Tacotarian exploded onto the scene in 2018 with their first vegan taco shop in Southwest Las Vegas. Since then they’ve become a destination for vegan tourists and celebs at their Arts District Downtown location. They’ve also gained a foothold in the local community with their Ft. Apache, Henderson and newly constructed Blue Diamond Road location (opening May). Tacotarian was founded by two husband and wife couples: Dan and Regina Simmons & Carlos and Kristen Corral after they were inspired by a trip to Regina’s hometown of Mexico City.

“When the pandemic hit we didn’t know what was in store for us, but we just kept our heads down and kept our focus on growth. The demand for our food is there and we just want it to be accessible to everyone in the country,” says Carlos Corral, co-founder.

Now, Tacotarian is set to open its fifth store which will be in San Diego, CA. This marks a huge move for the team with it being their first out of state opening. The new Tacotarian SD will be located at 4332 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104 in the North Park Area. The team considers San Diego a perfect place to launch their US takeover as it’s not too far from home and has a strong vegan scene. This spot was formerly home to two other vegan restaurants; the modern vegan and Chicago not dogs. Tacotarian hopes to make this location a destination for vegans and taco lovers living in or traveling to southern CA.

“We’ve been eyeballing California for a longtime. We got really lucky with this spot as it’s in an amazing central location and we can’t wait to share our food with San Diego. People have been wanting us to come to California since day one, so it feels great to finally be on our way,” says co-founder Dan Simmons.

Tacotarian has recently been a hotspot for celebrity and political figure sightings. In 2021 Vice President Kamala Harris made headlines when she chose to stop there while visiting Las Vegas. Other notable sightings include Chelsea Handler, Brad Garrett, Mayor Garcetti & Rami Jaffee to name a few.

With the announcement of their California expansion, the team behind Tacotarian is also unveiling their employee profit sharing model. Two managers from the Henderson location will be moving to San Diego to run the kitchen and FOH and are receiving part ownership in the location. Tom McGowan and Andres Castillo are thrilled to tackle this opening and look forward to WOWing guests in SD. The employee equity model is something that the company hopes to continue to grow as a way to uplift employees and give them opportunities for ownership.

“I’m so thrilled to be starting this new chapter in my life. I’ve dreamed of being an owner of a restaurant and this gives me that opportunity. I know this is just the beginning of my career at Tacotarian, “ adds Tom McGowan, Managing Partner/Tacotarian San Diego.

Tacotarian SD will look a lot like other Tacotarians with their stand out black and white bar, teal and light wood accents and hanging plants. It will also have a full liquor license and will feature specialty cocktails similar to their Arts District location. They plan to have an opening this summer. Follow Tacotarian on Facebook or Instagram for the latest info.