Tacos La Flamita, a longtime fixture on Milwaukee’s streets, is gearing up to trade asphalt for a permanent address on the city’s Northwest Side. Owner Efrain Jimenez Mendoza has purchased a standalone building at 2100 W. Hopkins St. and filed paperwork to convert it into La Flamita’s first brick-and-mortar spot, with a setup that leans heavily on quick counter service and pickup instead of a traditional sit-down dining room.
Property and public-record listings show Jimenez Mendoza closed on the Hopkins Street building in January for about $235,000, according to Homes.com. The operation has functioned as a mobile vendor for years and is licensed to use a commissary kitchen at 1116 W. Historic Mitchell St., according to the City of Milwaukee’s Food Peddler License Report. The truck will keep rolling while the owner pursues approvals for the permanent shop.
From Truck To Counter-Service
A license application now pending before the Milwaukee Common Council describes the Hopkins Street site as a counter-service restaurant without a dedicated dining room and proposes daily hours from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to Urban Milwaukee. The filing lays out a menu that includes tortas, tacos al pastor and handmade huaraches alongside chimichangas, birria, gorditas and quesadillas, with meat options such as pastor, asada, chorizo, tripe, tongue and cabeza. The plan skips alcohol service and relies on the property’s surface lot to handle pickup and curbside orders.
Where To Find The Truck
In the meantime, fans do not have to wait for bricks and mortar to get their fix. Delivery and listing platforms show the Tacos La Flamita truck frequently parking near 1920 W. National Ave. and offering an expanded mobile lineup that features burritos, tostadas, alambres, nachos and sopes, according to its DoorDash profile. The City of Milwaukee’s Food Peddler License Report also lists La Flamita LLC at the Mitchell Street commissary, noting the truck’s official base of operations.
Neighbors And Next Steps
The compact building on Hopkins previously housed Pizza House and later Haji’s Red Hot, which closed in 2020, according to neighborhood records and reporting. Before La Flamita can open the doors, its license application must clear the Milwaukee Common Council and any needed building permits. Urban Milwaukee reports the owner hopes to move quickly once approvals are in place. For now, regulars can look forward to seeing many of the truck’s street staples reworked for a quick, pickup-friendly counter on Hopkins Street.
