Taqueria El Puerto De Vallarta plans to expand to a second Elk Grove location at 8409 Elk Grove Florin Road, moving into a building with a grim recent past: the former home of Z Town Asian Gastro Bar & Restaurant, which never reopened after two men were killed there in a 2025 shooting. The restaurant's owners signed a lease for the roughly 2,500-square-foot space and plan to renovate it before opening, with the buildout estimated to take up to nine months.
According to sacbee.com, the lease for the space was signed on a Friday, and the owners are now working through renovations before the doors can open. The taqueria currently operates at 5105 Laguna Boulevard, and the new site would give the growing local chain a second Elk Grove foothold. Per the same report, Z Town never reopened after the fatal shooting, leaving the space vacant before Taqueria El Puerto De Vallarta stepped in.
What's on the Menu
Taqueria El Puerto De Vallarta describes itself as a cozy, welcoming Mexican eatery that prepares its dishes fresh daily, according to elpuertodevallarta.com. The restaurant's own site notes its menu includes molcajetes, street tacos, and pina locas, alongside other staples like tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, mariscadas, and carne asada. Seafood shares space with classic Mexican fare on the menu, with the business positioning itself around food rather than a late-night bar scene.
Elk Grove's Growing Taqueria Scene
The expansion lands amid a broader wave of Mexican food growth in Elk Grove. Taqueria La Perla Tapatia has been reported to be planning its own new Elk Grove location at 7119 Elk Grove Boulevard inside the Laguna Promenade shopping mall, according to What Now Sacramento, which later reported that the family-run chain was gearing up for further growth into Rancho Cordova and South Sacramento. Separately, a California taco chain with 12 other restaurants and three food trucks was reported to be opening its first Elk Grove location, per sacbee.com, and Chipotle has also been reported to be eyeing a fourth Elk Grove spot in the former Kiki's Chicken space at Waterman Grove Plaza, according to the Sacramento Business Journal.
For Taqueria El Puerto De Vallarta, the new location represents a chance to reach more of the city from an established base at its original Laguna Boulevard restaurant. As reported by WhatNow, no firm opening date has been confirmed, though the timeline for the renovation and permitting process is expected to stretch into several months before the taqueria can welcome its first Elk Grove Florin Road customers.
