A Tex-Mex barbecue restaurant is opening in Durham. What to know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Claire Calvin expands East of Texas to Durham’s American Tobacco Campus.
- Menu blends Central Texas barbecue, including brisket, and Tex-Mex dishes.
- Durham restaurant expected to open this summer, offering indoor and outdoor seating.
A central North Carolina restaurant serving a decidedly non-North Carolinian menu is opening a new location in the Triangle.
East of Texas, which opened in Winston-Salem in 2023, is expanding to Durham’s American Tobacco Campus.
Offering Texas-style smoked barbecue and Mexican-inspired flavors, the restaurant is owned by restaurateur Claire Calvin — a Houston native and James Beard Foundation Fellow.
“Durham is a young city with lots of young families, and I think our hope is just to create another place where people can have fun — whether you’re celebrating grandma’s birthday with an entire intergenerational family, or meeting friends out for drinks after work and having some snacks, or going for Saturday afternoon, watch the football game,” Calvin told The News & Observer in a phone interview.
Texas-style barbecue, namely brisket, has been popping up at joints across North Carolina for a few years now, gaining notoriety in a state known for its slow-cooked pork.
Separately, Texas’ version of Mexican food has infiltrated the Tar Heel State. Both the Texas-based but national chains such as Torchy’s Tacos and Chuy’s, along with Texas-native Ford Fry’s Superica and Little Rey have opened in the Triangle.
While it’s more unusual, in Texas and elsewhere, to combine Tex-Mex and barbecue, that’s exactly what Calvin has done.
“When we first moved here, there just was no Tex-Mex,” Calvin said. “And I was like, well I love North Carolina, and I love Winston-Salem, but I don’t think I can live the rest of my life without Tex-Mex.”
That led Calvin to open in Winston-Salem a little more than a decade ago a Tex-Mex restaurant called The Porch.
A couple of years ago, Calvin purchased a building in Winston-Salem with enough space to have a wood-burning smoker. And she had the notion to serve not only the tacos, salsas and queso that customers loved at The Porch, but also Central Texas barbecue. Enter East of Texas.
She thought the brand would have appeal outside of Winston-Salem, but wasn’t really looking for a second location until she met with the folks at American Tobacco.
“It was like, wow, this seems like an opportunity that I don’t know if I could pass up,” she said.
The size of Durham, its vibe and authenticity all drew Calvin to the city and reminded her of Winston-Salem.
At American Tobacco Campus, home to several restaurants including Queenburger and Press Coffee, East of Texas will take a 5,579-square-foot space in the Reed Building. There will be both indoor and outdoor seating, and a market with grab-and-go meals and retail offerings.
East of Texas menu
Expected to open this summer, the Durham location will have a similar menu to that of the original restaurant.
“We want the menu to be really approachable for not just Texans who might be familiar with it, but you know, anyone who likes good food,” Calvin said.
Brisket-centered dishes including the Brisket Sandwich ($17) and Slacker Nachos ($18), served with street corn salad, salsa, shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and jalapeños, are popular in Winston-Salem, Calvin said.
Tacos are other top-sellers, and East of Texas offers multiple varieties — birria, brisket, chicken, smoked salmon, pulled pork, cauliflower and barbacoa ($16-$19).
Diners will also find barbecue trays, served with a choice of meat plus tortillas and taco fixings such as salsa, guacamole, lettuce and sour cream (starting at $18).
And East of Texas will serve breakfast.
“I keep telling people, I don’t think people understand the ubiquity of breakfast tacos in Texas, and it’s so weird that it hasn’t caught on here like that,” Calvin said. “But I’m like, we’re gonna make it happen.”
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 4:23 PM with the headline "A Tex-Mex barbecue restaurant is opening in Durham. What to know."
