Connecticut got its first taste of Taco John's on Monday, as the West-Mex fast-food chain opened a new restaurant at 56B Costello Road in Newington, near the Berlin Turnpike. The 36-seat restaurant offers a drive-thru and delivery, and it's scheduled to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday morning.
A Family Business Expands South From Massachusetts
The new restaurant is operated by Reliance Hospitality Group, a Newington-based company that already runs Taco John's locations in Leominster and Boston, Massachusetts, according to Hartford Business Journal. The Newington restaurant marks Taco John's third location in New England, following earlier openings in Boston and Leominster, as CT Insider reports. Reliance Hospitality Group is led by CEO and co-founder Arsal Jaffery and co-founder Deven Jadav, according to a company announcement.
Jaffery said Connecticut represents an exciting new chapter for Reliance Hospitality Group as it expands Taco John's presence throughout the East Coast, per the same announcement. Plans to bring the chain to Newington date back to 2025, when Reliance Hospitality Group sought zoning approval for a drive-thru restaurant in the parking lot of an Ashley Furniture store. During that process, the hearing was left open so the applicant could work with the town's engineering department to resolve issues, according to Hartford Business Journal.
Seven Days a Week, Late-Night Drive-Thru
The Newington restaurant serves customers seven days a week, with lobby hours running 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. Drive-thru and delivery run daily from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., per the announcement. Taco John's is also accepting job applications for the Newington location, Hartford Business Journal notes.
Taco John's describes its food as West-Mex cuisine, blending American comfort food with Mexican-inspired flavors, according to a company statement. The Newington location's menu includes breakfast burritos like the Meat & Potato, Jr. Breakfast, Scrambler Breakfast and Spicy Chorizo varieties, according to the chain's Newington restaurant page, which also states that the chain fries its taco shells in-house daily.
More Connecticut Locations Could Follow
Taco John's was founded in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1969 and is headquartered in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The chain has described its national footprint in varying terms across different statements: the October announcement for the Newington opening cites more than 300 restaurants across 21 states, while a separate report from QSR Magazine put the count at more than 325 locations across 21 states entering 2026, and an earlier company release tied to the Boston opening cited nearly 350 restaurants across 22 states as of April 2025.
Reliance Hospitality Group is reportedly eyeing additional Connecticut sites, with the Courant reporting the company was looking for locations in Manchester, Hartford, Bloomfield, Vernon, Plainville and Waterbury. That expansion push fits into a broader 22-unit development agreement the company signed in 2021 covering the greater Boston area and Connecticut, according to Chain Store Age. For now, Newington diners heading up the Berlin Turnpike have a new late-night option for tacos and burritos, with the chain's first Connecticut doors now open seven days a week.
