Taylor Adams
Audio By Carbonatix
After nearly nine years of business, Taco Stop closed its Design District location in August – another result of the pandemic.
Now, a fresh coat of paint and new branding has taken over as Taco Bites & Beats plans to open.
“We kind of have COVID to thank, a little bit,” co-owner Vo Singhal says.
He and partner and chef Jorge Castellanos had already found a spot in Plano and were looking at a lease March 15 of this year. They pulled that plan but kept their eyes open.
Singhal, who’s based in Houston and has a background as a DJ (hence the “beats”), kept looking specifically for restaurants closing in Dallas and came across the Taco Stop news.
He kept calling property owner Ed Oakley until enough people in line for the place fell through, and the stand-alone shop was theirs.
“So I drove up from Houston, checked out the place. We’re just really really pleased with everything. We’re doing all the exterior decorations and stuff now.” Singhal says. “Hopefully we’ll be up and running in a couple of weeks.”
Singhal and Castellanos have been operating the food truck business since March 2017 – they had hoped to find success running it at the Harry Hines Bazaar, but found themselves with $80 after a day of work.
Pop-ups, like one at Community Brewing Co., got them $800 in two hours, and they finally started seeing some success.
Soon, they’ll bring their drive-by menu to the spot on Irving Boulevard. Expect tacos, quesadillas, burritos and elotes. Choice of protein appears to include pastor, bistek, carnitas, barbacoa and rajas con queso.
Taco Bites and Beats, 1900 Irving Blvd. (Design District). Planned to open by 2021.
