It’s been an incredible journey for Chef Juan Almanza, owner of El Taco Rustico. From being a Tohono O’odham Swap Meet staple to opening up his first brick-and-mortar at 2281 N. Oracle Rd., Almanza is now ready to open a new location on Park Avenue.
Over the past few months, they’ve been preparing to open the restaurant at 1830 S. Park Ave., which is right on the corner of Silverlake Road.
There isn’t an exact grand opening date just yet but Almanza and the team are hoping to open the restaurant’s doors as soon as March 2024.

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.
So, stay tuned for an exact grand opening date but for now, they’re aiming to be open this March.
El Taco Rustico is located at 2281 N. Oracle Rd. The new location is coming soon to 1830 S. Park Ave. For more information, call (520) 623-3478 or visit tacorustico.com. Check out our August 2022 article, “The Life & Times of El Taco Rustico’s Chef Juan Almanza.”
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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.















