FOUNDERS ANGELA SALAMANCA AND MARSHALL DAVIS MET IN 2013, BONDING OVER ANOTHER ANCIENT MEXICAN EXPORT, MEZCAL. ANGELA’S RESTAURANT CENTRO WAS IN ITS SIXTH YEAR, AND SHE WAS LOOKING TO DEVELOP THE SPACE ABOVE HER RESTAURANT INTO NORTH CAROLINA’S FIRST MEZCALERIA, A BAR FOCUSED ON THE HISTORY AND APPRECIATION OF MEXICO’S OLDEST SPIRIT. MARSHALL WAS FINISHING DESIGN SCHOOL AT NCSU AND CRAFT BARTENDING DOWNTOWN WHEN THE UNLIKELY PAIR TEAMED UP.

WITH A BOATLOAD OF TRUST AND A PINCH OF INSANITY, THEY VENTURED DOWN THE DIFFICULT PATH OF SIMULTANEOUSLY RENOVATING A 110 YEAR-OLD HISTORIC BUILDING AND IMPORTING A COMPLETELY FOREIGN SPIRIT INTO A CONTROLLED LIQUOR STATE. IT MAY HAVE TAKEN TWICE AS LONG AS THEY’D EXPECTED, BUT GALLO PELÓN MEZCALERIA OPENED ABOVE CENTRO IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH ON MARCH 9TH OF 2015 WITH RAVE REVIEWS.

IN THE YEARS THAT FOLLOWED, ANGELA AND MARSHALL CONTINUED THEIR EXPLORATION OF FLAVORS FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH, AND DECIDED TO OPEN THEIR FIRST FAST-CASUAL VENTURE- EX-VOTO! WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF CHEF DALLAS HOWARD, THE TEAM DEVELOPED THE CONCEPT BY DOING WEEKLY POP-UP EVENTS WHILE THEIR FUTURE HOME (THE DURHAM FOOD HALL) WAS BEING BUILT. UNFORTUNATELY CONSTRUCTION FINISHED UP MERE WEEKS BEFORE THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC SHUT DOWN THE INDUSTRY, CAUSING A NECESSARY PIVOT INTO A GRAB-AND-GO SETTING. THE TEAM WAS FORCED TO ABANDON THE TACO CONCEPT THEY’D INVESTED YEARS INTO AND FIGURE OUT A WAY TO SURVIVE IN A GRAB-AND-GO/DELIVERY SETTING. THIS MEANT REDESIGNING THE MENU TO FEATURE ITEMS THAT TRAVELED BETTER AND MET THE NEW NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY IN DURHAM. THE SWITCH TO BURRITOS AND CRUNCHWRAPS WAS AN IMMEDIATE SUCCESS, EARNING THEM THE TITLE OF BEST NEW RESTAURANT IN DURHAM 2021 AND FORTIFYING THE BODEGA AS A DOWNTOWN INSTITUTION.

AS OF 2022, THE FOOD HALL LOCATION HAS SOLD OVER 50,000 CRUNCHWRAPS AND BURRITOS, AND THE TEAM IS LOOKING TO EXPAND INTO OTHER CITIES. BE ON THE LOOKOUT, CAUSE THERE ARE BIG THINGS COMING FROM THIS LITTLE CREW!

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