An unconventional taco spot opens this week near Raleigh’s Crabtree mall
A new fusion taqueria drops this week in the Triangle.
The owners of Wong’s Tacos describe their mashup of Asian flavors and Mexican form as “Mexanese.” The new Raleigh location opens Tuesday, July 8 in the Glenlake shopping center at 4251 Parklake Ave., off Edwards Mill Road near the Crabtree Valley Mall.
Owned by hospitality group EAT Restaurant Partners, Wong’s Tacos looked to Raleigh for the brand’s first location outside of its native Richmond, Va.
“Our team and our culture have always been at the heart of everything we do,” said EAT founder Chris Tsui. “This concept really grew out of those roots — great people, great food, and the joy of blending cultures in an authentic and creative way. Raleigh has felt right from the start, and we’ve been looking for the right opportunity to grow here for a long time. Glenlake gave us that chance.”
The idea to blend Mexican and Asian culinary ideas grew out of a family meal at another EAT restaurant, Tsui said in a 2024 interview.
“It was at Wild Ginger, our pan-Asian concept, we had a few Hispanic chefs making family meal before service, taking fried rice but adding avocado, corn, beans, a little salsa,” Tsui said. “Immediately we thought, maybe we can build a concept around that.”
The menu includes tacos filled with flavors like kung pao chicken and char siu pork belly, chorizo-stuffed egg rolls and poke nachos. Look for monthly taco specials dubbed Wong’s Taco Feature (or WTF). A recent WTF was crispy tempura battered soft shell crab.
On the beverage side, expect frozen and shaken margs and daiquiris and Asian, Mexican and local craft beer.
Thriving taco scene
Wong’s joins a taco-loving Triangle food scene that’s recently added a host of new names, including Torchy’s, Taco Bamba and Little Rey. An earlier Richmond-based taco shop, Soul Taco, expanded and quickly closed in Raleigh.
Of all the newcomers, Wong’s Tacos makes the largest strides away from the traditional taqueria.
“We’re not trying to be another taco place, “ Tsui said in a release. “We poke fun at ourselves, we keep it light, and most importantly, we say yes—to great ideas, great people, and great food.”
The Raleigh Wong’s Tacos will be open daily for lunch and dinner.
This story was originally published July 8, 2025 at 10:21 AM with the headline "An unconventional taco spot opens this week near Raleigh’s Crabtree mall."
