Diners sitting down for lunch at Solita Tacos in Valencia Town Center on Thursday got an unexpected ending to their meal: the restaurant abruptly closed its doors mid-service, leaving both customers and employees caught off guard. By Friday morning, the space had been stripped bare.
Employees and customers were surprised Thursday when Solita Tacos abruptly closed during lunch service, according to KHTS Radio. Passersby reported seeing a paper sign taped to the door that read “sorry, we’re closed” in red marker, a blunt and informal farewell for a restaurant that had served the Valencia Town Center for more than a decade.
The cleanup moved fast. A U-Haul truck and dumpster were seen outside the restaurant Thursday as a team of nearly a dozen people worked to clear out the space, the station reported. By Friday morning, the restaurant had been gutted entirely, leaving little trace of the business that once stood there.
A Permanent Closure, With Guests Redirected to Northridge
A poster taped to the front window confirmed what the hasty teardown suggested: the closure was permanent. The notice invited guests to visit the chain's sister location, El Torito, in Northridge instead. Solita Tacos had opened its Valencia location in February 2015, building a following around what the brand describes elsewhere as casual dining, reimagined Mexican favorites and a wide range of margaritas.
KHTS reached out to Solita Tacos for comment about the sudden closure but had not received a response as of publication. No explanation for the shutdown — financial, lease-related, or otherwise — has been made public.
Part of a Larger Restaurant Group's Portfolio
Solita Tacos & Margaritas has been under the ownership of Xperience Restaurant Group since December 2019, when the company, also the parent of El Torito and Chevys Fresh Mex, acquired both Sol Cocina and Solita Tacos & Margaritas, according to the Orange County Register. That acquisition brought Xperience's total restaurant count to 62 at the time. Xperience now says it owns and operates 11 branded restaurant concepts across the United States, a roster that includes Solita Tacos & Margaritas, which the company says was founded in 2014, per Xperience Restaurant Group.
The brand's footprint beyond Valencia appears to be in flux across different company listings. An older Xperience brand page lists Solita locations only in Valencia and Huntington Beach in Southern California, describing the concept as sharing the flavors of Baja Mexico with specialty wood-grilled tacos and craft margaritas, according to Xperience Restaurant Group's brand page. Solita's own online ordering page, meanwhile, lists active locations in Newport Beach, Playa Vista, Scottsdale and Las Vegas, per Solita Tacos — a discrepancy that leaves the current status of the brand's other Southern California restaurants unclear.
For now, Valencia Town Center shoppers and longtime regulars are left with an empty storefront where margaritas and wood-grilled tacos were served for more than 11 years. Whether another tenant will move into the space, or whether Xperience plans to open a replacement concept nearby, remains unknown.
