For diners, the main change is that Naco Taco’s Mexican menu is scheduled to move to dinner service at nearby sister restaurant The Smoot Standard, 313 Massachusetts Ave., after Naco Taco’s Cambridge restaurant closes Nov. 1. Smoot will serve breakfast, lunch and cafe offerings daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., then reopen at 4 p.m. and serve until 10 p.m. with Naco Taco’s menu, Cambridge | Somerville Independent reported; Boston.com also reported the schedule.
The move consolidates the restaurants’ dining-room service at Smoot rather than ending Naco Taco’s food service altogether, according to Cambridge | Somerville Independent. The Naco Taco truck is also expected to continue serving around the city and state, Boston.com reported, citing a Naco Taco post.
The transition and what diners can expect
Before the restaurant closes, owners Alex Tannenbaum and Yared Lacey planned a Halloween-night event with Maji Mazuri, Boston.com reported. The outlet said tickets start at $11.99. The Partiful event listing is linked here, but details beyond those reported by Boston.com are not included.
Smoot opened in 2024 in the former Darwin’s Ltd. cafe space. Its name refers to Oliver Smoot, an MIT student whose body was used as a unit of measurement when fraternity brothers measured the Harvard Bridge in 1958; marks for the smoot remain on the bridge, according to The Boston Globe.
Cambridge’s priorities for Central Square
The Cambridge Community Development Department’s 2013 Central Square Final Report described the area as the city’s downtown and a cultural district serving nearby neighborhoods. It said the community wanted locally oriented enterprises and recommended helping valued businesses and nonprofits establish a long-term presence in the area.
