Local chain Los Tacos No. 1 is planning a new location at 67 Exchange Place in the Financial District. Co-owner Christian Pineda told What Now New York that they are targeting a late winter opening.
Pineda said that he and the team have been looking for a good spot in the Financial District for a while, but they were struggling to find a space that was large and wide enough to accommodate them. They tend to look for spots that will draw a good lunch crowd, focusing on areas with office workers and near iconic spots like Times Square, Grand Central and Penn Station.
“We’ve been looking forever downtown, and we just couldn’t find a space,” Pineda said. “We finally found a space, and we’re excited to open up there.”
The brand, launched in 2013 by Pineda and his friends Tyler Sanders and Kyle Cameron, has seven other locations throughout the city. Inspired by authentic tacos in Tijuana, the brand serves tacos, tostadas, quesadillas and mulas.
The Financial District location will have the same menu and design as the other spots.
“We try to keep it as real as possible, just how it is down in Tijuana,” Pineda said. “Simple menu. Same menu at every location. A bit boring, but it works.”
The team is aiming to bring 10 locations to the city by the end of the year, and they eventually hope to expand to 15 locations, targeting areas like Columbus Circle and Rockefeller Center. They also have plans to open a tortilleria this summer. In the long term, he sees the brand expanding out of state.
“Our growth has been a bit slow. We like slow. It’s been an organic growth,” Pineda said. “We’re extremely grateful to everyone who has supported us for almost 12 years. We love our New Yorkers. We try our best every day, and it’s great to see the smiles when people are eating our tacos and the reviews we get. We’re incredibly blessed.”
