Seeing double
Wildly popular taco joint sets sights on second location in The Rim
When it came to the restaurant scene, it used to be what began in San Antonio stayed in San Antonio, and what began in Austin stayed in Austin. But old rivalries seem to cooling as Alamo City favorites like Bakery Lorraine and Local Coffee (rebranded as Merit) look northward and Capital City mainstays like Frank expand south. Now, yet another Austin-born eatery is making a significant investment in San Antonio with the opening of a second location in The Rim shopping center.
Torchy’s Tacos — known for its devil mascot, playfully named tacos, and fried avocados — recently filed its intent to construct a new location with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation at 17627 La Cantera Pkwy. The estimated $300,000 project by Landry Design Group is slated to begin March 1.
The chain, which started as an Austin food truck in 2006, has rapidly expanded throughout Texas, with locations in Dallas, Waco, College Station, Lubbock, Amarillo, San Marcos, and more. The company also set its sights on the rest of the nation, opening locations in Oklahoma and Colorado. San Antonio’s first Torchy’s debuted in December 2014 in the Shops at Lincoln Heights complete with a line around the block.
Fans can expect the same tried-and-true menu as the other locations, including tacos filled with everything from blackened salmon to jerk chicken, queso, breakfast tacos, and sides. Currently, there is no word on whether a liquor license will be filed. Many Torchy’s outposts (including the existing San Antonio location) have a full bar with a selection of frozen or rocks margaritas as well as other tequila-based cocktails, but a few stick to just beer and wine.
According to the filing, the construction is projected to end by June 2018, which means the new location could be up and running by early summer. CultureMap has reached out to the Torchy’s team for more details.