City Tacos Owner Taking On Tostadas For Next North Park Project

In the year since opening City Tacos, owner Gerry Torres has seen his University Avenue eatery develop a fervent following for its menu of creative craft tacos. Torres, who recently launched IB Street Tacos in Imperial Beach, has been in the food industry for over 20 years; though he's had many offers to expand City Tacos to other areas, his next venture will stay in North Park.

This August, Torres and chef/partner Eduardo Baeza will open Tostadas in the storefront next to Art Produce Gallery at 3139 University Avenue; the 1,100-square-foot space was home to Swoon until the dessert and coffee shop shuttered last fall. Just as City Tacos' menu highlights ingredient-driven twists on traditional tacos, Tostadas will focus on flavorful Latin-inspired seafood dishes made with better quality product than most mariscos joints. It will also have a fruiteria component, offering cold-pressed juice and fruit salads.

The menu is still in development, but Torres says there will be six or seven tostadas that could range from ahi tuna with mango and watermelon to scallops in poblano cream, plus a few hot seafood dishes and chilled goblets of seafood cocktail; there will also be 10-15 taps of Mexican and San Diego craft beer. Torres plans to add a new outdoor patio in front of the space and will redesign but keep the sushi bar-like eating counter; he says that Tostadas will have access to the large back patio and garden, which they may share with a yet-unconfirmed brewery that's looking to move into the building.

Torres, who recently launched IB Street Tacos in Imperial Beach, tells Eater that he does intend to expand the City Tacos brand; new outposts could pop up in North County, Pacific Beach and elsewhere in California.