Tasty Expansion

 Mission Cantina, 485 West Street, Amherst.  (Outside looks the same)

For a much needed break from reporting business obituaries in our little college town, I submit for your culinary perusal the following good news note:  Mission Cantina -- the blockbuster restaurant in South Amherst Village Center has doubled in size -- with the long awaited addition/renovation now complete.

 Doorway to new room

And the expansion seems not to have hurt the cozy atmosphere any.  Based on the overcrowded parking lot I witnessed this past weekend, there's still a wait for a table during prime time, but certainly nowhere near what it was a month or so ago.
  

 

New room

According to manager Sammy Kochan:

"With the expansion finally complete , the wait times have dropped significantly throughout the week. With the addition of reservations for parties of 6 or more , and tables that actually accommodate groups up to 16 , the overall flow and customer experience has greatly improved. As for the weekends, wait times , they fluctuate from 10 minutes to 45 during peak business hours,"

The Mexican restaurant opened in the summer of 2011 after Andiamo's went belly up, and has been wildly successful since day one.  So much so, Mission Cantina recently opened a second location in Brookline.

All photos taken before business opened for the day

Parking lot 6:00 PM (after opening at 4:00 PM)