Loco Taco bringing 'crazy good food' to Tupelo
Nov. 1—TUPELO — If all goes as expected this week, Loco Taco should open Monday, bringing "crazy good food" to diners.
Britt Caldwell, owner of Taste & See Consulting and Design, worked with Loco Taco owner Fidel Cubillo to develop the restaurant concept. The two worked together previously, opening Cantina Del Sol two years ago.
Loco Taco is located in the Brooks Grocery plaza on Coley Road.
The restaurant, Caldwell said, "isn't going off the rails so much that we're not rooted in authentic Mexican."
Indeed, the menu features three main categories of tacos:
—Loco tacos with a variety of filling, like birria tacos filled with slow-cooked meat and cheese; diablo shrimp tacos made with spicy shrimp, pineapple and onion; and pork belly tacos with sweet and spicy sauce, corn and cheese.
One unique item is the tlayudal, a gigantic corn tostada fro Oaxaca with your choice of meat, lettuce, black beans, total, cheese and chimichurri.
—Traditional tacos from the streets of Mexico including trumpo tacos filled marinated pork and grilled pineapple; suadero tacos made from slow-cooked brisket; and lingua (cow's tongue) and tripa (tripe) tacos.
—Lettuce wrap tacos including shredded chicken; grilled vegetables; tropical shrimp; and street taco fillings like azada, chicken chorizo, chicharron and shrimp.
The menu isn't limited to tacos, despite the name. Appetizers include chips and salsa, street duros, street corn on the cob and wings. Several burritos and bowls also dot the menu.
"It's an experience," Cubillo said. "If you go to Mexico you'll find streets full of street vendors, so what we did here was much like putting a bunch of street vendors and food trucks inside."
Going loco, or crazy, doesn't mean sticking a chicken tender between a tortilla and putting sauce on it. The menu features some 20 different tacos, and there are more in the works as Cubillo plans to roll them out slowly.
"We want a more authentic but also casual restaurant," he said.
"We didn't cut any corners," Cubillo added. "It's a smaller restaurant, but we have big cooks doing it traditionally. Meat that cooks for 12 hours. Doing all the things that it takes to make it authentic. It's more time-consuming, but that's what it takes."
Loco Taco is modeled after fast-casual concepts featuring an open kitchen. Customers will order from the counter and the food will be brought to them by servers. The restaurant also has a bar in the back with additional seating. Overflow seating is available at the counter overlooking the kitchen. At capacity, the restaurant will accommodate almost 100 diners.
The colorful and bright interior was designed by Caldwell, as was the brushed stainless steel and tile counter, which was modeled after a Spanish restaurant in Hong Kong.
A mural in the main dining area was painted by Kit Stafford.
"We had a lot of local craftsman help build the restaurant," Caldwell said.
The restaurant will have a test run this week. On Wednesday, it will be open at 5:30 p.m. to serve the children at the Tupelo Children's Mansion. Then on Thursday, an invitation-only fundraiser will be held for TCM starting at 5 p.m. The events will also serve as practice for the staff.
The restaurant will then take a few days off to evaluate its performance before opening its doors to the public next week.
When it does open, Loco Taco will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday-Saturday.
