Mark Wahlberg says the restaurant fire looked worse than it was

Mark Wahlberg says the fire at his Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas wasn’t that bad… because he never broke into the building – and his funky couple opened it an hour after the fire.

We spoke with the actor on “TMZ Live” and he set the record straight… by explaining that a fire pit malfunctioned and burst into flames – officially making Flecha Cantina the “hottest restaurant in the world” according to Wahlberg.

All joking aside, MW explains the fire was outside the building…and only seemed to burn the dining room inside due to the reflection coming through the windows.

Marky Mark says the fire only delayed the restaurant’s grand opening about an hour… and the rest of the evening went off without a hitch.

We also chatted with Mark about his other business ventures, including his famous hamburger chain Wahlburgers, and Municipal Gym – his new fitness venture in the Las Vegas area.

Wahlberg tells us he bases his business portfolio on his own lifestyle… listen to the end to hear which feature he focuses on, regardless of the business.