Gustavo Rebollar and Erika Siqueiros’ Mexican heritage is reflected in every corner of their new Glendale taco shop, Tacos Chisco.
Tucked in the 51st and Union Hills Shopping Center, the shop is owned and operated by Rebollar, Siqueiros and their family. Tacos Chisco had a soft launch on Aug. 24 but will hold its grand opening on Oct. 22.
Its owners are excited to share their homestyle Mexican dishes with the local community.
“I like to bring a little bit more authenticity on the taco side,” Rebollar said. “I think that the area lacks the real stuff and the traditional way of cooking and ingredients. I noticed that this area doesn’t carry traditional Mexican, homemade-style cooking; everything is pretty much commercialized.
“I thought it would be great to bring something to the community: cook-to-order food and fresh ingredients, unique and different from other taco shops around us.”
Rebollar, who hails from Chisco, Morelos in Mexico, created a menu consisting of his family’s traditional recipes. Their selection boasts an array of tacos, burritos, quesadillas and protein bowls for breakfast, lunch and dinner at reasonable prices.
A highlight of Tacos Chisco’s menu is portrayed in its store logo: nopales, which are cactus paddles. Grilled until tender, they can be ordered alone or in a taco, burrito, quesadilla or protein bowl with additions like salsa, onion and bell peppers. Siqueiros said it is “very unique for any taco shop.”
“Right now, what stands out is our cochinita pibil. It’s baked pork meat that you can make into a taco, burrito or protein bowl, but that baked pork takes awhile to cook,” Siqueiros said. “A lot of people have been really enjoying that one in particular.”
The restaurant’s kids menu features $5 staples like bean and cheese burritos, cheese quesadillas, tacos with a side of beans, and chicken nuggets with corn.
For a refreshing beverage to pair with a meal, Tacos Chisco has cucumber limeade, watermelon juice and horchata aguas frescas made with fresh fruit.
Other drinks include freshly brewed hibiscus tea and in-house margaritas, the latter of which they anticipate to be popular with guests. They’re also looking at adding seasonal local beers to their spread.
To finish off with dessert, guests can order a caramel churro or a churro with vanilla bean ice cream. There are also many fruit bar options, with flavors including mango cream, rice pudding, eggnog cream and butter pecan.
The owners’ Mexican culture is evident immediately upon walking into the shop. One step inside, and guests are greeted with a lively, warm atmosphere accentuated by Mexican music and walls brightly painted with stylized birds, cactuses and flowers.
“We try to use the colors and the uniqueness of our family roots, what we grew up with as children having a Mexican heritage,” Siqueiros said.
The family, who has lived in Glendale for 11 years, thought their community was a perfect location to jump-start their business. They saw it as an opportunity to grow and become involved both as residents and as business owners.
In an effort to support local and family-owned businesses, Tacos Chisco sources its ingredients from several small businesses in the community, including Mayan Tortilla Company, Produce & Spice Distribution LLC and meat wholesaler Gil’s Baja.
“We want our guests to truly love our food,” Siqueiros said. “We wanted to take the freshness. We want them to enjoy the traditional flavors. We want them to feel at home. We want them to enjoy coming in and dining and watching sports on our TV or having a family night. We want our guests to enjoy the whole unique experience.
“We want to get to know our neighbors, and we want them to get to know us as well,” she added. “We want them to know that they’re going to see somebody in the family who’s always going to be here. We want them to be happy with the service and anything that we have to offer.”
To order from Tacos Chisco, call 602-775-9688 or visit tacoschisco.com. Guests can choose dine-in, takeout or catering.
