Downtown Phoenix Taco Restaurant Forced to Close

A local restaurant has closed temporarily.Photo byNoppon MeenuchonUnsplash

If you’re a lover of freshly made tacos, where all of the meat is grilled over actual flames (and not tossed onto a griddle), there’s an array of salsas, with every bite packed with flavor, then you’ve probably stopped by one of the several Taco Boy’s restaurants around greater Phoenix. With a half-dozen locations around the Valley, the locally-owned brand has quickly become a favorite spot for quality tacos. However, for the immediate future, the brand will be down one location, due to a fire that ripped through its building.

Early Sunday morning, the Phoenix Fire Department responded to a fire at the 620 East Roosevelt Street Taco Boy’s location. Firefighters were able to control the fire and prevent it from spreading to the second floor of the restaurant. However, the structural fire, which appears to have started in the walls, did result in significant smoke and water damage. The brick exterior of the building received minimal damage.

While the building itself doesn’t need to be raized, the interior will need work in order to restore the restaurant and return it to working order. A timetable for that is not immediately known. The restaurant owners will still need to finish consulting with the fire department, as well as insurance before it is possible to move forward. So, unfortunately, the restaurant will probably not be able to welcome new customers into the fold until sometime next year. At the moment, the restaurant's Instagram page says it's closed due to a "mechanical issue." This would be putting it mildly.

Taco Boy’s Tacos al Carbon, has expanded rapidly around the city of Phoenix, thanks to the quality of its tacos, which serves Sonoran-style tacos (which, unlike other regions of tacos in the country, relies almost exclusively on flour tortillas). While the downtown location will be on ice indefinitely, it is still possible to satisfy your appetite by visiting one of the other Valley locations. At least this way the money you would be spending at the locally owned restaurant would remain with them.

The other five locations include one on Tempe Mill Ave, at the intersection of 32nd Street and Thomas, the intersection of 91st Ave and Camelback, on Tempe Rural Road, and at the I-17 and Dunlap intersection.

Tacos are the most popular option on the menu, with meat options including carne asada, chicken, tripa, Cabeza, pastor, and barbacoa. You also have access to the salsa bar when ordering. And, unlike other restaurants that are now charging over ten bucks a pop for a taco, Taco Boy’s charges $3.49 for one.