Chef Juan Almanza and the team have officially opened El Taco Rustico’s second location — El Taco Rustico 2 — at 1830 S. Park Ave., which is right on the corner of Silverlake Road.
The new location is currently open from 11 – 8 p.m. on Tuesday – Sunday.
If you’ve yet to eat at El Taco Rustico, here are their tacos in a nutshell, I mean, a taco shell…
The corn tortillas are soft but not crumbly — strong enough to withstand the carne asada, birria, or anything else you fill them with and the juices they’re dipped into. Then there are the flour tortillas at El Taco Rustico, which are held over a flame for a brief moment before being served, creating an end product with a crispy texture.
Since opening the location on Oracle Road in 2020, everything’s been great even though they opened up smack dab at the beginning of the pandemic. To put it into perspective, he’s making 100,000 quesabirrias a year — if not more.
The new location is also hiring so stop in and apply if you’re in the market for a new gig.
El Taco Rustico 2 is located at 1830 S. Park Ave. and the original brick-and-mortar location can be found at 2281 N. Oracle Rd. For more information, visit tacorustico.com. Check out our August 2022 article, “The Life & Times of El Taco Rustico’s Chef Juan Almanza.”
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
