San Diego's taco scene is about to get even better.
Tacos El Franc, one of Tijuana's most popular taquerias, announced that it is opening a location in San Diego County.
"We are extremely excited to announce that Tacos El Franc is coming to San Diego! You can expect the same exceptional level of quality and service. Please stay tuned for more details in the near future," the taco restaurant wrote on its website in December of 2023.
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Part of the menu in Tijuana includes:
Tacos
- Carne asada
- Adobada
- Suadero
- Cabeza
- Lengua
- Tripa
Quesadillas
- Quesadilla con carne
- Plain quesadilla
- Mulitas (cheese with taco meat between two tortillas)
Relevant content:
Where will Tacos El Franc's San Diego location be?
The San Diego location, which is expected to open this summer, will be Tacos El Franc's first in the U.S.
The address is 3030 Plaza Bonita Road, Suite 1108, in the Westfield Plaza Bonita shopping mall in National City.
"We are going to have two terraces, one bigger one and a smaller one. We expect to receive a lot of people. We are going to have a fairly large place. We hope to open in the summer. For us, the most important thing and what brings us the most happiness is the food part and to have the same taste as in Tijuana," Roberto Kelly, one of the main partners, told NBC 7's sister station Telemundo 20 in Spanish.
Kelly said that Tacos El Franc in Tijuana has drawn customers from all over Southern California and Las Vegas.
It is like an effort to bring Mexico to the United States. We are starting in San Diego, but we have a very aggressive expectation of growth in the country. We firmly believe that we have the best tacos, and we want to share them with people. For us, it is important to bring quality tacos to our countrymen but also share them with the entire country.
Roberto Kelly, one of the main partners
What's on the menu at San Diego's Tacos El Franc?
Good news! The menu in San Diego will practically be the same as the one in Tijuana, Kelly said.
"Everything you can eat in Tijuana, you can eat here, with the exception of a secret menu, which can be ordered in Tijuana, but it depends on how they order it," Kelly said.
Among the menu highlights are handmade tortillas, beans in tacos and the exact recipe for adobada.
History of Tacos El Franc in Tijuana
According to the taqueria, Tijuana's Tacos El Franc has been open since 1996, but its history goes back to the 80s when the founder first established a taco stand.
"It was a struggle at first. There seemed to be a taco stand on every other corner throughout the city. Even worse, my dad was offering tacos that did not taste much different from his competitors. People had no incentive for picking his stand over many others nearby," Juan M. Valadez, the founder's son, wrote on the taqueria's website. "That’s when my dad had a simple but great idea — he would tinker with the preparation until he could not make the tacos taste any better."
"Little by little, my dad began perfecting all his ingredients, from the carne asada, to the tortillas, to the salsas, to the guacamole. He left no stone unturned. He didn’t stop until he felt he could not make things taste any better. Needless to say, it was well worth the effort. Before long, the public had caught on, and his popularity began to surge. His taco stand became one of the most popular in all Tijuana, and the rest is history," Valadez continued.
The Tijuana taqueria is located at Blvrd Gral Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada 9257, Zonaeste, 22010 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico. It is open Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Friday through Saturday from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. It is closed on Sundays.
This story was originally reported by NBC 7's sister station, Telemundo 20. To read the article, click here.
