Photo by Kyla Fields
Rene's Mexican Tacos will open a bodega-style take-out restaurant on the outskirts of Ybor City.
About two weeks ago, a Rene’s Mexican Kitchen sign popped up on the building at 2802 N 16th St. on the outskirts of Ybor City, and Chef Rene Valenzuela himself recently told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that his brand's first brick and mortar is currently in the works.
The building was formerly occupied by local catering business Gaston's Culinary Services, which recently relocated to 301 S 22nd St. in South Tampa.
Although this small, North Ybor building is the food truck’s first official brick and mortar, Chef Rene tells CL that his upcoming location will be an ultra-casual pick-up window and not a full-service restaurant.
“This location is a small step forward—but an important one,” Chef Rene says. “It’s going to be a bodega-style space with a walk-up window, similar to something you’d see in Miami or New York.”
This new brick and mortar will offer no indoor or outdoor seating—just take-out orders and delivery via companies like Uber, DoorDash, etc.
Since Chef Rene’s team is only making slight renovations to the Ybor City space, he’s confident that his upcoming location will debut later this summer—hopefully sometime in August.
In addition to slinging its own tacos and burritos, its Ybor City location will help its Seminole Heights food truck pump out more food, since it has considerably more refrigeration and storage space. The soon-to-open brick and mortar will also help Chef Rene fulfill massive catering orders throughout the week.
It will boast the exact same menu as its food truck, with the addition of tortas, a Mexican sandwich served on a soft roll.
When Rene’s Mexican Kitchen’s second location opens this summer, it will sling tacos loaded with proteins like al pastor, barbacoa, chorizo and cheese, picadillo-stuffed peppers and spicy shrimp, in addition to vegetarian options like oyster mushrooms and butternut squash. Various burritos, house specialties and expected sides will join its taco-heavy menu, too.
Chef Rene has deep culinary roots in Tampa as the founder of Taco Bus, which now has multiple locations throughout the greater Tampa Bay area. Even after he sold his stake in the company in 2015, he continued to dish out his beloved Mexican fare through other ventures.
During a six month stint in the hospital after a surviving a horrific fire in 2018, Rene says he finally realized what his lifelong dream was.
“I had this epiphany of wanting to open a Mexican steakhouse, where I could bring the absolute best that Mexico has to offer to our customers” Rene says. “I’m still in the long process of introducing more interesting ingredients and cooking techniques to our audience. I want my food to honor the evolution of Mexican cuisine.”
In 2019, the chef from Monterrey, Mexico launched the first Rene's Mexican Kitchen food truck, creating a go-to spot for unique tacos and regional Mexican cuisine in Seminole Heights. The new Ybor City space won’t affect his flagship food truck at 4414 N Nebraska Ave., which will continue to boast the same menu and hours after its sibling location opens.
After its debut, Rene’s Mexican Kitchen’s Ybor City location will be open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.
For the latest news on Rene’s Mexican Kitchen’s grand opening this summer, head to its Facebook or Instagram, both at @renesmexicankitchenofficial.
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
