FALL RIVER — There's good news for fans of Fiesta Mexican Restaurant.
A second Fall River location will be coming to downtown in the new year, but this time owners are mixing things up a bit.
Zoel Ramirez, a Westport resident who operates the family-run chain with his siblings, is introducing a new fast-casual restaurant concept to the city.
Fiesta Taqueria is taking shape at 362 South Main St. with work underway on interior upgrades and a sign on the storefront announcing their arrival.
According to Ramirez, they'll be serving up authentic Mexican takeout and delivery along with catering, differing from the competition in the way their food is prepared and presented.
"We believe a lot in our cooking. ... We do things a little bit different," Ramirez said.
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This will be the seventh location for Fiesta, and only their second taqueria-style model, a new addition to the family's repertoire.
Fiesta first popped up at 117 County St., Somerset, in 2006, and since then the Ramirezes have been quite busy expanding their business.
A second location opened at 34 Bedford St., East Bridgewater, in 2010 followed by one in Norton at 175 Mansfield Ave. in 2012. In 2015, they moved into Dartmouth at 634 State Road.
They opened their first Fall River spot in 2019, with a full -service, dine-in restaurant at 207 Rhode Island Ave.
There are no days off for Ramirez and his family — co-owners Efrain, Adrian and Andrea Ramirez — who spend the week making their rounds at Fiesta's various sites.
"We take it one restaurant at a time, and basically just try to stay busy," Ramirez said.
Much like a Chipotle or Qdoba, which both have nearby locations in the city's South End, this new Fiesta will offer a more pared down menu compared to its full-service spots, with a focus on to-go items like tacos, burritos and bowls.
They debuted their first-ever taqueria style model in Bridgewater Center about a month ago, Ramirez said, and the response has been great.
"Everyone loves it, we're happy to be there, so that's why we made the decision to bring that concept to Fall River," Ramirez said.
The small, roughly 1,400-square-foot downtown spot, which sits next to Fall River Pawn Brokers, will offer counter service where customers can walk up and pick out their protein and toppings.
The taqueria will have a couple of small tables set up inside, but it will be largely a takeout and delivery operation, mirroring their Bridgewater spot.
There, Ramirez noted, burritos — big and packed with all the fresh toppings you could want — are Fiesta's top seller.