Centro

Centro is a Mexican restaurant on South Wilmington Street in downtown Raleigh. Angela Salamanca opened it in 2007, and it has been a staple of the downtown food scene ever since. Lunch and dinner are both served, with tacos front and center at midday.

Salamanca is still the face of the place, and her name sits at the top of the restaurant’s own pages. Cocktails are made fresh, and the dinner menu is introduced with a single word on the site: Salud. The tone tells you most of what you need to know.

What to know

• Catering is available for events held away from the restaurant.
• Private events can be booked in the space itself.
• An annual Day of the Dead 5K is one of the restaurant’s traditions.
• The home page rotates through images of the founder, cocktails and the 5K.