Despite the fact that we are in rural New England, far from Mexico and the Southwest, we still have some great Mexican restaurants.

While many of these are family-run establishments, there are a few regional and national chains operating in Maine.

One of the best Mexican chains operating in New England is Tio Juan's Margaritas.  Of course, we just call these restaurants Margaritas, or simply Margs.

Currently, there are over 20 locations from Maine to Pennsylvania.

 

The Story of Margaritas

According to their website, the first Margaritas was opened in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1985.  The restaurant was operated by John Pelletier, his brother, David, and their partners.

It was not long before additional Margaritas locations started popping up across New England.

The second of these locations was in the college town of Orono, Maine.

It now appears that the Orono location has closed permanently.

 

Margaritas in Orono, Maine

According to an article on the WABI website, the Margaritas restaurant in Orono, which has been a fixture for decades, has closed for good.

A check of the restaurant's Facebook page shows no status updates explaining the closure, but on the 'hours' section of the page, it does say that the restaurant is permanently closed.

The phone number for the location has been disconnected.

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No reason was given for the closure.

The good news is that we have several other Margaritas locations.  You can still find Margaritas locations in Augusta, Auburn, Brunswick, Ellsworth, and Portland.  Check out the entire list of Margaritas locations HERE.

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Gallery Credit: Megan

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