Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina Ready to Storm Oxford with Fresh Mexican Fare

Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina is expanding from the East Coast into Mississippi.
Photo courtesy J.C. Clark, Salsarita’s Fresh Cant

Quality ingredients and expedited service don’t usually go hand in hand, but a casual Mexican eatery coming to Oxford next month prides itself on offering fresh food fast.

Photo courtesy J.C. Clark, Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina

Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina is coming to Highland Court shopping center on Jackson Avenue thanks to Mississippi enthusiasts Barry Cannada, J.C. Clark and Phil Freidman.

Ole Miss alum Cannada and Freidman acquired Salsarita’s in 2011 after it had already become established out of Charlotte, North Carolina.

“The company, at that time, had no stores in Mississippi at all,” Cannada said. “I’m a lover of Mississippi, Phil still has a place in the Madison area and loves Mississippi, and we quickly said ‘we’re not going to have a restaurant chain that doesn’t operate somehow in Mississippi.’”

Now, the trio is on a mission to open a number of stores across the Magnolia State this year, with two already operating in Southaven and Starkville and the Oxford location set to open July 6. Their goal is to open about 10 cantinas in Mississippi.

Cantizza, or a tortilla pizza

Oxford has multiple Mexican restaurants on every major thoroughfare in town, but Salsarita’s brings something different to the table.

“Phil and Barry saw a need for a fast casual Mexican style restaurant like Salsarita’s in Mississippi,” Clark said. “They saw an opportunity there, and Salsarita’s fills that void. They were wise to want to develop the state of Mississippi; it’s an underserved market in this segment at the moment.”

Thanks to the fresh ingredients and alluring menu items, Oxford native and Ole Miss alum Clark believes the atmosphere and cuisine will appeal to many Oxonians and Mississippians alike. Cannada and Clark both said the students as well as residents support many of the stores operating in other college towns.

Photo courtesy J.C. Clark, Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina

“The students are looking forward to it, I think because there’s been a groundswell of excitement that Salsarita’s is coming,” Clark said. “I know we’ve been open three months in Starkville and have been very well received by the student population. But on the slow weekends when the kids are gone, we have the loyalty of the professional and local crowds as well.”

Despite the other Mississippi locations, Oxford was always on the group’s radar to bring the brand to prominence in the state.

“We realized if we want to penetrate the state of Mississippi, there’s no better place to go than Oxford and the other university towns,” Clark said. “To build the brand with the students, who will graduate and move to other areas of Mississippi, you hope that they will embrace you from their positive experiences during their time in school.”

“It was imperative that we found top quality locations in Mississippi, and Oxford was the top of our list.”

For more information on Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina, visit their website.

Amelia Camurati is editor of HottyToddy.com and can be reached at amelia.camurati@hottytoddy.com.