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Mezcal on the move: Niche restaurant to occupy the old 99

Mezcal Tequila Cantina is headed over to the big building on East Central Street that was recently the 99 Restaurant, and the Aku-Aku back in the day

Photo via Mezcal Facebook page

WORCESTER – A downtown Mexican restaurant will move to a new location early next year after spending a decade on Major Taylor Boulevard.

Mezcal Tequila Cantina will take up residence on East Central Street in a building that housed the 99 Restaurant until it closed in 2020.

Michael Covino, president of Niche Hospitality Group, which operates the restaurant, said the lease at 30 Major Taylor Blvd. was ending.

“We have been at 30 Major Taylor Blvd. In March will be the end of our ten year lease,” Covino told Worcester License Commissioners Thursday as he requested the liquor and entertainment licenses be moved to the new location.

The former 99 is undergoing a “deep renovation,” Covino said, adding that his, “plan is to hopefully be ready to go for April 1.”

The new location will include outdoor seating.

Covino said the restaurant will open for lunch and dinner at 11:30 a.m. daily. Closing times for the patio vary with a 10 p.m. closing Monday through Thursday. Closing time Sunday is 9 p.m. and while the kitchen closes at midnight Friday and Saturday, the patio will close at 11 p.m.

Niche Hospitality operates not only Mezcal, but also Bocado Tapas Wine Bar which, Covino told commissioners this summer, will expand.

Covino said in July that he purchased a building adjacent to his at 8 Water St. and plans to make a connection between the two buildings and construct a 750-square-foot patio. The move will add 2,500 square feet to Bocado.