Opening its first taco truck during the height of the pandemic, no one—including its owners Chris and Marlly Sanchez-Garcia—could have predicted that Tacos las Californias would rocket to success the way it has since its debut last summer. Only a year-and-a-half into their business, the Garcias now have two Tampa locations, as their
first storefront opened its doors in December 2020.
Tacos las Californias and its famous drippy broth now have over 20,000 followers on Instagram, and co-owner Chris Garcia attributes their fast success to social media buzz, as he told ThatssoTampa a few weeks ago. They were one of the first taquerias to introduce the quesabirria food trend to Tampa Bay last year, and their business has not stopped growing since.
Other staples on its birria-forward menu are the carne asada nachos, shredded chicken taquitos, and the beloved California burrito—complete with french fries, sour cream, guacamole and your choice of meat. Over the past year, the Mexican spot has also added homemade aguas frescas and paletas to its menu—alongside other drink options like Mexican Cokes and a full rainbow display of Jarritos.
Both the storefront and food truck have the same menu and operating hours of 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sunday and are closed every Monday.
This popular taqueria is always selling out of stuff—especially on the weekends—so make sure you check @tacoslascalifornias on Instagram and Facebook and hope you don’t stumble upon the dreaded “no more birria today” post. Prepare to leave Tacos las Californias with a full belly and red birria-stained fingertips.
Tacos las Californias was also recently featured in our roundup of Tampa Bay’s 50 Best Restaurants of 2021 list—deemed as must-try eats from the Creative Loafing staff.
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