Tohono O’odham Swap Meet taco stand El Taco Rustico announced plans to open a brick-and-mortar location at 2281 N. Oracle Rd., which previously housed Cafe Marcel.
“I wanted to do something better for my customers within the city,” said Juan Almanza, owner-chef of El Taco Rustico.
Almanza is currently waiting for the health inspection; the opening could be as soon as March.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is “just another Mexican restaurant opening in Tucson.” As someone who has, without exaggeration, eaten hundreds of tacos in the past year, this is the most exciting news I’ve heard in several weeks.
During my research for the article on the Tohono O’odham Swap Meet, I spent several weekends in a row visiting to eat from several different taco stands. Some weekends I visited twice. Each weekend included a stop to El Taco Rustico.
Now, I no longer have to wait until weekend mornings to enjoy some of my favorite tacos in Tucson. The weekend stand will still operate, by the way.
Tentative operating hours for the new location are 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. In addition to tacos and aguas frescas, the restaurant will also offer Mexican twists on classic American breakfast dishes such as pancakes and omelets.
Keep up with El Taco Rustico on Facebook.
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Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
