Torchy’s Tacos, the popular craft fast-casual taco brand known for its Damn Good Tacos and addictive Green Chile Queso, is celebrating a major milestone to kick off the new year: its 100th restaurant is officially open for business.
Torchy’s newest location began serving Torchy’s Damn Good tacos and margaritas on Dec. 20 right where it all began in its hometown of Austin, Texas. Located at 8601 South Congress Ave, Suite 250 off Slaughter Lane, this restaurant marks the brand’s 12th location in Austin, 70th in Texas and 100th across 11 states.
To celebrate the opening and kick off the new year right, 100 lucky guests who dine in throughout the week of Jan. 24th from Monday to Thursday will have a chance to receive a limited-edition Torchy’s Restaurant Opening T-Shirt, which will grant the fan a year of free Green Chile Queso each time they wear their special shirt to the 100th location.* Torchy’s is also donating 100 percent of bar proceeds garnered on its friends & family days to benefit the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM), an organization that provides access to affordable healthcare for Austin’s low-income, working musicians, with a focus on wellness and prevention.
Torchy’s Tacos got its start 15 years ago when founder and CEO Mike Rypka bought a food trailer and set out to change the taco game forever. As word of mouth grew, Torchy’s became known for its scratch-made tacos, emphasizing unique flavors and high-quality ingredients from around the world. To this day, Torchy’s continues to live the Damn Good dream by serving up the most innovative and unique tacos in the game while giving back to the communities it serves.
“I’ve been reflecting back on when we first started Torchy’s in 2006 and it’s surreal that here we are, 15 years later, opening our 100th restaurant in Austin, right where it all began,” says Mike Rypka, founder and CEO of Torchy’s Tacos. “While a lot has changed in terms of our size and scale over the years, our attention to detail, down-to-earth culture and Damn Good food are all the same as when I was slinging tacos in our original food trailer on South First. On behalf of the entire Torchy’s family, thank you to our loyal fans who have supported us since day one and all those who’ve grabbed a seat at our table since. Make sure you come out and celebrate our 100th restaurant with some tacos and margs!”
Guests can enjoy favorites like the Brushfire taco, award-winning Green Chile Queso and Torchy’s Taco of the Month while sipping fresh-made margaritas and signature cocktails in the 4,450-square-foot space and accompanying patio. At Torchy’s, every taco, queso and margarita is hand-crafted and made-to-order.
Highlights of the menu include:
- Damn Good Tacos: Torchy’s inventive taco creations served on fresh, housemade corn or flour tortillas like Green Chile Pork featuring pork carnitas, green chiles and cotija cheese, Baja Shrimp made with fried shrimp, cabbage slaw and pickled onions, the famous Trailer Park inspired by Torchy’s beginnings in an Austin food trailer with fried chicken, green chiles, lettuce, pico de gallo and cheddar jack cheese (pro tip:make it “trashy” by removing the lettuce and adding Green Chile Queso) and many more
- Breakfast Tacos: Served all day long, with options like The Wrangler made with cage-free eggs, smoked beef brisket, potato, cheese and tomatillo sauce, Migas made with cage-free eggs, corn tortilla strips, green chiles, avocado, pico de gallo and cheese, and more
- Taco of the Month: Torchy’s ever-changing monthly promotion of unique and mouth-watering tacos that keep Taco Junkies guessing and relishing year-round, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Torchy’s charitable partners including the Make-a-Wish Foundation, MD Anderson, and Phoenix House
- Flavorful Sides: Including Green Chile Queso + Chips, Juan’s Refried Beans, Street Corn and fresh-made guacamole and salsa
- Freshly Squeezed, Hand-shaken Margaritas and Local Brews: Happy hour runs Monday-Friday from 3-6 p.m. for dining in, with drink specials including $1.50 off draft and bottled beer and $2 off Damn Good Drinks. Plus, enjoy $3.50 select drinks, like sangria or mimosas, all day on Saturdays and Sundays
Torchy’s Slaughter location is opening with safety measures in place, including frequent cleaning and sanitation, team member wellness checks, proper glove use and other steps to ensure guest and team member safety. Guests can use the Torchy’s app, available via the Apple App Store and Google Play, to get their taco fix with a tap and place pickup and delivery orders with contactless payment, right from their phone.
The restaurant’s hours of operation are:
- Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
- Friday, 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
- Saturday, 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.
- Saturday, 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Torchy’s 100th restaurant opening comes as the brand continues to expand its footprint across the U.S. This year, the brand is on track to continue growing in the midwest and east coast regions, with new locations planned in Arizona, Florida plus Torchy’s first brick and mortar location in Ohio.
