New Tastes in Northland: Owner of Tasty Tacos said freshness, quality sets restaurant apart
Tasty Tacos is the latest Mexican restaurant to join the Northland dining scene.
Drawing culinary inspiration from the town of Guanajuato in central Mexico, Tasty Tacos has taken over the Bruno’s Pizza & Restaurant at 1776 E. Dublin-Granville Road in the Sharon Woods shopping center.
Owner Victor Villasenor, who owns the restaurant with his sister, Monica Villasenor, said his emphasis is on quality of freshness – there’s not even a freezer in the kitchen.
Once a cook in several units of the locally based Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, Villasenor said he learned the value of using excellent products and scratch-made meals cooked to order.
Villasenor, for example, cooks his own telera bread on site.
“It’s so fresh,” he said, “baked every day.”
The menu is full of familiar dishes, like street tacos, quesadillas, burritos, fajitas and tortas.
Yet, there are several house specialties, such as the pollo asado, a skin on half chicken crisped in a pan and baked until golden.
He also serves molcajete, a kind of dish served in a granite pot filled with beef, chorizo, shrimp, chicken and vegetables and topped with cheese sauce.
Several breakfast options are available and served all day, such as huevos rancheros.
Customers can get street corn on the cob, topped with cheese, Cajun seasonings, mayo and lime.
Tasty Tacos is also one of the rare places in town that serves pambazo torta, a dish where the bread is dipped in red pepper sauce and filled with chorizo and potatoes.
Another signature specialty is the restaurant’s spicy version of pico de gallo, which uses habaneros, jalapenos, serranos, garlic, onion and carrots marinated in vinegar.
Villasenor said he hand cuts 80 pounds of the condiment per week.
The menu is moderately priced, with most entrees costing between $10 and $17.
“We don’t have to do any crazy things,” he said. “They know when they try it; it’s different.”
Villasenor said it took a solid year to renovate the interior and kitchen.
The look is fresh yet spartan in design, with sombreros and serapes hanging from the walls.
The dining room has booth seating with a small bar area. Monica Villasenor said they have applied for a liquor license but for the time being, no alcohol is available.
“We always welcome new restaurants in the Northland area,” said Jenny Leal, a member of Elevate Northland and Northland Alliance.
“It’s good to see the economy in this area is strong enough for these small businesses to keep opening up."
Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call 614-392-4260.
gseman@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekGary
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Freshness, quality sets Northland's Tasty Tacos apart
