“Poppo’s is coming!” read an announcement posted in the fall by Poppo’s Taqueria, the Anna Maria-born restaurant serving up healthy Mission-style Mexican street food, on its website. “We’re so excited to be joining the thriving community in Parrish, Florida, this winter!”
The new Poppo’s in Parrish will be the sixth restaurant outpost for the taqueria, which has three locations in Bradenton, one in Sarasota’s University Town Center, another in St. Pete.
What Now spoke on Monday with founder Patrick Coleman, who says the news Poppo’s has faced some delays but is preparing to start construction with an opening expected for late winter or early spring.
“We’re a Mission-style taqueria,” Coleman said, “which is a kind of niche restaurant style that developed in the Mission District of the San Francisco Bay Area. We’ve always had a very significant focus on from-scratch whole foods, an organic, clean eating experience. Last year we also went seed oil-free, which is a new development in the last twelve months, but we’re always trying to push that ball forward.”
The menu features build-your-own burritos, bowls, and tacos, along with pre-imagined offerings like the Bee Sting Burrito (Large flour tortilla, white rice, black beans, ancho chicken, romaine, pico de gallo, jack cheese, and pineapple hot sauce), and the Poppo’s Taco (Single taco with ancho chicken, honey lime cabbage, pico de gallo, feta, and salsa verde on a corn or flour tortilla).
Poppo’s Taqueria’s commitment to whole foods is clear even with its tortillas, which are made to order. The Mission style involves steaming tortillas before wrapping to approximate the texture of a fresh tortilla. After following this technique for while, Coleman said, Poppo’s decided to stop trying to approximate a fresh tortilla and just make one, pressing and grill each corn or flour taco to order, which the restaurant has done ever since.
And now, the local family-owned restaurant is bringing all this to Parrish’s Market Walk at North River Ranch retail center.
“With Parrish, we love the location,” Coleman said. “It’s a great fit for us because there are lot of young families with an active lifestyle that aligns with our values as a family-owned and health-focused company.”
You can keep up with all things Poppo’s by following @poppostaqueria on Instagram.
