Red Mesa Mercado to close in west St. Pete weeks after downtown Cantina’s closure
/Red Mesa Mercado’s west St. Pete location will close after less than a year in business | Red Mesa Mercado
Red Mesa Mercado’s west St. Pete location is permanently closing less than a year after opening.
The Red Mesa team announced on social media earlier today that its Cali-Mex restaurant at 6001 Central Avenue will close August 16th.
Red Mesa Mercado’s original location in the EDGE District at 1100 1st Avenue North, along with Red Mesa Restaurant at 4912 4th Street North, will remain open.
The 150-seat restaurant opened in October 2025 in the former Two Graces and Reading Room space.
It was Red Mesa Mercado’s second location and featured a full-liquor bar, table service, and a more sit-down-focused experience than the original Mercado’s window-service model.
Red Mesa first announced plans for the west St. Pete location in late 2022, and the restaurant took about three years to open.
Red Mesa Mercado’s EdGE District location will remain open | Red Mesa Mercado
“We worked hard to adapt the concept, but after months of trying, it was no longer sustainable,” the Red Mesa team wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday morning.
“While economic challenges certainly played a role, we recognize that those challenges and our own economic risks are part of being business owners. We gave it everything we had, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough,” the post continued.
The team said many Mercado employees are in the process of transferring to other Red Mesa restaurants where positions are available.
The announcement comes two months after Red Mesa Cantina permanently closed after 16 years at 128 3rd Street South in downtown St. Pete.
Veytia Ventures LLC, the company that owns and operates the Red Mesa concepts, recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which is a process that allows a business to reorganize its finances and debts.
Red Mesa Mercado’s west St. Pete location will remain open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. through August 16th.
