Bordertown Mexican Grill owners plan new offerings at former Rustic Fork building

A couple who has made a name for themselves with Mexican food is opening a second restaurant in Blaine with a variety of food offerings in the former Rustic Fork restaurant.

Bordertown Mexican Grill coowners Nelly Santiago and Abi Garcia hope to open Qué Onda Fusion Cuisine by early June. Santiago said they are still working on the menu but some of the items could include hamburgers, chicken alfredo, salad, steak, pizza and crepes.

Santiago and Garcia purchased the building at 442 Peace Portal Drive in late January after wanting to find a new place to cook different cuisines. They expect remodeling to take about three months, Santiago said, which may include opening the space so customers can see into the kitchen area and a garage door in the front that can open the restaurant. The restaurant will also allow customers to order food at the counter, instead of sitting down and waiting for a server.

“The garage doors are going to be really nice and we’ll open them in the summer,” Santiago said. “We’ll have beer there. In the back, there’s outdoor seating and we’re going to put table games for people to play.”

Qué Onda Fusion Cuisine is Santiago and Garcia’s first brick-and-mortar restuarant. The pair started Bordertown Mexican Grill under a different name, as a taco truck in the parking lot of Hill’s Chevron in summer 2016. Gas station owner Mike Hill leased them Bordertown’s current location between Starbucks and Hill’s Chevron in 2019.

“They showed up in a taco truck and tried to get a spot,” Hill said, later adding, “They’ve earned it. They’re hardworking people. They put out good food, they have good service and that’s all you need to do. As people, they just don’t come any better.”