The Taco Stand Pairing With Tokyo-Style Bar on Convoy

Following outposts in North Park, La Jolla, and Encinitas, The Taco Stand is heading to Kearny Mesa where it will join the busy Convoy Street plaza that also holds Crab Hut, RakiRaki Ramen, and O’Brien’s Pub.

The Tijuana-inspired Mexican spot is replacing Cauldron Ice Cream, the OC transplant that opened last May.

Shōwa Hospitality, the local hospitality group behind The Taco Stand, also runs a number of acclaimed Japanese restaurants including Himitsu in La Jolla, the just-opened Sushi Tama in Los Angeles, and various eateries in NYC and Mexico City.

Slated to open in early 2021, this Taco Stand location will be primarily grab-and-go, with a food counter and some standing room. The rest of the 1,800-square-foot space is becoming Convoy Music Bar, a cocktail bar modeled after Tokyo’s ultra-cool hifi or listening bars — often hidden drinking dens — that will feature a top-notch sound system and an all-vinyl soundtrack.

The group says it’s excited to bring this style of bar to San Diego and tells Eater that it will be consulting with bartenders from Tokyo for Convoy Music Bar’s cocktail program.