Moe's Southwest Grill to Fill Route 111 Vacancy

One of Smithtown's vacant storefronts will soon be filled by a southwest style eatery.

The former home to , located at 77 Route 111 near and , will be taken over by Moe's Southwest Grill, a Tex-Mex chain restaurant based in Atlanta known for its pop culture references in its menu.

A construction worker at the location Wednesday said construction began roughly three weeks ago and should be completed by July.

Moe's Southwest Grill is no stranger to the area; one at 60 Veterans Highway in the Target shopping center.

Moe's will join a crowded field of Mexican or Tex-Mex eateries in the Smithtown and Hauppauge area. Longstanding eateries include , and Salsa Salsa, . But newer eateries such as , a Tex-Mex eat-in and take out restaurant, and Vallarta Mexican Grill in Hauppauge, .

On the chain side, Moe's will join Chipotle, which operates a shop in Hauppauge, and Taco Bell in the area.

While some vacancies remain in the Uncle Guiseppe's shopping center, such as the that sits on the corner of the center, others have been recently filled. In November of 2011, took over one of the center's vacant storefronts.