Arizona Taco Co. expanding into the heart of Uptown Minneapolis

Husband and wife duo Sheila and Marcos Ayala moved from Arizona to Minnesota in 2000, but always missed the food from back home.

"There wasn't the style of food that we were used to eating in Arizona growing up," Marcos Ayala said. "It's really influenced by Sonora, Mexico. And so a lot of my family, my wife's family's recipes reflect that."

They eventually opened Arizona Taco Co. in New Hope in 2019 

"The community really supported us," he said. "We didn't know if we're going to make it from month to month."

They supported it because they love it, with 5,000 Google reviews and nearly a perfect five-star rating. They've since decided to expand and are opening a second location in Uptown this spring off West Lake Street and South Girard Avenue. It'll be a sit-down spot complete with a full bar and community events like salsa dancing and cooking lessons.

"We're excited to be part of the movement there in Uptown," Sheila Ayala said.   

"To draw, you know, the people back to that area and start, you know, being the Uptown that we knew when we got here in 2000, right, it was a different place, it was a different time and we really enjoyed spending time in Uptown. We would like to see that again," he said.

Their New Hope location is a fast-casual counter service spot with a hefty menu that's loaded with delightful options.

"Right here we have our fresh tacos, this is shredded beef, this is carnitas which is a slow-roasted pork. That's an al pastor, which is a marinated pork with pineapple, and then that's our carne asada," he said. 

"Everything is made by scratch, from our tortillas to our corn tortillas, all of our sauces, our pizza dough," she said.

All your favorite taco varieties can also go right on a pizza pie. But one item stands out as their most popular.

"Probably our birria tacos, or what some people call 'dunk tacos,'" he said.

A flavor you'll soon be able to find in the heart of Uptown.

"We're excited to be there, and we would like to see [Uptown] turn around," he said. 

The goal is to open the new location in the next month or two.