Mexican restaurant Barrio Queen announced it will open its second East Valley location at Tempe Marketplace around the end of this year.
The stand-alone building will be located between Ruby Tuesday and Thirsty Lion Gastropub near the west end of the development’s entertainment section known as The District.
Barrio Queen debuted in Old Town Scottsdale in 2011 with Silvana Salcido Esparza, owner of Phoenix’s award-winning Barrio Cafe, as the consulting chef.
Esparza left the concept a year before the 2015 opening of the downtown Gilbert location, yet many people mistakenly believe the James Beard-nominated chef still is involved with Barrio Queen.
Esparza instead has opened her own spinoff of Barrio Cafe, called Barrio Cafe Gran Reserva, in west Phoenix.
Barrio Queen, which opened its third Valley location at Desert Ridge in northeast Phoenix last year, also announced it’s looking for a location in Queen Creek.
