Breaking out of the taco box

I’ve been taking advantage of my winter break days off to visit places I don’t normally get to during the day for lunch. One of these is the new permanent location for popular taco proprietor Nate Gutierrez.

December 31, 2010; 6:00 AM • by Holly Gordon

For more on Nate and his Taco Truck Stop, check out Carver Jackson Ward News’s piece from yesterday.

I’ve been taking advantage of my winter break days off to visit places I don’t normally get to during the day for lunch. One of these is the new permanent location for popular taco proprietor Nate Gutierrez. Located across from Tropical Soul Cafe and next to a Bail Bonds shop, Nate’s Taco Truck Stop is at 315 N. 2nd Street, right around the corner from the First Fridays Art Walk. Richmonders know Nate’s simple but delicious tacos from his “taco box” at VCU and the South of the James Farmer’s Market. With temperatures over 100 degrees this summer, and in the teens this winter, the 2nd Street outpost now allows him to serve his high-demand food no matter the weather.

Offering breakfast burritos and quesadillas, enchiladas, and his signature version of the childhood treat, the Frito Pie, in the $4 to $5 range, the best option is still the classic taco for $3. Options include flour or corn tortillas filled with typical fixings and your choice of beef, chicken, chorizo, carnitas (pork), carne adovada (stewed pork with red chilies) and other occasional fillings like lengua (beef tongue) or chicharrones (fried pork rind). Veggie options include potato, black or pinto bean, T.V.P. (texturized vegetable protein) and the occasional calabacitas (sauteed squash-veggie mix) for only $2.50.

The Taco Truck Stop has only been open a few weeks but is already busy; three other customers came in the small waiting area to order while I was there — clearly regulars. Open 8:30am to 3:30pm Monday through Friday, Nate is only offering takeout but hopes to get some bar stools for the front area soon. VCU students and workers shouldn’t despair; his taco box will return once school starts again and weather permits, headed up by his employee, Jared Young. When asked how he’ll decide how to split his time between the locations, Gutierrez says it’s been the plan all along for him to get out of the cart and into a permanent space, an idea two years in the making. “I’ve done my time in the big metal box,” he quips. Gutierrez says he’ll likely still do markets once it warms up.

Credit cards are now accepted, via a device that attaches to his smart phone that allows you to slide your card and sign the screen with your finger.

Nate’s Taco Truck Stop
804-562-1227
315 N. 2nd Street
Open Monday through Friday
Breakfast: 8:30 to 10:30am; lunch until 3:30 pm
(@natestacotruck on Twitter)

December 31, 2010 6:00 AM 0