The Avenue Pub has been a beloved restaurant for students and the Tuscaloosa community alike for the past three years, and it’s fostered a community of unique restaurants in downtown Tuscaloosa. Among the new additions to the area is Central Mesa, the new project from Avenue Pub owners. It’s a Mexican restaurant with a little bit of everything.
“We’ve gotten a great response at Avenue Pub,” said owner Craig Williams. “We’ve been open three years there and we have such an amazing staff and have gotten such a great response from the community, we thought why not go for a second place.”
That second place became known as Central Mesa, a restaurant that has a little bit of everything on its menu. Perched in Epiphany’s old location on Greensboro Avenue, the new spot fills the void left by the farm-to-table restaurant.
“Downtown is great, obviously the local business owners have put a lot of effort into growing this area,” Williams said.
A UA grad himself, Williams enjoys being a contributor to Tuscloosa’s evolving environment.
“I’m enjoying seeing it transform because it’s night and day from when I went here,” he said. “I love downtown Tuscaloosa and I don’t think there’s enough room for two Avenue Pubs. I love this area and I want to continue to see it grow.”
Wanting to keep history in tact, Williams named Central Mesa after the establishment that was in the building prior to the restaurant.
“It used to be Central Shoes in this building back in the 50s so anybody over the age of 50-55 remembers coming here and getting shoes,” Williams said. “I wanted to go with a name that was universal and similar to Avenue Pub and Central was something that was a nod to the history of the building and could really translate to anyone.”
In preparation for the foot traffic during school season, Central Mesa opened its doors July 5.
“We’ve been focused on working the kinks out,” said Williams, “Since school has started we’ve gotten a good bit of students.”
Central Mesa is active on Facebook and Instagram, and a website is coming soon. Their menu is constantly changing and seeks the satisfaction of customers.
“We try to focus on quality if we want to do an item in house we try to take the time and prepare it the best we can,” Williams said.
Environment and satisfaction are both important to the staff at Central Mesa.
“We hit some large speed bumps but I’m confident that everyday we are being better than we were yesterday,” said Williams. “All of this is something that I feel fortunate to have. The employees have worked hard and put forth the effort and have the desire to put their best foot forward.”
Central Mesa serves lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday and brunch on Sundays.
“I constantly remind everyone over there that we’re growing as a family and as one,” said Williams. “The foundation was built at avenue pub and we’re going to continue to move forward.”
Williams expects Central Mesa to continue to do well as students and residents dine at the restaurant.
“When you get a group of people that really care and want to be apart of something and buy in to what we’re trying to accomplish it makes all the difference,” said Williams.
