There's new Mexican coming to Fort Worth’s South Main district: Called Buena Vida, it's a fast-casual concept from OTC Concepts (Off The Cuff in Deep Ellum, Pour Decisions in Fort Worth), led by CEO and chef Alex Lines, along with partners Alex Hines and Tan Mai.

The restaurant is located at 314 S. Main St. in a gem of a building that was previously occupied by a law/bail bondsman office, across from Hot Box Biscuit Club. It's slated to open in mid- to late-November.

Lines says he fell in love with Latin cuisine while helping open Vidorra in Deep Ellum, and has been hatching the idea for Buena Vida for more than two years.

“We wanted to make a concept that really engulfs the flavors of Mexico while also giving people a really fun place to hang out,” Lines says.

"I spent a lot of time trying to figure out exactly what not only would be popular but also offer something new," he says. "We split our menu down the middle with specialty tacos that have a lot of flavor, and time intensive practices that go along with it. And then we have street tacos, with the essence of street foods that you would find in Mexico."

Their authentic techniques shine in their 72-hour short rib taco.

"We're drying up the chilies, then blending them into our own spice mixes, then rubbing the short rib down, and letting it soak up for 72 hours," Lines says.

It'll be served on the bone, easily slid off for diners to carve and eat with Buena Vida’s taco accoutrements.

Other taco options include pollo asado, with a coffee rub, and vegetarian-friendly options like a patatas bravas taco and a chile relleno taco with walnut and onion.

They'll also have burritos, quesadillas, and fun appetizers like loaded queso and trompo fries.

Cocktails include a Beer-rita – a margarita with a small bottle of Dos Equis upended into it; and strawberry kiwi delight, with vodka, strawberry puree, lime sour, and mint. They're also developing spiked versions of traditional Mexican aguas frescas, like horchata, agua de Jamaica, and watermelon.

With Buena Vida, Lines hopes for his work to be a staple in both the growing food and nightlife scene in Fort Worth. That includes late-night hours on weekends, open until 3 am.

“We found the right building and we’re in a space that we want to be in,” he says. “We've already got a huge presence in Fort Worth for our food at Pour Decisions, and West Seventh has some of the best food, so being only 10 minutes away from there helps as well. This South Main areas is really growing. They're putting in a lot of stuff, and so it became a perfect storm to be able to put this together."