In August of last year, Puerta opened its puertas to the people of Charlotte. Serving some of the best Mexican food in Charlotte NC, Puerta is rooted in the relentless pursuit of quality. “Our goal for the opening menu was to do a few things and do them really well,” says Ryan Hart, Owner and Creative Director for 1957 Hospitality, the group that developed and owns Puerta.
The group’s other restaurants include Cheat’s Cheesesteaks, The Crunkleton, and Rosemont, a wine bar and restaurant that recently opened across the street from The Crunkleton. For Greg Balch, Partner and Executive Chef at 1957 Hospitality, Puerta presented an opportunity to return to the roots of his culinary career, which developed over many years spent working as the chef at Cantina 1511.
Puerta occupies the space formerly filled by The Stanley, home to two-time James Beard award-nominated Chef Paul Verica. However, you’d hardly recognize the bones of the old restaurant amid the personality of the new. Colorful murals adorn the walls and border the doors. Woven bar stools and table seats with handsome geometric patterns offer added character and warmth. This restaurant is crystal clear about exactly who it wants to be and what it wants to offer.
A Mouthwatering Menu
Puerta’s dinner menu opens with soups and salads, plus a “Little Bites” section with options like elote bites. The next menu category, handhelds, includes empanadas (chicken tinga, lamb birria, and sweet potato options), tostadas (mushroom sausage, duck carnitas), pork belly chicharron, and tlayuda.
Entree standouts include chipotle short rib (short rib, crispy yucca morsels, fresh chilies, black and pinto bean puree), and chile relleno (roasted poblano, house-made Oaxacan cheese, masa tempura, mole verde). Rounding out the dinner menu is a taco section. Diners can select tacos a la carte or choose three to be served with rice and beans.
Puerta’s weekend brunch menu features many of the same options as the dinner menu. However, egg-forward dishes take the place of the restaurant’s evening entree offerings. Rest assured that Puerta’s dessert menu remains. Consequently, patrons can indulge in churros, chocoflan, and quatro leches cake at all hours.
All in all, the food menu at Puerta offers some of the best Mexican food in Charlotte NC.
Tequila Takes Center Stage
In the drink department, the star of the show is unsurprisingly the margarita. Puerta sticks with classic recipes for this indelible drink, trusting in the success of tried and true formulations using freshly squeezed juice.
“The cocktail section is where the bar program’s creativity was really focused,” says Hart. “Here you’ll find interesting flavor combinations that really show agave’s versatility in cocktail creation and Bar Manager Micah Yabrough’s creativity.” For example, the spirit-forward Aztec Ritual mixes Mezcal, Cardamaro, Curacao, and mole bitters for a singularly sumptuous sipper. Moreover, a spirits menu invites guests to explore the enormous variety of flavors available from regions across Mexico.
From what we can tell, Puerta and the highly successful hospitality group behind it is just beginning to kick off. “We look forward to continuing to develop our core menu with the addition of specials and a new Mexican Omakase tasting menu experience in the early part of the year,” confirms Hart.
