Tacos & Tequila Cantina opened its doors last Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6994 Eastport Drive in The Villages, bringing Tex-Mex fare to the community's newest town center. The opening caps months of anticipation after the restaurant sat under construction for weeks right next to the recently opened Oak & Stone.
The new location is operated by HMC Hospitality Group, which opened the restaurant as part of what it describes as a major milestone in the company's ongoing expansion effort, according to the Leesburg Daily Commercial. The Villages sits in Central Florida, and the Eastport opening marks the brand's furthest push north under HMC's licensing arrangement with Tacos & Tequila Cantina. That deal, per the Daily Commercial's reporting, was signed in 2025 and covers development of new locations across Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties in addition to The Villages.
The timeline around that licensing agreement isn't entirely settled across available reporting. A September 2024 report from the Business Observer said HMC had recently closed on a licensing deal with Tacos & Tequila Cantina at that time, with plans for restaurants in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties and expansion as far north as The Villages. The Daily Commercial's account, by contrast, dates the signing itself to 2025. Both versions point to the same expansion plan, even if the exact closing date differs between the two accounts.
A Restaurant Years in the Making
Plans for the Eastport location first surfaced in August 2025, when Villages-News.com reported that a new Mexican restaurant was set to open in 2026 at the Eastport Town Center. That report described the spot as occupying 4,700 square feet on Central Lake Drive and bringing Tex-Mex cuisine to the newest town center in The Villages, the same report noted. By October 2026, the same outlet observed the restaurant was under construction right next to Oak & Stone, with another dispatch from Villages-News.com predicting that Tacos & Tequila Cantina and Peach Valley Café were expected to join the Eastport lineup in the coming weeks.
Eastport's restaurant roster has been filling in quickly. Oak & Stone officially opened at 7014 Central Lake Drive on Oct. 6, drawing Villagers who lined up for the debut, per Villages-News.com's coverage of that opening. Lucky Goat Coffee has also signed a lease at Eastport, adding to the town center's growing mix of dining and retail tenants.
From Hooters Roots to Tex-Mex Expansion
HMC Hospitality Group's history stretches back decades before this latest Tex-Mex venture. The company was originally founded as Hooters Management Corp. in Clearwater in 1983, and it went on to launch the Hooters brand before branching into other restaurant concepts. Tacos & Tequila Cantina itself was founded in 2013 by restaurateur Kelly Musico, and at the time of the 2024 licensing report it operated four locations in Naples and Estero, according to the Business Observer's account. An earlier Villages-News.com report similarly described the chain as already running successful locations in Naples and Estero before the Eastport project began taking shape.
Business Observer's 2024 reporting also indicated HMC planned to open its first Tacos & Tequila Cantina location in 2025, a timeline that shifted as construction continued into this year. With the Eastport restaurant now officially open, HMC's broader ambitions for Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties remain the next chapter to watch as the company builds out its Tex-Mex footprint well beyond its Clearwater roots.
