Earlier this year, Xtreme Tacos announced its small location on Waters Avenue would close. Tampa residents and those just passing through — who embraced the taqueria’s Mexican-American fusion soon after it debuted — were understandably surprised and bummed about the news, as was this CL reporter.
Owners Sofie Warrenbrand and Uziel Ramirez opened the popular Xtreme in February 2017. When Warrenbrand met Ramirez through her previous job in the advertising industry, he was employed by one of the restaurants that advertised with her. They used to discuss the idea of working for themselves — and seriously talked about doing so for six months before taking the leap together.
"We believed both of our skills would combine to make an awesome team. Uzi is an amazing cook, and I have a background in marketing, so I was confident in what we could do together," Warrenbrand said.
According to the duo, they shuttered along Waters due to issues with the building and its proprietors. Although they took a much-needed break before diving back into the taco business with a food truck (more on that in a sec), Ramirez and Warrenbrand say there was an enormous response from the community within days of their closure.
People wanted to help.
“I made the announcement on Facebook and the owner of 7venth Sun Brewery, Devon Kreps, jumped in right away and told us we can park our truck in front of the brewery,” Warrenbrand said. “We did the next day.”
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
“We used the food truck once a week to go to Taco Tuesdays at c.1949 and other events. Going from that to actually running the whole business out of the truck was scary,” said Ramirez.
Not far from 7venth Sun, Xtreme has now found a new brick-and-mortar location in Tampa’s Seminole Heights. The taqueria is in the process of revamping the space that previously housed Grooms Appliances at 5609 N. Nebraska Ave. As Warrenbrand and Ramirez tell it, the property fell into their laps when its owner sent them a direct message on Facebook.
The 1,667-square-foot space will feature about 100 seats inside and out — plus at the bar. To accommodate the residents nearby, a bike rack is also in store out front.
Loyal fans of Xtreme can look forward to chowing down on the current menu — which offers an assortment of tacos, burritos, tortas and other Ameri-Mex favorites with a diner’s choice of meat — as it will remain unchanged. However, some additions are set to make an appearance, including three varieties of Mexican beer on draft, tamales and more vegan and vegetarian options.
“We’re going to choose the most popular beers,” Ramirez said. “I’ve never been to a place, even Mexican restaurants, that actually have Mexican draft beer. We’re authentic but with an edge.”
Prices range from $3 for the Tijuana taco (a simple marriage of meat, diced onions and chopped cilantro served with limes) to $15 for the Stoner Burrito (an 18-inch burrito filled with a pound of meat, Mexican rice, black beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, mozzarella, shredded cabbages and fries). The latter is large enough to feed a family of four, so, yeah, you get the idea.
Ramirez and Warrenbrand are aiming for a grand reopening no later than November. The pair haven’t pinned down their permanent hours, but they may operate in the evening and serve lunch on weekends to start. While they’re going with the flow for now, they do plan to host something to celebrate Xtreme’s formal launch in the neighborhood.
“I want to keep our roots humble. It’s about the food and creating a warm environment where people can come and enjoy good food,” said Warrenbrand. “That’ll be amplified times 1,000 at the new location.”
Need an Xtreme fix in the meantime? Find the truck at 7venth Sun from 5 to 11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 5 p.m. to midnight Saturday, and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. What’s more, the taqueria’s mobile kitchen is parked outside of c.1949 from 5 to 11 p.m. Tuesday and Lowry Parcade from 5 p.m. to midnight Friday.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated since its original publication.
This article appears in Aug 2-9, 2018.