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By Jennifer Biggs of The Commercial Appeal

Babalu Tacos & Tapas will open its second Memphis location around the end of the year or early in 2017, this one in East Memphis on Poplar just east of Massey.

Babalu, owned by Jackson, Mississippi-based Eat Here Brands, opened in Overton Square in 2014. It was the second location; a third opened in Birmingham, a fourth in Knoxville and the fifth is set to open next month in Charlotte. When the one opens on the site of the former Cozymel's, Memphis will be the only city with two Babalu locations.

"This just kind of fell in our lap," said company president Bill Latham. "They came to us so we figured we'd just see if we can make it happen."

The restaurant will be about 5,000 square feet and have outdoor seating for about 40, Latham said. It will also have an indoor/outdoor bar like the one in Midtown.