Chef Nuno Grullon went from scrubbing pans in the Bronx to running Uptown 66, the MiMo taco stand whose birria taco was crowned national best. What started as a tiny operation has grown into a regional favorite, capped this year by a move into a larger, full-service Hallandale Beach location. The bigger footprint lets Grullon roll out oysters, a full cocktail program and late-night hours while keeping the tacos that built his following.
Grullon grew the brand without outside investors, trading a cramped 900-square-foot MiMo ventanita for a 151-seat Hallandale dining room that opened in 2025. The new space brings a full bar and an expanded kitchen, but he insists the menu still begins with hand-pressed tortillas and carefully braised meats. That climb from Bronx dishwasher to chef-owner of a buzzy two-location operation is charted by Miami New Times.
From Dishwasher To National Prize
The national spotlight arrived via a televised contest that quickly turned Uptown 66's birria into a must-order item. The win pushed the small stand into heavy rotation for taco fans. "I'm very grateful. I'm blessed," Grullon told Miami New Times, a modest summary for a taco that suddenly had the whole country paying attention.
Hallandale's Bigger Stage
The Hallandale space is built for experimentation. A first-ever full-service cocktail bar and an expanded kitchen let Grullon layer in a raw bar and crudos while keeping Uptown 66's signature tacos front and center. Uptown 66's own site outlines the new offerings and hours, and OpenTable lists the weekly programming that gives the room its different gears, from Taco Tuesdays to Ladies Night to a daily happy hour. The menu still revolves around birria but now runs alongside oysters, lobster and larger entrees built with a bar crowd in mind.
What It Means For Miami's Taco Scene
National attention from Good Morning America, as part of the show's "United States of Tacos" series, helped shove Uptown 66 into a wider conversation about where to find the country's standout tacos. Local coverage has tracked how that kind of recognition can give chef-driven pop-ups room to grow into permanent spots. As Eater reported, Uptown 66's Hallandale debut is part of a broader wave of pandemic-era vendors turning into full-service restaurants across South Florida.
Grullon says he wants to expand carefully, with hopes to reopen Grand Central in the coming years, but for now his focus is consistency at both Uptown 66 locations. For diners, that translates to more late-night tacos, deeper menus and a local spot that has scaled up without abandoning its scrappy beginnings.
