Worcester is set to welcome a brand-new dining experience after local food lovers overwhelmingly voted for the city to host an upcoming wood-smoked Mexican restaurant concept.

Organised by ART Hospitality Group, the team behind award-winning Worcester favourite Maneki Ramen and Burger Shop Worcester, the social media poll pitted Worcester against major regional contenders Birmingham and Hereford. Worcester emerged as the clear winner, taking 70 per cent of thousands of cast votes.

The new venture will be helmed by chef Andy Stubbs, widely known as Andy Low ‘N’ Slow, who joined the hospitality group at the start of 2026. Stubbs brings nearly 15 years of live-fire culinary experience, specialising in modern Mexican dishes, slow-cooked meats, and bold, wood-smoked flavours.

With the city location now locked in, ART Hospitality Group is inviting the local community to help shape the next stage of the project by suggesting ideal sites across Worcester. Whether it’s a high street spot, an old historic building, or a hidden city corner, residents are being encouraged to submit their location ideas via social media.

We spoke to Dorian, one of the founding directors, who said:

“We’ve been completely blown away by the response from Worcester. We expected a bit of friendly rivalry with Hereford and Birmingham, but the people of Worcester really got behind the idea and made it clear they wanted this restaurant in their city.

Now the fun really begins. We don’t just want Worcester to decide that the restaurant comes here – we want the city to help decide where it belongs. Whether that’s in the arches alongside our other venues, breathing new life into a disused building, or right in the heart of the high street, we want to hear people’s ideas.

This has always been about building something with the community rather than for the community, and we’re excited to see where Worcester thinks its newest restaurant should call home.”

To stay updated on the project or submit your suggested locations, follow the updates on ART Hospitality’s Instagram page.