the same report.
A Fast-Growing Charlotte Hospitality Group
Que Onda already operates locations in Plaza Midwood, Matthews, Highland Creek, Uptown and University City, according to the Axios report, including a flagship at 333 W Trade Street inside the TradeMark building near Romare Bearden Park. That Uptown spot helped the brand build early recognition in dense urban settings before it pushed into suburban and neighborhood corridors, a pattern the Montford project continues.
Que Hospitality is the restaurant group behind Que Onda and Que Fresa, and its footprint has grown quickly under Flores, who trained under chef José Andrés at Jaleo in Washington, D.C. before relocating to Charlotte, according to Qué Hospitality. The group's Que Fresa concept, a preppy-themed taqueria named for 1980s Mexican slang inspired by Flores' wife Paola, opened at Duke Energy Plaza in 2023 after Duke Energy selected it as one of five local retail and dining tenants for its Uptown headquarters, according to Duke Energy. The group also launched Catalú, a contemporary Spanish tapas concept, in South End in April 2024, per Axios Charlotte.
Culinary direction across the brands falls to partner and chef Roger Lemus, who spent a decade as top sous chef at Jaleo before moving to Charlotte in 2016 to help Flores build the company, according to Qué Hospitality. The two met while working in Washington, D.C. restaurants before becoming business partners.
Designing the Space at 1515 Mockingbird Lane
The Montford flagship's layout, including its cantina design, private event room and indoor-outdoor patio, is being handled by Charlotte-based Southwick Architecture + Interiors, a firm with prior credits designing Harriet's Hamburgers at The Bowl at Ballantyne and Mi Cariño in South End, according to Doerre Construction. The building itself dates back to 1969 and encompasses nearly 120,000 square feet of commercial space within the established Montford Park corridor just off Park Road, per Movoto.
Arriving Amid Montford's Dining Shake-Up
Que Onda's Montford debut comes as the corridor undergoes real turnover. Farm-to-table pioneer Good Food on Montford closed after 17 years earlier this month, marking the end of one of the neighborhood's longest-running restaurants. Montford Drive has nonetheless kept a distinct culinary identity for decades, anchored by fixtures like rotisserie chicken spot The Roasting Company, which has operated there since 1991.
With its sixth location, Que Onda is betting that an elevated cantina format, complete with brunch service and a dedicated event space, can capture both everyday neighborhood diners and private party bookings in a corridor that continues to reinvent itself. The February 2027 opening date will show whether the Charlotte-born chain's largest bet yet pays off just steps from its new fine-dining neighbor.
