Popular Fall River restaurant prepares to re-open after fire

By: Melissa Randall
mrandall@abc6.com
@MRandallABC6 

A little over a year after it burning down, a popular restaurant in Fall River is preparing to re-open. On Friday co-owner Dan Sousa proudly showed off the new Mesa 21 which he says will be bigger and better than it was before.

“It’s that finish line— the light at the end of the tunnel. I mean we can see it. We can feel it now so it’s exciting,” he said.

The restaurant, located on Lindsey St., had to rebuild from the ground up. The damage was covered by insurance, but the process took time. The grand opening could happen by the end of June.

“It’s kind of like a re–birth. I’ve got a bunch of people calling my cell phone every day. Can’t wait for the opening day,” said Peter Sousa, co-owner. “We’re kind of itching to get back.”

The new restaurant is an updated version of the old Mesa 21. A shiny new pizza oven’s been installed. And upstairs there’s a bar area as well as a lot more space that could be used for private parties.

There are still some finishing touches that need to happen. The tables for instance, are yet to arrive. Since Mesa 21 is nearly doubling its size new employees will have to be hired to join the returning staff.

After a year of waiting the Sousa brothers know this is the home stretch. They’re anxious to welcome back the community.

“We’ve always had a passion for restaurants. We’ve done it all our lives. So just seeing regular customers and new customers— we’re really excited about that,” said Dan.

© WLNE-TV 2015