Chi Chi and 100 tequilas: What distinguishes a new Mexican eatery in North Myrtle Beach
Terry Walden loves Mexico.
He travels there with his wife two or three times a year, and appreciates many things about the country, including the food and tequilas. So much so that he is going to share some of his favorite cuisine and adult beverages at a new restaurant in North Myrtle Beach called Roca Roja Cantina.
“I’m a foodie at heart and I knew I wanted to do a Mexican food concept,” said Walden, the restaurant’s owner. “I love tequilas and I travel to Mexico a couple times a year, but I wanted a waterfront location.”
Walden was working on a restaurant location on the ocean in Myrtle Beach but found the building that housed Antonio’s Restaurant and Bar on Sea Mountain Highway and was impressed by views of the marsh and Cherry Grove Inlet. “We fell in love with the views,” Walden said.
Roca Roja Cantina – translated Red Rock Canteen into English – will open next Thursday at either 11 a.m. or 4 p.m. following a friends and family soft rollout on Wednesday.
The two-story restaurant and bar has 7,000 square feet of indoor space and another 3,000 of patio space, and can seat up to 350 customers.
The Roca Roja restaurant on the elevated first floor will feature more upscale dining and the Tequila Lounge bar, and will have a dress code prohibiting baseball hats and swimsuits.
The second floor is more relaxed and casual and features the Cantina Bar, and it reflects the tourist Yucatan area of Mexico with more bright and vibrant colors. It includes a stage and DJ booth that will be utilized for entertainment.
“It’s really kind of two venues in one,” Walden said. “Downstairs is more of an upscale concept, and upstairs is more laid back and casual with more of a sports bar vibe. If you want to come straight off the beach, come straight upstairs.”
The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to close daily. Walden expects the upstairs Cantina Bar to open by April 1, and thereafter it will likely be open at 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m. Friday-Sunday.
The restaurant’s name reflects a lava rock chargrill that Walden purchased for the kitchen. “It gives a little better char so you get a little better flavor to it,” Walden said.
Walden kept two brick ovens that were previously used to make pizzas by the previous tenant. “The chef is really taking advantage of these. A lot of our dishes will come out of the kitchen and finish off here,” Walden said.
The restaurant décor includes several murals and pictures painted by Myrtle Beach artist Cathy Collins, including a large face of a Mexican woman on a wall on the lower floor and the restaurant’s fun mustachioed mascot Chi Chi on a second floor wall.
Walden plans to add an outdoor patio alcove bar next year on the first level facing Sea Mountain Highway, and plans to add lighting to a large live oak in the parking lot in front of that bar.
Walden already has more than 80 brands of tequila, and intends to soon have more than 100. They range from about $8 to $200-plus per shot, with the majority between $8 and $12, and the house tequila is Cimarron.
While there are TVs upstairs, there are none downstairs. “I really want the Tequila Bar to become a focal point,” Walden said. “I want people to engage each other, put the phone away, sip on your tequila, try a great margarita, try some great drinks.”
Much of the food is freshly made in the kitchen including tortillas and bread, and the bar will have several fresh-squeezed juices available for margaritas.
Roca Roja will have several Mexican beers on tap, as well as New South Brewery’s Dirty Myrtle, and sangria and Prosecco will also be on tap.
Specialty drinks include a sparkling hibiscus with a hibiscus flower and 21 Seeds Grapefruit Hibiscus-infused tequila topped with Prosecco, and a Jalapeno Cucumber Martini garnished with a dried and candied jalapeno.
Roca Roja will feature both Tex-Mex and authentic Mexican food.
Walden said head chef Diego is a Mexico native who has worked at several resorts throughout Mexico as well as the Mexican Embassy in Egypt. “He truly believes in authentic Mexican,” Walden said.
A couple examples are a turkey carnitas dipped in tomato sauce and spicy chile de arbol salsa, and a cactus salad with green sauce.
Seafood options include mahi mahi Veracruz, grilled octopus, octopus ceviche and shrimp ceviche, and there are several steak options with aged Sterling Silver Premium Beef.
“We just want to be upscale. We want to keep it a little bit above your average Joe place,” Walden said. “But we have a little bit of something for everybody.”
There are several vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free dishes, and a kids menu. All kids meals are served on a keepsake Roca Roja Frisbee and include fruit ceviche.
The Cantina Bar menu will be slightly different and more Tex-Mex than the restaurant, though the full menu will be available upon request.
Both the top and bottom floors have retractable covers/windows to provide open or closed dining and socializing depending on the weather.
In the Cantina Bar, Walden plans live music a couple nights a week, DJ nights, a service industry (SIN) night possibly on Monday, a ladies night possibly on Wednesday, and adult game nights such as trivia. He already has a couple bands lined up for Cinco de Mayo, and plans to have daytime DJs on weekends in the summer. The events schedule will be regularly updated on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
He also plans to have a customer loyalty program.
Roca Roja’s general manager is Michael Lanske, who has worked for several years at Broadway at the Beach bars and nightclubs. Roca Roja is still hiring all positions.
