Pacific Beach is about to smell a lot more like mesquite. TacoNora, a Sonoran-style taquería built around fire-grilled meats and paper-thin flour tortillas, is set to open Saturday, March 7 at 956 Garnet Avenue. The fast-casual counter will run a protein-forward, build-your-own format that leans on parrillero grilling instead of piling on heavy toppings.
The concept draws from the owners' Sonoran family traditions and was developed in partnership with Tyche Food & Beverage Consulting, the team behind several regional taquerías, according to What Now San Diego. Owner Mario Abeyta told the outlet that the Pacific Beach storefront, formerly home to Smash And Stack Burger, felt like a natural entry point for the brand as it grows into Southern California.
“Guests start by choosing their protein,” Renata Vázquez, cofounder of TacoNora and founder of Tyche Food & Beverage Consulting, told San Diego Magazine. Options will include asada, pork belly, a house-seasoned chicken, trompo-style sirloin or ribeye, and grilled Anaheim chiles. From there, the shop will match those proteins with housemade guacamole, beans slow-cooked with pork fat and red chile, and a salsa bar stocked with 10 housemade salsas.
What To Order
Tacos will land in several Sonoran formats, from a simple, classic taco to a lorenza (an open-faced crispy taco), caramelo (carne asada and melted cheese sandwiched between two crispy flour tortillas), costra (a caramelized-cheese crust), a Sonoran-style burrito, and TacoNora’s signature taco pizza. Those formats are designed to spotlight the thin flour tortilla and the grilling technique more than heavy sauces, according to SanDiegoVille.
TacoNora's doors will open on Saturday, March 7, at 956 Garnet Avenue, with the team describing the concept as a fast-casual walk-in service. For more on the shop and the founders' expansion plans in North County and Arizona, see San Diego Magazine.
Before the official opening, the team handed out breakfast burritos at a local preview and encouraged neighbors to follow the shop’s Instagram for updates, listed as @taconora.usa. Expect straightforward, grill-forward tacos and burritos when the counter opens, with an emphasis on quality meat and thin flour tortillas, according to SanDiegoVille.
