By Scott Cole

If you have eaten at a Mexican restaurant in Greenville or Jacksonville, there is a good chance you may have eaten at one of the Mi Cabana restaurants.

The local chain owns 10 restaurants in Eastern North Carolina, and on Feb. 7, they opened up their 11th restaurant in Ayden, on Third Street, just off N.C. 11.

“We are very excited to be here in Ayden,” restaurant manager Pedro Meza said. “We’ve been open a week or so and the response has been very positive so far. It’s great to be here.”

The bypass to 264 will be opening soon and more traffic can be expected in the Ayden area. Adding a regionally known name, like Mi Cabana, will help sales, the owners believe.

“A lot of people come from outside the Greenville area to eat at our restaurants in Greenville or Winterville,” Meza said. “Many have asked if we can have something a little closer. This gives us a spot in between Greenville and Kinston so we can better serve many of our customers as well as try to introduce new people to our restaurant family.”

The Ayden Mi Cabana, 156 West Third St., will have all of its menu items, and daily specials will be featured. Their quick and speedy lunch specials, for dine-in or take-out, have made Mi Cabana famous over the years and they hope to keep their reputation sterling.

It’s not just a newer menu that is coming to Ayden. Inside, the restaurant will soon be getting a makeover as well.

“We are also opening up a new restaurant in New Bern, so we had to wait to finish decorating that one as well,” Meza said. “In about three months, as soon as we finish up that one, we are going to transform the Ayden one with new booths, tables, and some decorations.

“It’s going to look really nice when we are done with it. It’s going to be very beautiful.”

The restaurant is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.