FLORENCE – A new restaurant has opened in the north of Florence.
Monarcas’s Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill opened on Lucas Street in mid-August, making it the latest business to open its doors in the area.
The new restaurant took over the former premises of the Fatz Café and gave the building a complete facelift.
Colorful butterflies greet visitors on a large, bright sign from the busy street. They flutter to the building’s entrance, where a giant orange monarch butterfly stretches along the ground. Butterflies line leafy walls and murals inside.
The once beige building now shines in a bright red that matches the red leather benches and bar stools inside.
Monarca’s Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill serves lunch and dinner daily.
Customers can choose from a variety of options on the nine-page lunch and dinner menu, and the full offering is available on the restaurant’s Facebook page. Monarca’s offers common dishes like fajitas and burritos, but many of the menu options are unique twists on classics.
Cheesesteak tacos filled with steak, grilled onions and cheese. Buffalo nachos topped with grilled chicken, buffalo sauce, bacon and cheese sauce. Cheese fries with pico de gallo, melted cheese, pickled jalapeños and birria.
Monarca’s is the second Mexican restaurant to open in Florence this year. El Dos Agaves opened in mid-April just off Pamplico Highway, joining several new businesses along the same street. The two are just a fraction of more than a dozen Mexican restaurants across the city.
Downcountry Grill, another new restaurant, opened to the public in early August. Located inside HopeHealth, the eatery serves Southern breakfast and lunch near downtown Florence.
Monarca’s Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill is open on Lucas Street in Florence.
Downtown Florence is expected to boom in the coming months, with Jack’s Books, the city’s only independent bookstore, and a one-of-a-kind Bojangles expected to open in the fall.
New non-restaurant businesses are popping up in Florence. The city’s newest Food Lion opened in early August at the Florence Mall, a few weeks before a new Dollar Tree opened on Irby Street.
Monarca’s is open Sunday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
