City Tacos Announces North County Expansion

City Tacos is continuing to spread taco love throughout the county; its next spot is going into Encinitas’ Lumberyard Shopping Center on Highway 101, where it joins Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizza and JoJo’s Creamery. The taqueria is taking over the space that was occupied by Sakura Bana Japanese Restaurant for three decades, and founder Gerry Torres says it should open in late fall after a remodel.

The casual spot will offer beer and wine and a compressed version of the City Tacos menu — creative tacos and salsas that Torres has crafted with chef/partner Eduardo Baeza. Healthy options, including ceviche and tostadas, will be added to the North County location.

Torres, who also runs City Tacos Village Taqueria in La Mesa as well as Imperial Beach’s IB Tacos, says that the addition of a commissary kitchen as part of his TNT Tortilla N Taco Factory in El Cajon, has positioned the company for steady expansion; he tells Eater that he envisions taking City Tacos all the way up the coast to the Bay Area. Tostadas, the University Avenue eatery he shuttered last month, is also poised for a major change.

Another project, an Imperial Beach partnership with Mike Hess Brewing that will feature a beachfront tasting room and beer garden offering a menu by City Tacos, has broken ground; Torres says they have their sights on a Summer 2019 launch.