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Named for a simple sweetness, three childhood friends are bringing the flavors of Colombia to a popular Durham restaurant space.
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The Colombian restaurant Melao will take over the former Little Bull space on Mangum Street in Downtown Durham. Owned by friends Sebastian Salinas, Miguel Cantor and Diego Baron, Melao looks to open by the end of September at 810 Mangum St., in Durham.
The trio moved to the United States six years ago, joining family in Raleigh and New York. While working odd jobs like construction and cleaning, Salinas said he was homesick over the lack of Colombian restaurants in the Triangle. The plan of coming to the United States was to open a business, he said, so why not a restaurant?
“We saw that there was not much Colombian culture or Colombian restaurants in North Carolina,” Salinas said in a phone interview. “There is really good Colombian food and we want to show it to the people. We have a lot of culture and gastronomy that we want people to see.”
Melao takes its name from a sweet syrup made from processing sugar cane. Salinas said the name is meant to honor the owners’ childhood memories of Colombia and the sugar cane farmers.
The restaurant aims to be affordable in a market where food prices creep higher and higher, Salinas said.
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“What we want to bring to Durham is a good dinner and good cocktails, but do something affordable,” he said. “We want to be for the whole Durham community.”
The Melao dishes are still being developed, and an executive chef has yet to be named, but Salinas said to expect the menu to include arepas, empanadas, Colombian-style ceviche served with plantain chips, steak and more than a dozen house cocktails.
At the heart of the cocktail menu will be aguardiente, a liquor made from sugarcane and flavored with anise.
Little Bull moved out of its original Mangum Street location in early August and renovations are already underway for Melao. The dining room and kitchen are currently being cleaned and reconstructed, with the walls already painted. One wall is already covered in empty glass jars that will soon be filled with Colombian candies as a bit of nostalgic decoration.
“We’re really proud of what we’re doing, supporting our families and bringing Colombia to North Carolina,” Salinas said. “We’re doing this straight from our hearts, and it feels really nice when you bring something from where you’re from to your new home. We’re proud to be here (in the Triangle) and we’re proud to be Colombian.”
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