Pecan Grill and Brewery is set to close November 1, 2026, ending 17 years at 500 S. Telshor Blvd. The building will be demolished, and the site is slated for a new restaurant tenant.
According to The Business Journals, landowners decided to lease the Telshor Boulevard site to Darden Restaurants, with LongHorn Steakhouse identified as the incoming restaurant once the current building comes down. The report does not detail a demolition timeline or an opening date for the steakhouse, leaving exactly when the transition will play out still unclear.
The closure was announced per a Facebook post, according to nmdarksidebrewcrew.com, which reported that “Pecan Grill will now close entirely, ceasing operations November 1 per a Facebook post.” The outlet also reported that beer production had shifted off-site before the restaurant announced its closure.
Beer production had shifted off-site
Pecan Grill did not renew its small brewer license during the February renewal period, the brewing outlet reported. Much of Pecan Grill’s brewing had been done at Sierra Blanca in Moriarty rather than at the Telshor Boulevard location.
The outlet says the Pecan Brown Ale may continue to be brewed at Sierra Blanca after the restaurant closes, but it qualified that report with “as far as we know,” leaving the beer’s future uncertain.
A local brewing milestone
Pecan Grill’s decision not to renew its small brewer license in February technically ended its status as Las Cruces’ oldest beer producer, according to the same brewing-focused report. That distinction had ended before the restaurant’s departure, though the business had held it for years.
The outlet also noted brewery closures elsewhere in New Mexico in 2026, including Blue Heron in Rinconada and Bandolero in Clovis. Those examples provide statewide context, though they do not establish a broader trend on their own.
Population and Darden context
The U.S. Census Bureau’s annual estimate put the Las Cruces metropolitan area population at 229.091 thousand in 2025, according to FRED. That figure offers population context for the metro area, but is not a measure of local business activity. Darden’s 2025 Form 10-K lists LongHorn Steakhouse among its brands and reports 2,159 restaurants owned and operated through subsidiaries in the United States and Canada as of May 25, 2025, according to Darden’s filing. That company-wide information does not establish a New Mexico expansion plan or give a local opening date.
For now, the reported plan is for Pecan Grill to close November 1, followed by demolition, with LongHorn Steakhouse identified as the next tenant. The sources cited here do not give lease terms, a construction schedule or further details about the landowners.
