French fry bar expands to Durham

French fry fans in Durham will soon have another option to check out.

Buena Papa Fry Bar, which opened its first location last year inside Morgan Street Food Hall, announced Wednesday that it will be opening a second location at the Streets at Southpoint Mall in Durham in May. It will be in the former Built-In-Burger spot in the food court.

“It has been our dream to watch Buena Papa grow, and with the overwhelming response we have received at Morgan Street Food Hall – we knew it was only a matter of time until we would start expanding and adding new locations,” owners James and Johanna Windon said via a press release. “The Streets at Southpoint is the perfect dining destination to reach more people and share our culture and love for family and fries.”

Buena Papa only serves French fries with a variety of toppings. You can create your own combo of toppings or you can get one of the eight signature options including The Carolina, which has pulled pork on top. The "El Americano" features cheddar cheese, bacon, sour cream and chives. The "El Healthy" has sweet potato fries instead of traditional fries and is topped with smoked salmon, guacamole and pico de gallo.

The idea for the business came during the pandemic, when the Windon's had to temporarily shut down its Raleigh maid service business. The first location opened in August 2021. The couple decided to begin franchising the business in December.

At Morgan Street Food Hall, Buena Papa Fry Bar is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday. It is located across from Cousin's Maine Lobster.

The Southpoint location will be open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.. and until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. On Sundays, they will close at 6 p.m.