Taco Season Returns

Well, it’s May. And you know what that means… tacos. Open since Cinco de Mayo 2014 on Ives Street, Tallulah’s Taqueria has become the East Side’s go-to for delicious and expertly prepared Mexican. Offering a mix-and-match type of menu, Tallulah’s lets patrons choose their protein or veggie and the vehicle in which they’d like it delivered (taco, bowl, burrito, torta or quesadilla) to create their favorite combo. We caught up with Chef Jake Rojas and wife and co-owner Kelly Ann to visit some tacos and see what’s happening in the unofficial month of tacos.

Your first Rhode Island restaurant venture was the fine dining Tallulah on Thames in Newport. What was it that inspired you to make the jump from one extreme to the other with tacos here on the East Side?
Well, we wanted to build a kind of quick service restaurant with the same ideology of Tallulah on Thames and Providence was the perfect fit. We’d been doing taco nights and taking our cart to farmers markets, and with the popularity of these we figured that bringing our tacos to the city was a great idea.

Where do you find the inspiration for the flavors you use in your offerings?
Jake grew up in El Paso, Texas eating and experiencing Mexican culture. He learned the basics of Mexican cuisine from family at an early age. Jake combined both his childhood memories of flavor and his experience being a classically trained chef and created what you see at the Taqueria.

What’s your favorite thing to eat when you’re here?
Depends on the weather and the mood, but you’ve always got to start off with one taco prior to whatever the meal may be.

A crazy question: corn or flour tortillas for tacos?
Corn only for tacos. But we do go for the large flour tortilla for our burritos.

What’s next for Tallulah’s Taqueria?
Well we’ve got our Shack in Jamestown opening for the summer on Memorial Day, and our carts can be found at a couple of farmers markets this season (including the Hope Street Market in Lippitt Park) as well. Aside from that we’re just concentrating on one taco at at time.

146 Ives Street
272-8226