SouthBound, the SoCal-inpsired taco bar next to Mac’s, is targeting a late September opening

SouthBound, located next to Mac’s on South Boulevard, is targeting a late September opening at 2433 South Boulevard.

The roughly 7,000-square-foot restaurant will anchor a larger 12,000-square-foot development likely to include additional mystery tenants that are currently under wraps.

Related story: Take a look at Southbound, the gorgeous, airy, SoCal-inspired taco bar coming to South End

Chef Kevin Kuruc aims to “capture a street food feel inside a restaurant” calling on menu inspiration from San Diego, northern Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula.

He’ll have 10 tacos on the menu, including a vegetarian option, garnished with traditional toppings like pickled onions, lime and cilantro.

Whatever you do, don’t go asking for cheddar cheese here. Kuruc is steering away from Americanized taco interpretations, opting instead for queso añejo, queso fresco and queso chihuahua.

In the summer when corn is fresh, they’ll be making elotes (grilled Mexican-style street corn on the cob) and in the winter, they’ll switch to esquites (a creamy corn salad in a cup).

Everything — from the hot sauces and eight different salsas to the handmade tortillas — will be prepared fresh in house. He calls it “a total departure from everything available in Charlotte now.”

Behind the bar, Larry Suggs (formerly of The Punch Room at the Ritz-Carlton), is taking an equally fresh approach to the cocktail menu with citrus-forward, refreshing drinks fit for an afternoon on the beach.

Look for traditional drinks like horchata, aguas frescas and a signature margarita featuring house-made triple sec and citrus salt created with leftover orange peels from the juicer.

Given Suggs’ experience in the highly refined bar environment at The Ritz, it’s going to be very exciting to watch him translate his skills into an approachable menu in a much more casual environment.

SouthBound’s physical space has a rugged feel with an airy, indoor/outdoor flow.

The design features raw industrial elements like exposed pipes and beams and repurposed shipping containers as well as fresh, organic touches like palm trees inside and out and large windows and skylights.

A 20-foot custom roll-up door opens the front of the restaurant to a spacious patio overlooking South Boulevard and two smaller roll-up windows open to two exterior bars.

Artist Clark Hipolito contributed a commanding mural to the central atrium in the main dining room. Local firm Cluck Design Collaborative is the architect on the project.

Outside, a sprawling open-air lot is primed for live music and large events.

The best part? They’ve got a walk-up taco window inside a shipping container around the back.

So if you just need a quick fix to go, head around the left side of the building to the “tacos para llevar” sign.

Here’s a look at the continued progress. Stay tuned for more updates as they get closer to the opening date.