The Taco Man is slated to open two new locations in Downtown Azusa and Upland. According to owner Israel Miranda, Upland will likely be open by the end of this year and Azusa will open by the end of next summer.
“At the new restaurants, we’re focused on streamlining our offerings. We don’t want to clutter the menu because the really successful places like In-N-Out don’t have a huge menu. And that’s our ultimate goal –to be the In-N-Out of tacos,” said Miranda.
Pro-tip: If you love The Taco Man’s giant Big Donk Burrito, fret not. While it won’t be on the menu at the Upland and Azusa locations, it will still be available as a secret menu item.
He is known as The Taco Man, though, and as such, he still wants to offer as many types of tacos as possible, including Sonora-style flour tortillas, corn tortillas, and even low-carb lettuce and keto-friendly cheese shells. Coincidentally, the new Azusa location will be right down the street from The Taco Man’s long-time corn tortilla supplier, La Tolteca, so they’ll be super fresh.
The price range at the new storefronts will remain the same as the others (around $3 per taco) and will also add the option to upgrade to higher-quality meat for a few extra dollars. “We’ll still sell our basic standard tacos, but premium meats like rib eye and skirt steak will also be available for customers that want to upgrade.” Plus, unlike the other locations, the new restaurants plan to serve beer and wine.
“Upland and Azusa represent the next generation of The Taco Man. We’re revamping our marketing, logos, and even our cooking process by moving from gas to hybrid grills. And while Azusa is still in the early planning stages, the idea is to have an island in the middle of the restaurant with bar seating all around so customers can watch the taqueros cook live.”
Days and hours of operation for both locations will be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. to midnight on weekends.
The Taco Man’s Ontario, Montclair and Glendora locations are all “Chipotle-style” fast casual restaurants, where you go down the line and build your tacos, burritos, etc. One thing that differentiates The Taco Man from Chipotle, though, is no rice – ever. Miranda feels strongly about this. “Rice is a filler. You get an asada burrito and you don’t get what you’re paying for, which is the meat. That’s why you’ll never see rice on our menu.”
Eventually, Miranda wants to expand his restaurants to DTLA. They already have a spot in L.A.’s Melrose Food Co. ghost kitchen, which customers can pick up or order from on apps like Uber Eats and Grubhub. The catering side of his business has been quite successful in the L.A. market, servicing a range of clients including the Clippers and the Galaxy.
Separate from The Taco Man, Miranda is also working on a higher-end taco concept with a potential franchising component but didn’t share further details at this time.
