West Beach Cantina to 'branch out' and open in Port Fairy

West Beach Cantina Port Fairy opens November 2 in Sackville Street making fast and fresh Mexican food and margaritas.

Owner-operators Hamish Kurray and Dougal Weir have another store of the same name in Robe, which opened in 2019, and said they were stoked to soon open in Port Fairy.

"We're a fast, casual Mexican cantina bringing healthy and delicious and fresh Mexican offerings at affordable prices," Mr Kurray said.

"It's very simple. It's burritos, burrito bowls, tacos and nachos filled with slow cooked meats, vegan chillis, local fresh fish, an array of fresh salad ingredients and house-made salsas.

"We make everything in-house, all the sauces. Everything is made from scratch.

"As far as fast food goes it's probably the healthiest you'll find."

The business partners have been looking at Port Fairy for a couple of years and after a great summer season in Robe, they said the time was right.

"Port Fairy's similar to Robe with the summer trading vibe and it gets really busy for a couple of months," Mr Kurray said.

"We wanted to branch out a bit. It's a small seaside town with wicked surf and friendly people. It has very similar vibes."

They've hired about 15 young casual Port Fairy workers for the seasonal restaurant, which operates from November to April and shuts down over the winter months, like their Robe store.

Together with local tradespeople, they completely renovated the former Le Crepe Man and Belfast Bakery premises, building a new 50-square-metre commercial kitchen, installing new electrical wiring and equipment.

"It still had all the old bakery equipment out the back so it's been a huge undertaking to bring it back to life," he said.

They've made room for a 60-seat restaurant, complete with authentic Mexican artwork and decor sourced on a recent overseas trip.

"We like creating a fun, family environment so we have table games and we're going to try and get a table tennis table," he said. "That's what we've got at the Robe store.

"We're looking forward to opening and welcoming Port Fairy and hope it's a hit."

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